What service can you provide to groups that they normally might not receive?
The location of the hotel and its unique configuration allows our groups to use a designated private entrance, which provides secure and convenient group arrival/departure with a private bank of elevators to meeting rooms and guest rooms.
What are your bar or nightclub recommendations?
Chicago is known for its blues clubs, so I definitely recommend visiting one during your stay. Buddy Guy’s Legends, a famous Blues club located in our Loop neighborhood, offers live Blues nightly—Buddy himself has even been known to perform! Our location in the heart of Chicago’s Loop also puts us in close proximity to Jazz Showcase, the second oldest Jazz club in the country and a great place for nightly jazz in an upscale venue. In addition, the city offers many different dance clubs with all genres of music, most of which are just a short taxi ride from the JW Marriott in Chicago’s exciting nightlife districts.
Can you recommend a good place to take a stroll?
I always recommend walking along Chicago’s lakefront, where you can find a number of the city’s top attractions. Heading north along Lake Michigan, you’ll find Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the country’s oldest free zoos. Heading south takes you through Millennium Park and past the iconic Cloud Gate (The Bean) and Pritzker Pavilion, which offers live music during the summer months. Just south of the Millennium Park, you’ll find the Buckingham Fountain and then the Museum Campus with the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum of Natural History and Soldier Field.
Are there any quirky places we should check out?
The original Billy Goat Tavern is located under the Magnificent Mile, just a short distance from the hotel—it’s famous amongst newspaper journalists and in skits on Saturday Night Live. Chicago has incredible architecture, so I would absolutely recommend checking out the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. They offer customized and themed tours of the world-renowned architect’s works in the area, and the best part is that they are our neighbors located right across LaSalle Street at the Rookery Building. And of course, no visit to Chicago is complete without a stop at the Willis Tower. To make the trip more interesting, step out onto “the Ledge,” a glass box extending out 4.3 from the rest of the building—at 1,353 feet in the air!
What is an unusual request from a group you’ve had?
To fill the bathtub of the keynote speaker with goldfish.
A party of 12 wants to have dinner right away. What restaurant can accommodate last-minute requests of this size?
Our Concierge desk has developed great relationships with local area restaurants, which we’ll use to find the perfect place to accommodate a guest’s specific requests and needs. For a convenient option, I recommend The Florentine on the second floor of the hotel—the large, upscale restaurant can easily serve last-minute group dining needs and has impeccable Southern Italian cuisine.
What’s a unique event that has taken place at your property?
The JW Marriott Chicago hosted members of both the Nobel Peace Prize and NATO.
To discover more eye-opening insights from top concierges, just visit our Concierge Insights section!
