Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza

I’m a city girl born and raised in Chicago. So what better way to show my love for the city on my wedding day by getting married at the Wolf Point Ballroom at Holiday Inn Merchandise Mart Plaza.
First of all, the views are of downtown Chicago are breathtaking. I’m not being biased but I really think the views from the ballroom are the best in the city. You get views of both branches of the Chicago river. It’s beautiful during the day and even more amazing at night. Our guests complimented us all night long about the view. It’s pretty incredible.
Next the food is really delicious! We got married on a Friday and had the celebration buffet package. The package itself is pretty reasonable and the food was delicious. We had Caesar salad, prime rib, chicken, mashed potatoes, fruit, and grilled vegetables. Everything was super delicious. The prime rib and the chicken were juicy and very tasty. The cake, which we got through the package from Alliance bakery was very moist and delicious. We got compliments on the food/cake from our guests as well :D
Last but definitely not least, the Event Coordinator, Barbara Martin is just fabulous. She is organized, responds promptly and is very nice to work with. She was one of the reasons we booked the venue. We knew with Barbara that we would be in good hands. Throughout the planning process we had great communication and she was extremely helpful getting things in order the day of the wedding.
The Holiday Inn was recently remodeled with the newly added Wolf Point room. I think the secret is now getting out on how great it is. The prices are very reasonable for a downtown venue. I think choosing the Holiday Inn as our venue was the best decision we made in our planning process

Wonderful venue. Reasonable prices. Spectacular view!

This venue is the best of both worlds! The room is surrounded by windows, soi the view is always great -- especially at night. The staff was professional and attentive. ALL of our guests were impressed and I was very pleased. Our food was delicious and the wait staff excellent. Our planner, Barbara Martin, went far beyond to make this day special. My daughter is still smiling. Our memories of the wedding will be special forever!

I had my wedding at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza on New Year's Eve 2010. I cannot say enough good things about the staff and the venue itself. It is a hidden gem in the city!! After walking into the ballroom I fell in love with the room and its view and was shocked to find out how affordable it was compared to other Chicago hotels.

The wedding coordinator was wonderful. She is an expert in all things weddings. She was very attentive to my requests (no matter how many I made!). The day of the wedding I had no doubt that if anything went wrong with outside vendors she would quickly take care of it. The entire staff that helped out with reception the day of was extremely professional. I honestly could not have been happier with every aspect of our reception. You would be lucky to have your wedding here!! All our guests raved about the views and how beautiful the hotel was- perfect!

We had our wedding reception at the Wolf Point Ballroom at the Holiday Inn and it was absolutely amazing. Our guests were amazed by the view from the ballroom which is spectacular, especially since most of our guests were from out of town and have never been to chicago. They provided us professional service and all of our guests raved about the food. Overall they did a fantastic job and we are so happy with how everything turned out!

By far, the Wolf Point ballroom is one of the best city-view venues in Chicago for the price you pay. We did a lot of research and site visits, and the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza is an amazing place. Don't be fooled by the name - the place has been renovated throughout and looks great. The location can't be beat, with south-facing windows of the river bend downtown and there's many great outdoor wedding photo ops.

We've heard through many people that the Holiday Inn is a great venue (both before and after we booked the place), and it primarily comes from the expertise of Barbara Martin. She walked us through all the details and was prompt to answer questions. They get busy, so remember to book well in advance. We had our ceremony in the Wolf Point ballroom in the late afternoon while it was sunny, a cocktail hour as the sun was setting, and the reception back in the ballroom when all the city lights were shining in the dark. For those who want to save budget on decor, the city view is so much better than any chair covers you buy.

As I mentioned, the ceremony and reception were held in the same room. We wouldn't have docked any points down with the exception that the dance floor was laid down before the ceremony, causing us to change the seating layout of the wedding. It would have been nice for that to be more flexible, but that really was the only real complaint. The staff was amazing from the bellhops to servers to front desk to Barbara. The prices were reasonable and they were on top of their game. I'd highly recommend checking them out if you're thinking about a downtown wedding!

Barbara is the best! could not have asked for a better service or space. The views in the room were amazing!

The food, service and atmosphere were the three most important things to us when we were selecting our venue. The food was phenomenal! My parents thought the food they gave us as the tasting was a larger portion and higher quality than what they would actually serve at the wedding, but he was wrong! The steaks were cooked perfectly, the cocktail food was fabulous and in the weeks after the wedding so many of our guests commented on how the food was the best they have had at a wedding. The service was also impeccable. They had enough servers that no table had to wait for food. One of the servers even saved me and my husband some hors d'oeuvres from the cocktail hour. Our guests were also really impressed with the room and the view. We were in the Wolfpoint Ballroom, and our guests love having the cocktail area to go to and visit while the music was playing. Barbara Martin and her staff were wonderful to work with. The only downside is the inflexibility of the venue and many of our guests had trouble with their reservations. The way the hotel structures its hospitality and reservations could be improved. Our family ended up with extra rooms. Some people who had rooms were told that they didn't when they checked in (we know they had rooms because we received a printout of the guests who made reservations under our block). We reserved a room for my friend, put it in her name and when she went to check in they told her there was no record of it. Eventually everything was straightened out, but it was frustrating for us and many of our guests. Overall, we had a great experience and beautiful reception.

The Holiday Inn Mart Plaza was the first place that we looked at to use as a reception hall for our wedding, and we could not have been more pleased! The whole experience was wonderful. The space was great and the location is hard to beat being right downtown on the river. Barbara was wonderful and endlessly answering my many questions which really put me at ease for the big day! They were very accommodating with different requests and flexible with the space we used. And the food! The food was incredible! One of my friends actually took a picture of her meal because it was the biggest steak she had ever had at a wedding reception! The tasting experience was so much fun, and the dinner at the event was delicious. I would highly recommend using the Mart Plaza for your wedding!

We were extremely pleased with our reception in the Wolfe Ballroom at the Holiday Inn. We loved working with Barbara. She was always a pleasure to talk to and always eased my fears every time we spoke. We heard from many of our guests that the food was the best wedding food they had ever had! (We ordered the chicken in the pinot noir sauce with mashed potatoes.) My only complaint was dealing with the hotel staff to book rooms. Many of my guest, including myself, had issues booking rooms. But, for a wedding venue in downtown chicago, I don't think you can beat the value for your dollar!

When we started looking for reception venues, I really wanted something that captured a real Chicago feel. We had a lot of out of town guests and we really wanted them to get a true blue Chicago wedding reception, highlighting our beautiful city. I had dreamed of floor to ceiling windows but the truth is, we were very budget limited. Everywhere we turned we had to spend over $100 a head and I kept being told that we had to go to the burbs to spend anything less than that. I kept hearing about the views at the Holiday Inn, but didn't know what their price range would be so made an appointment to see it just to see it, not knowing what to expect. The room made our jaws drop, it was exactly what I had envisioned. The best part is when we sat down to talk cost, they immediately showed us several ways to cut corners to keep the price low. I mean, what venue tells you show to spend less? My now husband and I went to one more reception vendor after that appointment somewhere else and we felt like we were cheating on the Holiday Inn. We signed that same day. Now, a view is great and all, but the best part of the entire experience was everything that happened after we signed the contract. Barbara Martin and her staff at the hotel was quick to address every question and concern I had that next year and a half right up to the wedding. Barbara was always such a calm energy to be around, my now husband joked about taking a cell phone picture of her so every time I would get kind of stressed out, he could whip out the picture to chill me out. We had a lot of concerns because we did not have a florist, and my mother was doing my flowers. I did not want my mom totally stressed the day of trying to do and set up everything. I literally just unloaded all our wedding stuff on Barbara and she was able to sort out and make sense of all the jumble of crap we gave her to create our amazing room with all our personal touches. Our tasting was fabulous but you have to wonder what the food will be like when they have to create more than one plate of everything. People have not stopped complimenting the food and service at the Holiday Inn even since our wedding! People kept saying it was the best wedding food they had ever had (we had to agree and we go to a lot of wedding, between me and my husband we go to an average of 5 a year, actually 8 this last year! We're lucky we have so many friends and family who include us on their wedding day but it has also allowed us to experience a lot of different weddings). One friend admitted he ate before he came because he is normally so disappointed in wedding food, and he still devoured all his food even though he was completely stuffed because it was so good. I can go on for days about how great our experience was. I really feel like the Holiday Inn is a hidden gem. They don't need any advertising from me because they book up fast, but I was surprised I hadn't heard about them more considering what you get for the money you spend there. In addition, they just remodeled the entire hotel so everything is modern and really nice. There is a bar in the hotel with views that I think are better than something you would get in the Sears Tower or Hancock (I've been in both places when there was a bit of overcast and you are so high up all we saw out the windows were clouds). The bar was perfect because it was a good place to meet our friends the night before the hotel without having to go anywhere but still be somewhere an out of town tourist would appreciate. It's beautiful and its affordable (compared to other downtown hotel locations). Plus, there were tons of included perks that would have easily cost us hundreds if not a thousand dollars more had we gone through a different reception vendor. I think anyone who is looking for a downtown vendor but is concerned about budget should check out this hotel.

The hotel was great. The view is amazing. The food was delicious. Barbara Martin, director of catering sales is very helpful. I left my shoes under the table the night of my wedding and when I called after the honeymoon, they not only found them, but mailed them back to me immediately.

There were a lot of perks that came with our package and they were willing to work with our budget, though it was still a little pricey. The view from the Hall was spectacular. The only reason worth discussing as to why we are giving a lower rating is because of our treatment after the wedding. They charged our credit card for extra guests without consulting us, and there were no extra guests. We went back and forth with them for 3 weeks pointlessly. We only got this resolved once we reported the situation to our credit card company.

We loved working with Barb and the staff to plan our reception. The packages were reasonable for a downtown venue and the hotel was very flexible and accomodating. We definitely felt like they went out of their way to work with us on things like getting out of town guests early check-in times etc. The view from the 16th floor room where our reception was held was beautiful and everything was very organized and right on time according to the schedule we wanted to follow. I would highly recommend the Mart Plaza to anyone!

I would highly recommend this place to have your wedding. The views from the floor to ceiling windows in the ballroom are beautiful. You get the view of the chicago river with the Sears Tower in teh background. The wedding coordinator at the Holiday was so friendly and accomodating. She made planning a wedding so stress free.

They did what they said and tried to help within their means.

We wanted our wedding on a beach in Puerto Rico. Due to budget constraints we brought the Caribbean beach to Chicago in February 2006 on the coldest day of that winter. The Wedding Packet included the cake and the anniversary cake, included one night stay for parents of the groom and bride, and the honeymoon suite for the newly weds the room# was kept as a secret) . This was great considering our family members don't live in Chicago. The location is convenient and with breathtaking views of the city. The staff did not have a problem in placing the umbrellas on the Piña Coladas I ordered to welcome the guests. The flower arrangement on the reception table included all tropical flowers. I did not have anyone to help me decorate the day of the wedding. The staff took charge and placed all the decorations as I had it in my plan (I had every thing in labeled boxes), including the decor for the bar. The event planner called my florist and I did not have to worry about it. She was so excited about the theme, she asked me to pour the fish on the aquarium I made Prior to the wedding, we had a tasting of the potential dishes for the dinner; the hotel pleased me in every detail at no extra charge. We were all under one roof, and enjoyed the indoor pool in the winter. Every thing was affordable; the food delicious, the customer service was excellent; the anniversary cake was exactly as the original and edible!

As I am from out of state originally and my husband is from the suburbs, we decided we wanted to get married in the city. I figured my friends and family would be more likely to come to Chicago versus the suburbs and make a weekend of it. I really wanted to showcase Chicago and went with kind of a Chicago theme for my wedding. We started looking at venues in Chicago and found a lot of places to have no views, broken up spaces or were too expensive. When we went to the Holiday Inn we were blown away with the views from the ballroom, cocktail area and rooms. At the time I wasn't impressed with the carpet and the dance floor, but from recent pictures I have seen they have been updated. My husband insisted that I would be the only one that noticed which was true. The Holiday Inn's location was also great as it is walking distance to Assumption Catholic Church where we were married. This was a big plus with a bunch of people who were unfamiliar with the city coming to the wedding. When we sat down with the sales manager, Kevin Sullivan, we were blown away with how nice he was and willing to work with us on all aspects of the wedding. We were able to add and subtract portions of the package to get it to have all the items we wanted at a price we could afford. He was willing to work with us on room rates and parking prices as we had a lot of people coming from out of town. We were able to add in the late night pizzas we wanted and the additional bartender to ensure no one waited in line for a drink. The wedding cake which was provided through the House of Fine Chocolates was amazing and Karen was wonderful to work with there. During the time between when we signed the contract and the wedding, Barbara Martin replaced Kevin Sullivan as the sales manager which was a little bit of a tough transition as she was new and we had discussed many details with Kevin. The wedding reception was beautiful and everything was set up as we had discussed. The food and service at the reception was great. There were a few hiccups with us and some of our guests getting charged the wrong amount for rooms and parking, but those were all rectified. Some wedding guests didn't get the room type they had requested and some did not get their welcome baskets, but these were also rectified. Overall, I was incredibly happy and received so many compliments on my wedding it is ridiculous.

I highly recommend this venue for your ceremony and/or reception venue! This is the perfect location for your downtown Chicago wedding. The views from the Wolfepoint Ballroom are absolutely stunning. The service is excellent, the food is great, the accommodations for your guests are affordable, and we absolutely loved every moment of our wedding celebration on 1-1-2011 at this place as did all of our guests who could not stop telling us about how wonderful our wedding was! You can not go wrong with this place! Their wedding coordinator, Barb Martin, is the best!

The staff at the Holiday Inn Chicago are very helpful. Even as the staff sees me, the DJ, walking in with my DJ equipment, they never hesitate to say "hello, Sir". It makes me want to come back as a guest because I know I'll be treated like royalty.

I can’t say enough good things about Barbara and her entire staff at the Mart Plaza. It is really a pleasure to work there. They are always so prepared and friendly and their weddings are always great. Not only do they offer wonderful service on the day of your wedding I have had numerous clients rave about the service they received from Barbara starting from their first contact and going all the way up to the wedding day. In addition to the wonderful service, the food is great and the view is amazing. The Mart Plaza is a true hidden gem if you are planning a downtown wedding.

I love doing weddings at Holiday Inn Mart Plaza. It is a beautiful venue space with an awesome view and the staff is great!

Highly...

Wow, the floor-to-ceiling windows give wedding guests the most spectacular panoramic views of the Chicago River and the Chicago skyline. When we perform at wedding receptions, the room we are in the most is the Wolf Point Ballroom. With the pre-function area used for the cocktail hour, just before dinner the guests are welcomed into the ballroom to be wowed again seeing what you as a Bride have created with centerpieces, decor, lighting and linen.
The biggest asset at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza is the wedding coordinator Barbara Martin, she is incredibly sweet and her attention to detail at a downtown venue is incomparable. Barbara has personally been recommending Tone Productions for over 15 years and we had the honor of being the DJ at her daughter's wedding. Everyone from the valet to the servers to the bartenders has always been very friendly and accommodating.
We have of course been invited to dine and the Mart Plaza's award-winning chef always creates an amazing presentation and delicious entree. Our favorite downtown venue! Oh, don't forget about Cityscape Bar open until 2:00am for the after party.
Warm Regards,
Dan Colantone
Tone Productions

As a new vendor, Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza has been very welcoming and one of the nicest banquet halls we've been able to work with. Barbara (catering manager)is extremely sweet and flexible. We highly recommend this banquet hall.