Worst Hotel Ever Experienced

We wish to raise the utmost concern about the scams, ripoffs and poor

service at the BA recommended Holiday Inn in Chicago City Centre.

We stayed there twice - before Christmas for 5 days (18 through to 23

Dec. - res. 63516936) and after Christmas for 3 days (1 through to 4

Jan. - res. 68283880).

Our main concerns are as follows:

Reservations & Room Rates

* the reservation for our second visit was cancelled for no reason at all, we only discovered this after arriving late from a traumatic flight from Lexington, KY

* during our first stay management increased our room rate from the agreed $108 to $161 without notice due to a ball game in town and were very reluctant to refund the difference when challenged about this

Room Facilities

* during our second stay the nonsmoking room 1412 smelt so badly of stale tobacco that we requested a complete change of sheets and underlay, which cured the problem but why did the previous sheets smell so badly?

* the overlay blanket had a huge tear in it and what looked like cigarette burns

* at the end of our first stay the electronic key system was switched off so that we couldn't enter our room to collect our luggage after breakfast - we had to return to the Front Desk to have the keys reactivated

* during both stays sometimes the electronic keys simply would not open the door to our rooms - the key system appeared old and unreliable

* tea-bags were not available from Housekeeping - we had to continually request these from the Front Desk because Housekeeping couldn't (wouldn't?) provide tea bags - we were told if we wanted tea then we had to order it from Room Service (at cost).

* only two coffee sachets were provided per night - one reg. coffee, one decaf.

* only ONE very small shampoo bottle was provided for two people in a twin-bed room

* the television system did not have any British news channels - VERY important to us since the U.S. newspapers had even less U.K. news

* during our second stay the phones in 1412 had to be reprogrammed so that the 'Room Service' and 'Housekeeping' buttons etc., would work

* local calls were charged at £1.50 each

* no-one could tell us (would tell us?) what the Hotel charges were for interstate and international phone calls to the UK would be

Front Desk

* when we left after our first stay we were told that the Hotel's car to O'Hare Airport would be the same price as the Airport Shuttle but we were charged $40 to go to O'Hare, the Shuttle only charges $32

* when this was pointed out to the Concierge staff when we left after our second stay all we got was sarcastic comments from them about not wanting to use the car service instead of the Shuttle - the Shuttle driver told us that this was not the first time that she had received complaints about this

* no loyalty programme membership discount tokens for meals were offered when we checked in for our second stay

Spa/Fitness Club

* the spa/sauna facilities for women was VERY small and cramped - this was not mentioned in the hotel description

Restaurant (300 East, American Cafe)

* when we had fried Lake Perch and chips all we wanted to go with this were vinegar and brown sauce, however it took four visits by the waitress (who could hardly speak English), a visit by another waiter (who was then rude to the waitress within our hearing), and then a visit by the Chef, to obtain Heinz malt vinegar and Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce - by which time we had nearly finished our meal which was steadily getting cold. We declined to leave a tip.

* the plates were invariably cold, making the food cold and unappetising.

***BEWARE*** Choose another hotel in Chicago

The only reason I didn't rate this hotel as "terrible" is because I have to say that the room was clean, nice and had a great view of the city.

However, this is the WORST service I have received at any hotel, any time, any place!

Arrived at 1:15 p.m. and was going to park the car in the attached public garage where hotel guests get special rates. WRONG! Lot was full and was full the entire length of our stay. Had to park a block away and pay more.

Check in was at 3:00 p.m. so we stored luggage...no biggie..we were early. Went shopping for awhile and came back at 3:30. NO ROOM...in fact they told us at the desk that there wasn't a SINGLE room clean yet. People were really angry and going off on the desk help which looked like deer in the headlights. They were completely unhelpful and didn't offer to do a thing to help compensate anyone for their inconveniences. In fact, I heard one woman at the desk say that she "had no idea when rooms would be available." A customer replied, "So it could be 10 minutes or it could be 10 o'clock." The desk lady said, "That's, right." Wonderful way to do business, isn't it? They acted like complete cretins and didn't even take names; they basically blew everyone off and said just keep checking back.

Needless to say, I would never even consider staying at this hotel again. There are plenty of other great hotels with nice rooms and views in Chicago, so don't waste your time on this one.

E-mail me if you want further comments.

Holiday Inn Chicago

Hotel was great, you should supply tea and milk in the rooms as not everyone drinks coffee.

Your hotel should be displayed at the ariport for contact for transport, on arriving at the airport we did not know how to get to the hotel, other Holiday Inns in the area were listed but not yours.

Good family hotel

I stayed here with my 6-year old daughter on her spring break in March 2003. We got a good rate on the internet. I was overall very pleased with this hotel. It was in waking distance to Navy Pier. The staff were all friendly and very helpful. And while I would prefer to eat elsewhere in Chicago, with a child it was more convenient to eat in the hotel restaurant. The food wasn't bad, and the service was prompt (and kids eat free). My daughter liked the view of the city from the room and the window seat. There were a lot of families with children staying there. My only complaint would be the swimming pool, which another poster commented on. We didn't have to wait in line, but when we left there was a long line waiting to get in. It was filled with screaming children (what else can you expect at a family-oriented hotel) and the water was too cold for my daughter, and they wouldn't let her in the hot tub to warm up.

Put on a good show, but no follow through

Great location. Reasonable rates. Stop.While several employees stayed here during a conference, this hotel was quickly voted "out" of our acceptable locations. How many elevators do you need to get on to find a $2.00 bottle of water? The shower curtain in five rooms were no longer water-proof, so the water first covered the bathroom floor and was stopped by the door threshold. When a new shower curtain was requested, or at least several more towels; two days later, two extra towels. Also no bathroom vent. Three employees had children. When one went to the lobby for change for the vending machines, he was turned away by the desk personnel and the consierge. An adult later went to the front desk and received change. The evening concierge gave the wrong restaurant name twice and the wrong directions four times. The indoor pool is part of a sports club in the same building. After waiting in the hall for over 30 minutes because the pool was already at capacity, it was time to swim in a pool that was so small that fourteen people made it over-crowded due to half of it being partitioned off for three lap lanes. But, that's only after the staff went around the pool deck telling parents that they had to remove their shoes to watch their children swim, even if their feet were up on a lounge chair, as there is no other areas to sit. No lifeguard on duty though. Overall opinion, it's good there are so many hotels in Chicago.

Convenient

Stayed here while interviewing in Chicago a few weeks ago. Inexpensive rates found on the chain's website.

The hotel itself is nice. Nicely furnished. The work desk in my room was VERY large and the chair was a soft office like chair. Very comfortable.

There is a heath club attached to the hotel the guest have access to. Large and nice pool.

I ordered room service one night when I was too tired to go out. Efficient service and pretty good food.

I'd stay here again if I visit Chicago.

Family Getaway

My wife and I have taken our family (three young kids) to this hotel twice now for a weekend getaway. You can't beat the location, with the close proximity to Navy Pier and loads of restaurants.

The rooms are suitable for our needs...nothing fancy...a typical hotel room. Each room has a window seat, from which the kids loved watching the city. There were some problems with cleanliness during our last visit.

The restaurant is o.k. We ate there because kids eat free. However, the second night we discovered an excellent italian restaurant that delivers to the hotel (Suparossa). The meal ended up being much cheaper (and much tastier) than the hotel restaurant.

Beware the parking garage. I don't know how often it happens, but there was no parking available on our first night there. We had to park around the corner in a garage that didn't provide the hotel discount rate.

We'll definitely stay at this hotel again. Can't beat the price (our rooms were $85/night) or the location.

A Nice Property, with questionable bellhop staff!

A friend and I spent a weekend in Chicago celebrating her graduation from college over Memorial Day Weekend (not the best weekend to spend in Chicago!) It is a high-rise on the lakeside of the city, and is within a few minutes walk of Navy Pier. It is also set far enough away from the hubbub of Michigan Avenue consumerism. Very nice desk staff, and checked us in very quickly and professionally. The bellhops (is that the right term anymore?) jump all over you to take your luggage, and you have to wrestle your luggage away from them (thank you, I can carry my one bag just fine!) We had asked them to hold our luggage after checkout, since we were taking the train much later in the day, and they seemed INCREDIBLY put out by it. Nice clean rooms, firm mattress, and sort of a view of the lake (a large high-rise was in the way). Bathrooms were OK (water pressure for a good shower was a problem -- but what do you expect in a high-rise?) There is a breakfast cafe, a sports bar, and a restaurant to eat, but why would you eat there when there are so many good places in the city to eat? We were forced to eat at the sports bar before we left, and it was merely OK. All in all, I would recommend this hotel if you are looking to spend time at the Pier, and want to stay a little further away from the Michigan Avenue consumerism. Hope this helps!

Good Hotel

Having stayed in the Holiday Inn near Macy's in New York I was a little worried when I was booked into this hotel for a conference last week.

I have to say it was a very pleasant experience and I stay in a lot of hotels worldwide. I would not hesitate to bokk into it again.

No complaints!

We stayed here for just one night, but would stay for longer. Great location, just a few minutes walk from Michigan Avenue. Reception staff were curt but efficient. Our room on the 23rd floor was fine, with a window seat and great views of the city (and a bit of the lake!). The outdoor pool on the 5th floor was a delight, though the changing rooms were disappointing (a minor niggle, as it's easy enough to get back to one's room). (Some ducks had hatched that morning, and were wandering around the pool area. Staff tell us they come every year, and they look after them.)