Evanston Vacations from $196

The staff was great. There was a fire in an accesory building that caused the whole hotel to be evacuated. The staff found and checked with each group and quickly got everyone reassigned to sleep for the night. They worked hard to make sure everone was taken care of and comfortable.

Very nice place and resort

Only downside was that they charge for WiFi. Today, even most lower tier hotel offer WiFi for free. That would make it easy to access the WiFi. As a member, it was free for me, but I still had to go through the hassle of connecting. I kept getting error messages so I changed my password. Then I got a message that the password I just changed was incorrect. This kept happening over and over. It should just connect by my room number.

Rooms Pros: Spacious, spotless two-bedroom suite; comfortable beds; high-quality toiletries. Cons: Bathroom outlets didn't work. Blackout shades let in so much light that our room was bright by 6:15 a.m. Amenities & Dining Pros: Excellent mashed potatoes, good kids' menu and wine selection. Fun game room with pool, ping pong, and shuffleboard. Cons: Starbucks kiosk had limited menu and doesn't accept the Starbucks app. Overcooked steak and burgers. Service & Operations Pros: Early arrivals can store luggage and use the pool, sauna, and gym. Cons: Pool service was nonexistent. After five unanswered calls to Guest Services, the bar, and the restaurant, I gave up trying to order food and drinks. No pool towels, either. Check-in exceeded 30 minutes because only one front desk employee was handling reception. I watched one guest wait in line twice just to get his room key after being told to return at 4:00, while another couldn't find a luggage trolley. The issue wasn't the employee—it was a hotel that wasn't staffed to provide the polished, welcoming service guests expect. Overall Beautiful property with a lovely suite, but the operations still feel like a soft opening. Guests choose four-star resorts for gracious, attentive service and an effortless experience. Black Rock isn't there yet.