Ambassador Chicago

Been looking forward to this trip for nearly a year now. Chicago itself was great but that changed when we checked in. We were immediately hit with the inclusive package fee which was around $700 dollars. We were not aware of this as when we booked this holiday originally it was still run by Hyatt group. So reluctantly we paid it. When you look at what you get for it, it seems a big con. Buffet breakfast ticket $35 each. Breakfast was mediocre at best, lukewarm most of the time. Dinner discount ticket of $10 which was never used. Not many people I know travel halfway round the world to have dinner in the hotel when there is so much good restaurants in the area. Biggest moan yet comes to the $16 one drink ticket. Fine if you are having cocktails but as a guy for me it's a beer which was $8 so you have lost the same amount and the hotel gains. Going by the amount of reviews on here complaining about it, it can't all be 3rd party booking sites who are wrong. Yes it's advertised on the Ambassador website but that looks as far as it goes. This should be entirely optional and not forced on a person as soon as they check in. I ended up giving my unused tickets to homeless people on the street and hopefully they will get some use out of it. The hotel itself is in a great location but severely dated. AC sounded like a rocket going through the room. Bathroom door looked as if a bottle of coke had sprayed against it. Staff are great but the way this hotel is and is being run, I would advise you to look elsewhere first as there is a lot better out there at the same price.

I was concerned after reading all the negative reviews, but I thought, let’s see for ourselves. Oh, how I wish I had listened. We booked through an agent and were informed of the extra resort tax in advance. However, upon arrival, the receptionist tried to charge us nearly three times what we were told. When I questioned it, she seemed surprised and had to call her manager, who then apologized and corrected the charge. The reception area looks nice at first glance, but once we left it, it became clear the hotel is long overdue for a full refurbishment. When we arrived in our room, we were shocked by how old, dated, and musty it smelled. It was a real letdown. To make things worse, we weren’t told that the roof was under repair, so from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., there was constant and extremely loud construction noise — not exactly relaxing. On our second day, our bed wasn’t made, and no housekeeping came. When we asked at reception, we were told maid service is only provided every third night — we were only staying three nights total, so we didn’t receive any service during our stay. This hotel is in a great location, but sadly, it’s not a great place. It has potential, but it desperately needs serious investment and better management.

The hotel is fine, but pretty basic. Nice location. We booked here because the listed rates looked fairly attractive, but they do throw on a $99 daily “guest benefits fee” and another $20 “booking fee”, so the prices really aren’t that great. I somehow missed this when I booked….probably thought it was an extra “package”, not a mandatory fee. Ha.

I am a travel agent. I highly recommend this hotel to my clients. However, last August, I had some clients who stayed with you. We won't deny that the hotel is very nice, as are the reception area and hallways. However, they were given a room that was in poor condition and smelled like cigarettes. It's true that the fees, charges, and additional packages cost twice as much as the reservation itself. My clients asked to cancel, and at that moment, the receptionist, Josaf, told my clients that they would be refunded for two nights and the additional charges if they checked out before 12:00 p.m. the following day. They left the same day. Since the reservation was made through us, we sent an email asking for their help in handling it, as they had promised the clients. They couldn't refund the clients directly for the same reason. We have been unable to contact you for a month, as when I call, I get the answering machine, and my emails are ignored. I managed to contact Annie from the Magnificent Mile hotel, and she told me that it is non-refundable because there is no record of the reservation. But then why did you tell the customers something else?

I booked online and was even a price of $51 per night. When checking in I received a additional bill of $281. They were charging us for a hotel package that they said was mandatory and their policy! Beware of this total bs and stay somewhere that is transparent with pricing. What the cost included was a $99 each day, breakfast and 2 drinks. It's not worth it and this was my 31st Wedding Anniversary. Our room had burnt furniture, stain curtain, dirty sheets and comforter. We told the front desk and were ignored even after emailing the hotel manager. I would never return for any price! Hotel is nice but the service socks and you can't get anyone on phone!