Review: The Talbott, Autograph Collection

I stayed at the Talbott in Chicago after a fun weekend of racing with my dad at Road America in Wisconsin. It provided a nice, relaxing environment for a Sunday night stay and allowed me to get some work done on Monday before my evening flight. 

As I knew I had time, I wanted to stay at a hotel with great Platinum Elite benefits and recognition. I received the royal treatment with an excellent complimentary breakfast, room upgrade, and a 4 pm late checkout, so The Talbott fit the bill perfectly.

Read on for my review of this Autograph Collection property.

Booking

I booked The Talbott using an industry rate, but you can get decent value from your Marriott Bonvoy points here. As with most Marriott Bonvoy redemptions, you’ll need to cherry-pick your dates a bit, but the valuation is not terrible.

Certainly, you can get value from a 35K Free Night Certificate that comes with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card in Canada.

Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

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Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card

The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card offers benefits that include an annual Marriott Bonvoy free night certificate and 15 elite qualifying nights towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Check out our American Express Marriott Bonvoy card review for more details.

OFFER
110,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

MINSPEND
$6,000

EST. VALUE
$990+

ANNUAL FEE
$120

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
Apr 7, 2026

Check-in

I arrived a bit late at the hotel after dropping off my rental car at the airport and transiting. I find the transit system in Chicago straightforward to use because it connects to the airport. The hotel was more luxurious than I anticipated, with doormen greeting me as I arrived, and modern spaces for the check-in area.

At check-in, I was told I had been upgraded to a studio suite, informed about my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite breakfast benefit, and offered a late checkout. The hotel does have a $25 destination fee that includes several benefits. I planned to take advantage of the free museum tickets, but at the time of my visit, the contemporary art museum was closed on Mondays.

I don’t think this destination fee is completely useless, but if you don’t drink or plan to eat in the restaurant, it’s a bit of a drag. I knew about the destination fee in advance, so I planned to have dinner at the hotel.

Location

The Talbott is located in a superb spot in Chicago.

Not only did I have breakfast views of the Willis Tower, but I was also a short walk away from a beach that I visited in the morning.

Parking

Parking is only valet and is charged at a hefty rate of $87 USD per day.

Room – Studio Suite

The hallways around the property feel vintage and homey, with rotary phones and crown moulding throughout.

My room was on the 7th floor, in the corner of the building. It made for a unique room entrance with a relatively empty hallway, but it was filled with some art and a full-length mirror.

Around that corner, you’ll find the closet and an opening into the main part of the room. The closet contained a robe, but no slippers.

Across from the closet is the bathroom, which was well-appointed with a beautifully tiled floor. I was rather surprised to see carpet throughout the rest of the room.

For a suite, the vanity was a bit small. But as the hotel is built in a historical building, I can imagine there are some constraints. The attention to detail here was great, with perfectly folded towels and two glasses waiting and ready to be used.

The shower had the “Marriott Standard” overhead and handheld sprayer setup.

Shower amenities were provided by Grown Alchemist.

The main portion of the room felt big but was almost awkwardly large, as there was a lot of empty space. The only features are the bed and the TV with a built-in minibar in the media stand. I felt more could have been done with a bar cart, considering all the empty space in the room.

The finishings around the room are beautiful, though, and the TV is run on an Apple TV software, which is much preferred to the clunky Marriott interface I’ve become used to.

The coffee and mini bar are under the TV, and there’s a lot of selection if a midnight craving hits. The Nespresso coffee was a nice add as well!

Room service is also an option, but to use your $12.50 food and beverage credit from the destination fee, you need to dine in at Laurel.

The bedside tables were simple but of really high quality. I loved the fact that they include a direct connection for USB-C cables as well.

The view out of the 7th floor was nice, but there are many tall buildings around, so not a lot of sunlight makes its way in.

Restaurants

Laurel – Platinum Elite Complimentary Breakfast

I dined at Laurel first at the bar to take advantage of my $12.50 dining credit as part of the destination fee, then again to use my complimentary breakfast benefit. Both times it was great food and service!

The bar features a beautiful design on the ceiling that adds a lot of character to the restaurant.

Also, included as part of the destination fee is a daily cocktail; I opted for an old fashioned alongside my burger. Both were great!

For breakfast, I chose to sit on the patio and it was a lovely setting to start my day. It even has views of the Willis Tower!

I opted for the classic breakfast, and the staff recommended I accompany it with the homestyle English muffin, which was a wonderful highlight.

Facilities

Fitness Center

The fitness center is relatively well equipped with street views and a decent selection of equipment and free weights.

Lobby

Normally, I wouldn’t make a note about the lobby, but it’s a wonderfully designed common space where I enjoyed getting some work done before heading to the airport.

Conclusion

The Talbott was an excellent stay in one of the most exciting cities in the US. With rich design across the property and a great restaurant on site, I would be happy to stay at the Talbott again. While destination fees are always a pain, I feel like this fee provides decent value and some usable benefits.