plaxoed!

Some Plaxoes (Joseph, Rikk, Tod, Janice, Trevor) and I went to focus groups in Chicago and Phoenix this week and while in Chicago, we stayed at the Drake Hotel for a night. It was done up in a very classic style and compared to other historic remodeled hotels, it was about middle of the pack. Here’s my back of the envelope comparison of the landmark hotels I’ve stayed at (starting from the best to the worst):

1. Regent Wall Street (NYC) - This hotel appears to not be a Regent property anymore, but when I stayed there a few years ago, it was top notch. The building was built in 1842, but it has been completely remodeled - very nicely done too. The hotel, room, service, restaurant and amenities were all excellent.
2. Fairmont San Francisco - This place is old, but done up quite nicely. The lobby and hallways are very stately and the rooms seem to have been remodeled recently, but still in the original style.
3. The Drake Hotel (Chicago)
4. The Benson (Portland) - Kept up pretty well and they have Tempur-Pedic mattresses… very nice!
5. The Palace Hotel (SF) - Old and not kept up as well, the standard room is diminutively small
6. The Plaza (NYC) - Ugh. Thinking about this hotel makes me cringe. It looks very awesome and stately from the outside and it’s right on the corner of Central Park; however, when you get inside, it’s a completely different story. The rooms are all old and decrepit, there are stains on the carpets and furniture, and everything felt dirty. Looks like they are closed for remodeling though, I hope the new and improved Plaza is much better.

So all in all, in my experience, the Drake as a hotel runs right in the middle of the pack.

Congrats to the White Sox?