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The Royal Sonesta Hotel Chicago River North Reviews

The Royal Sonesta Hotel Chicago River North

The Royal Sonesta Hotel Chicago River North

Chicago, IL
4.7 out of 5 rating, 19 Reviews
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Reviews

4.7 out of 5 rating
19 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    4.7 out of 5 rating
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    4.7 out of 5 rating
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    4.7 out of 5 rating
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94% Recommended by couples

Awards

19
  • A
    Alexa M. Sent on 09/13/2021
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    Nothing but rave reviews!!

    Allison S. and the team at the Royal Sonesta River North (FKA The Kimpton Hotel Palomar) were the glue that held our wedding together. Unfortunately, due to COVID we had to reschedule our wedding twice. (The third time was the charm!) Allison and the team made the wedding planning process seamless and demonstrated compassion and understanding.

    Allison was the absolute best! She stuck with us through postponements, answered hundreds of questions, and coordinated many meetings/phone calls. She was patient, efficient, hard-working and knowledgeable about the wedding planning process/industry. There were many times throughout the planning process where we didn’t know if we could have 10, 30, 50 or 150 guests at our wedding. Allison was always there to share everything she knew about the very fluid changes that were happening in the COVID landscape between event spaces and the city. We could not have had a successful wedding without all of Allison’s work behind the scenes as well as help leading up to and on the day of our wedding!

    Additionally, all of the bartenders, waitstaff, and additional team members at the Sonesta were amazing. Everyone was incredibly friendly and hospitable. Our friends still rave about how fun they helped make the night! The food served at our wedding was also phenomenal! We elected to offer our guests the option of a chicken, fish, or vegetarian dish. We heard great things about all three meals. The passed appetizers at cocktail hour and late night snack (pretzels) were also terrific.

    All in all, the Royal Sonesta River North was an incredible place to host our wedding. The staff, delicious food, and beautiful ballroom helped bring our vision/dream wedding to life. We would recommend the Sonesta to anyone! If you’re considering this venue, do not hesitate!
  • Jennifer
    Jennifer Sent on 03/07/2019
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    Fantastic Customer Service

    Lindsey at Hotel Palomar is fantastic! We booked a block through Hotel Palomar for our April wedding and she is one of the most responsive vendors we have worked with.

    She was very accommodating with the block and was great about answering all our questions (since we've never done a hotel block before). Hotel Palomar is a BEAUTIFUL hotel and the rooms are cozy and welcoming.

    Also, it is in one of the best areas of the city so it is a great place to send your friends and family. They have so many options in walking distance from their hotel.

    Thank you to Lindsey for making the process an easy and stress-free part of the wedding planning process.
  • illustration stars

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  • Andre
    Andre N. Sent on 07/09/2019
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    Couldn't be any happier

    We started planning for our wedding 4 months prior to the wedding date. It was very challenging and we had no idea how to organize everything in such a short time. We saw few vendors before we ended up walking into the Kimpton. The moment we entered the hotel and met Alexa we knew that this is the place we want to have our wedding at. The hotel is very nice and the ballroom was just perfect for our 120 guests. The staff was phenomenal and we had unlimited help whenever we asked for it. Alexa helped us with all the tiny details and she was very thorough. Prior to our big day she made sure to cover all the details that we didn't even knew existed. Every singly guest who was at our wedding commented on how beautiful the venue was and how awesome the staff was.
    I really can't thank these people enough and i would definitely recommend this place.
  • K
    Kimberley Sent on 09/08/2018
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    We recently completed our wedding weekend at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar and everything was exceptional! Allison was very organized, handled all details of the weekend, and was terrific to work with. No request was too much for her. All of the hotel personnel were so terrific everyone felt like family by the end of the weekend (including the wedding guests.) From Emma Jane, who coordinated the actual wedding and day after brunch, to Gonzalo, who took care of everyone the entire weekend, and Sarah at the front desk, who handled a myriad of miscellaneous requests promptly, we could not be more pleased! The nightly hotel wine hour was a great opportunity for the wedding guests to mingle. All of the food and cocktails provided by Sable for various events was fantastic – big thanks to Amber and Kyle. I could go on and on but you get the idea – Hotel Palomar is a superb venue in all respects!
  • D
    David Sent on 04/26/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Good experience

    We had a great experience at the Palomar- we held our reception there after a ceremony in a different location. Our main contact was Alexa, and she was awesome about answering our many, many questions during the planning process as well as meeting with us multiple times to plan and make sure everything was set. Our reception (a pretty small one at about 25 people total) was in the private space at Sable on the ground floor, and they did a great job setting up and incorporating all of our custom decor and providing some great food, even setting up a speaker system themselves so that we could play our own music. We also have to give a shout out to the service staff- they all did an incredible job and were one of the best parts of the night.

    We’re also fans of the hotel itself- we had a very big and well-appointed suite included with our reception, and they set aside a specially priced room block for our guests with no occupancy obligation. Overall we were very happy with our experience there, and we’d definitely recommend giving them a call if you’re looking for a venue in River North.
  • S
    Sarah Sent on 08/14/2018
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Lindsey was our main point of contact at Palomar. She was super helpful and responsive during the whole process. The Palomar was the only hotel that we reached out to that offered a tour and they made great suggestions for our first look spot and even reserved part of the restaurant as a back-up location. The hotel was wonderful, the rooms were amazing, and the staff was all so happy and helpful! The suites were huge (and a good price!) so we had plenty of room to get ready, and Lindsey made sure we had plenty of chairs for the salon technicians. Lindsey's thoughtfulness extended beyond the wedding as we had a bottle of bubbly waiting for us in the room when we got back from the reception. Lastly, all of our family member who stayed there loved their rooms and the service too!
  • A
    Amy Sent on 05/21/2017
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    I did a LOT of research for our wedding reception venue. The minute I met Alyssa, Director of Catering at Hotel Palomar, my search was over! Alyssa was a total Godsend for our wedding planning. And that was just the beginning of our flawless experience with Hotel Palomar. Every step in the planning process Alyssa and the team at Palomar were there to make things easy, fun, and memorable. They were also very accommodating to all of our requests.
    Many of our guests were coming from out of town so we wanted them to experience what downtown Chicago is all about. The location of Hotel Palomar couldn’t be better in the heart of River North with a plethora of restaurants, bars, and shopping within walking distance. The ballroom is also amazing. It has floor to ceiling windows on three sides of the room so you get amazing city views, which was key for us. No stuffy conference room feel. There is also a balcony off the ballroom so your guests can get a breath of fresh air or take a break from dancing without leaving the party. Finally, the upgraded features that come standard with your reception package such as satin table linens and beautiful gold plate chargers make the need to decorate the space minimal. Bonus, the staff will set the tables with your décor. One less thing to worry about!
    I think our favorite part of wedding planning was our tasting at Sable - Trying all the amazing appetizers and entrée options and creating our signature cocktail was so much FUN! The food is phenomenal. Definitely not your typical “wedding food”. I can’t tell you how many guests commented on how much they loved our meal. The bartenders bring the party! They were so much fun!
    All of our guests continue to tell us how much they loved every aspect of our wedding and we couldn’t agree more. The team at Hotel Palomar truly made our dream day a reality.
  • L
    Larry Sent on 09/16/2014
    5 out of 5 rating
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    I don't even know where to begin to describe how amazing the Palomar was for our wedding. We had 100 guests which was absolutely perfect (I probably wouldn't go much higher than about 120).

    I probably sent around 100 emails to Alyssa over the course of the year, and she always responded within a day, usually within minutes. She knows what she's doing and ensures her staff pull off a flawless event. If you're a micromanaging planner like I am you will really appreciate responsiveness.

    We picked the Palomar because it was an all-in-one deal which meant the planning would not be stressful. And it wasn't. I still can't believe how little effort we had to exert in putting it all together considering we didn't have a wedding planner. It was basically like picking from a menu of a few options, which were plenty varied but limited enough that you were not overwhelmed with anxiety about making the wrong choice. Having all of our guests, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in the same space, having the catering and AV and even chairs taken care of, just made everything so easy. We kept asking ourselves (and Alyssa) what are we missing, this seems too easy.

    And the food was simply incredible, which let's be honest is why you are looking at the Palomar in the first place (hint: get the steak. They'll cook it perfectly)

    Two minor observations: Yes, the carpet isn't the greatest, but trust me when I say you won't notice it when everything is put in place. The eye will be drawn to the gorgeous chandeliers and the table settings which were perfect. The default chairs however, are simply not attractive, and we're glad we had Alyssa order us some chiavari. It really made a big difference.

    I could go on and on cause we're still in a euphoric state with how awesome everything was, but really do consider the Palomar. You won't regret it.
  • B
    Brittany Sent on 10/06/2014
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    If you're looking for a venue that will exceed your expectations-- Hotel Palomar is for you! Alyssa was an absolute pleasure to work with. Think wedding planner without paying for a wedding planner, am I right?! They are so accommodating and really work to make your vision fit your budget.
  • User1185970 Sent on 06/04/2013
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    I absolutely loved having my wedding at Hotel Palomar. My wedding was last week and I cannot say I could have picked a better venue. It came down to:

    (1) Service! Alyssa was amazing! We didn't have a wedding day coordinator but she did almost everything for us. She was so attentive to emails and our requests and I have to say she remembered everything we had asked for! Even on the wedding day, I made a last minute request to have her bring some horderves to the wedding suite so that I wouldn't starve between dinner, she did more than that + CHAMPAGNE! She even helped to put out our favors and place cards. Our wedding wouldn't have been the same without her. Even our photographers commented how our wedding was on time, which is very rare. They said most weddings typically run late, but not ours!

    They are so prepared as well. They had so many things just in case (cake cutting, gift card box). I was impressed!

    (2) Location! About 1/4 of our guests were from out of town, hence we wanted a city wedding where our guests would walk to the main attractions. Its 5-10 minutes to walk everywhere! They also had a nice terrace and balcony where our guests could view the city at the end of the night.

    (3) FOOD! Their executive chef Heather is one of the contestants from Top Chef. Although she wasn't one of my favorites, but the food was so delicious. Our beef tenderloin dish came with a potato gratin, which was absolutelyyyyy amazing. All of our guests were completely blown away by our food, signature drink, and drink selections.

    I couldn't be happier with my wedding day at Hotel Palomar. I can't wait for the beautiful pictures of the venue. (The red flowerly carpet wont matter anymore.) I highly highly recommend if you have a low guest count (<160) to have your wedding here. You won't be disappointed!
  • User1070892 Sent on 01/17/2013
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    I can't imagine any other place but the Palomar to have our wedding. It was the most amazing day. Alyssa and her team went above and beyond our expectations. As the bride, I didn't have a care in the world on the actual day because Alyssa had everything under control. I was able to hang out with friend and family and take in every moment. The staff and the hotel were very professional and accomodating to all our guests. Guests kept commenting on how amazing the venue looked and how delicious the food was.
    We were planning everything from New York City so I had to trust and rely on the Palomar for all our needs (ambiance, tasting, coordinating with other vendors, etc) and they did not disappoint. I trusted Alyssa so much that the entire process was stressfree. I would recommend the Palomar a million times over. AMAZING!!
  • K
    Kristen Sent on 07/31/2012
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    This beautiful, ecclectic and contemporary space was perfect for my wedding. The size was more than enough room for 75 guests. The service was impeccible! Not only did I receive a new soup when it got cold but also a second entree after I spoke with all my guests. This bride got to eat!! The staff did not miss a beat. The table linens and details are gorgeous and helped this out of town bride because no rentals were needed! The Director of Catering was extremely helpful in the planning process leading up to the day and very helpful the day of. I have no regrets and would choose this venue again!
  • Maggie
    Maggie T. Sent on 10/09/2019
    4.8 out of 5 rating
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    Wedding reception venue

    Hotel Palomar did a fantastic job hosting our wedding. My husband, family and I are so happy we decided to choose the Kimpton as our reception venue. Our wedding reception was absolutely perfect. We dealt with Alexa the entire time of planning and are so grateful that she was there to help us along the way as well as be there the night of to ensure everything went smoothly. She was so attentive and organized, which I know my mom and I really appreciated whenever we would send her a million questions/emails. We also received so many compliments on the food at the reception. We have been to 3 more weddings over the last month and we were still getting compliments on how our dinner was the best. The portions were amazing! We are so glad we booked with the Palomar
  • B
    Bethany Sent on 06/06/2012
    4.8 out of 5 rating
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    We absolutely LOVED Hotel Palomar! We wanted a Chicago night wedding, with all the glitz and glam with modern touches and great service, food, and hospitality (plus prime photo opportunities as that's what really lasts a lifetime)...we also wanted a one stop shop where our guests could come to one location for our wedding, cocktail hour, reception, and place to stay over night, along with brunch in the morning. We wouldn't have changed one thing about our wedding weekend at Hotel Palomar...it was magnificent! They even allowed us to have our dog in the wedding :) We absolutely loved everything about Hotel Palomar, they made it easy for us to relax and enjoy our wedding weekend. People always say something will go wrong on your wedding day, but everything went to plan and I really believe it was the special attention the staff made to all of the details for our wedding. My husband and I have said a number of times to others, we wouldn't have changed one thing about our wedding weekend! I would highly recommend Hotel Palomar and all of the vendors we used for our wedding :)
  • M
    Mimosa Sent on 02/03/2012
    4.8 out of 5 rating
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    I cannot stress enough how wonderful Hotel Palomar was for our wedding venue. We looked at tons of different places in Chicago and the burbs before booking with Palomar (easily 30+...no joke). We looked at empty spaces, an art gallery, chain hotels, boutique hotels, banquet halls, restaurants, etc.

    At first I had some reservations about it too like the banquet room layout, carpet design, etc but the pros far outweighed these concerns. My hubby knew right away it was his fav. It took me another month to figure that out for myself. Honestly you won't even notice the big-flowered carpet because of all the people and tables. As long as you have less than 150 people attending (we had 125) the event space is just fine. It was a bit crowded in the cocktail lounge but nobody complained.

    What made our choice especially easy was Kerry Craig. She is AWESOME to work with. She wasn't exactly the quickest to respond to my emails through the year (my hubby had better luck) but the weeks leading up to the wedding she was attentive, helpful, and very prompt. Of all the people we "interviewed" she ended up in our top 2 to talk to.

    We finally chose Palomar because of Kerry (her flexibilty and customer service), banquet having windows and balcony, drinks (Mike the head bartender is amazing to work with), food selection, price (it was top of our budget but still manageable), and overall it's a chic & bright hotel. Definitely no regrets.

    I guess the only things I would have done differently are look into uplighting, made sure they kept the door propped open from cocktail lounge to banquet room open after dinner, and had the staff give the vendors their meals first before serving the guests.

    Even months after our wedding, we still hear from friends and family how beautiful and amazing our reception was! They loved the venue, cocktails, food and our red velvet wedding cake =)
  • H
    Heather Sent on 06/07/2012
    4.7 out of 5 rating
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    This is the kind of venue for the Bride who wants affordable elegance with ease. The catering manager effectively became my day of wedding coordinator and took care of all the details for me. We had a great time, great food and tons of fun. Id do it all over again the same way.
  • L
    Lori Sent on 10/03/2016
    2.9 out of 5 rating
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    Overall, my husband and I are absolutely thrilled with how our wedding turned out. We will always look back on our day with extremely fond memories- it was magical. However, I want to give an honest review to those considering the Hotel Palomar for their wedding.

    Over our wedding weekend, we had planned two welcome events for those in town. One Friday night, and one Saturday night- both scheduled to take place in a private room in Sable (restaurant at the Palomar). The Friday night event was great-the reserved room was a perfect space for the gathering. Saturday night, hours before the gathering was supposed to start, the Palomar wedding coordinator informed us that we were getting kicked out of the private space, but we could "use the bar area". How were we supposed to let our guests know that the location had changed on such short notice? My relatives had to stand in the middle of a hot, cramped bar with nowhere to sit down and loud music playing. What made it worse was that I looked into the private room, and nobody was in it!! So upsetting.

    Most upsetting, though, were several requests we had specifically made were not followed through. We had asked for leftover food, cake, desserts to be packed up after the wedding. They were thrown away. We asked for there to be enough hors d'oeurves for cocktail hour. There weren't. We expected our Welcome Bags would be delivered (with an additional fee paid for delivery!)- a large number weren't, or were delivered too late for guests to use them.

    We were proactive in telling the coordinator at the Hotel what we wanted, and asking very specific questions. She would say yes, but not follow through. You expect things out of your control may not go your way, but not the things in our control that we had thought through carefully and requested.
  • Emily
    Emily S. Sent on 07/13/2023
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    Good but bad planning process

    We had a room block for our wedding guests and we had our morning after brunch here. The rooms were amazing, the staff was great when we dropped off our welcome bags. The brunch was so good! It the food was amazing! We did have trouble getting in contact about the brunch. We got the final bill the week of when we'd been asking for it for a couple of months. The planning process was not great. Communication was not great. The event and the rooms itself were great the process wasn't.
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