Please make sure the front desk clarifies and/ or the booking agency the mandatory charge of the Silversmith’s destination fee that is charged at the end of your stay. Unfortunately we misunderstood this charge and were under the impression that if we didn’t utilize the service we would not be charged. We also failed to see this mandatory fee on the Expedia site when we booked. At check in, there was something mentioned about having ice delivered to the room, coffee, room service, etc. We did not plan on utilizing this service so we did not think much of it until we checked out for the weekend. I called the hotel management for clarification and was told that this charge was for “access to the gym, free business service, and express check-in.” All things that are usually included in your hotel stay if these amenities are offered. It was also mentioned that this was their “resort” fee. I have stayed at many “resorts” and let me tell you that there was no resort feel about this stay. It was your typical hotel. So when you’re comparing prices of downtown hotels, look into these mandatory fees! Ask about them when you’re booking and at check in! And just because this hotel looks like a “great deal” because of price, it may not be that much cheaper when all said and done. There’s plenty of hotels that do not charge this mandatory fee or truly have a fee based charge for the services you utilize. Beside this charge, we enjoyed our stay in Chicago at the Silversmith! The room was nice, the bed was comfortable, the bathroom was large, and the staff was welcoming. We will definitely clarify any “additional” and “mandatory” charges whenever booking our next hotel! And we would probably have chosen a different downtown Chicago location if we would have known about this fee. Lesson learned!
