For those parents & teens who’ve gone thru National Unified Auditions in Chicago, is staying on the executive floor at the Palmer House worth the additional cost? To explain, I currently have a room booked on another floor using the promo code offered for auditionees & their parents for February of 2018. Our two double bedded room, nothing included, is $173 per night. I can get a two bedded room on the executive floor, not interested in a king bedded option, for $230 night. My child is a light-ish eater, and can be picky. Don’t know if we’ll really need the evening hors d’oeuvre fare. The snacks & drinks available during the day are what attract me the most along with the continental + breakfast. Is a lot of additional money, however, when we’ll be in such a terrific food city. If the February weather is severe, we’ll appreciate being able to stay in. Otherwise, I want to get my child out of the hotel for fresh air both metaphorically & literally. There will likely be other auditions both on campus at several Chicago schools and at the unofficial Unifieds that will be taking place during the week so we will be leaving the Palmer House at least a few times regardless. The financial difference for what I currently have and the executive floor option is $57. Is breakfast and a few bottled waters worth that? Thanks for input.
I love the concierge level and all the perks. Sometimes you really use them and other times you aren’t around when things are offered, but it is handy. If around, it is easy to justify the added expense for the access, items and convenience. I like that the breakfast is easy to get and ensures a good start to the day. Generally it is more than the usual continental, they have hot choices as well. It avoids the sit and dine in a hotel restaurant, or having to get a danish/bagel stuffing on the run. I can’t tell from your description, but if it includes separate sleeping areas and the regular room is your typical double then that would be a slam dunk. My hubby would take the regular room (heck he would probably book Motel 6 if he had his way), but I would always book the concierge given the choice. Ya, vacation planning is always fun around here.
Post edit: Sounds like you are there during the week, but in general do pay attention to the days breakfast and access are provided, at some hotels concierge level service is just a weekday thing, more provided for business travelers. It stinks to pay for it on the weekends and it not be open.
I think it sounds like a good splurge for a few days. Can you do it cheaper, buy your own water and snacks? Sure, but you are paying for convenience.
It’s been a very long time since I stayed there. But the Palmer House is one of the most gorgeous hotels I’ve ever been in.
If you can afford the splurge I would absolutely stay there.
Executive level has its own elevator (or did when I last stayed there). That’s one convenience. It also had bar service so you didn’t need to go down to the lobby for a drink. And it had concierge service, another convenience if you’re seeking dinner reservations or other information about the city. I don’t think the rooms themselves are demonstrably quieter or anything like that.
I almost always stay at Palmer House (PH) when I visit Chicago. I love its location, walkable to the Art Institute and up Michigan Avenue. Sometimes if PH is full I’ve stayed at the Chicago Hilton on Michigan Avenue – about a half-dozen blocks south of PH.
I travel a fair amount and sometimes get upgraded to concierge floors. I can’t say that it ever really makes much of a difference to me. I might grab a couple free bottles of water, but otherwise the food is usually stuff I’d only eat in desperation (Chicago snowstorm in Feb would count!).
IIRC the Palmer House has rooms facing both inward to an enclosed courtyard and outward to the street? Much, much, much more important for me at that particular hotel is avoiding the inward-facing courtyard rooms at all costs. I’d rather have a regular room facing out than an executive floor room facing in.
In Chicago I also really like the W hotel over by Navy Pier, but I’m certainly no expert on Chicago.
I didn’t really care for Palmer House. Beautiful architecture, yes. But the rooms were kinda meh…typical, and the price was bad even for Chicago. (don’t eat in the restaurant downstairs without checking the menu prices. $100+ a plate and not that great…go out to a nice restaurant instead!) If you have to grab a quick bite at Palmer House, sit in the bar section downstairs and order off the bar menu.
This question should be asked in the MT or Drama forum. Having participated in both of those for years, and knowing dozens of people who have stayed there during Unifieds, I’d say, yes, it is definitely worth it for most to stay on the Exec. floor. I don’t think that anyone above who has commented has stayed there for Unifieds so they likely don’t know how convenient it can be to have the amenities on the Exec. floor, nor that going out and exploring Chicago in February isn’t the reason you’re going to be there. 
The snacks and drinks are a nice perq but it is also much more quiet on that floor during a time when the rest of the hotel is going to be a zoo.
Thank you to all who responded. Didn’t think about posting in either the MT or Drama forum as I’m a first time poster. Have decided to book the executive floor, cost be darned. Hopefully the perks of the floor will be commensurate with the additional cost.