The Chicago Hotel Collection Magnificent Mile

This was once an iconic Chicago hotel -- The Ambassador Hotel---where Alfred Hitchcock filmed scenes for "North by Northwest" w Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. Unfortunately, not so today-- especially for a business traveler who knows a good hotel and who lived in the Chicago" Gold Coast" neighborhood for many years.

Imo, this a sorry imitation of an understaffed, no-frills hotel w limited to non-existent amenities, bugs in the bathroom, no houskeeping services, a door man who is unintelligible, a one person reception staff with bars/restaurants, which provide no services except for limited hours. Can't even get a coke at off hours since no staff and bar is roped off, but do get a bottle of free water at check in!!! The breakfast dining area looks like a college dining hall buffet-- and no hope for a Pump Room Redux for the bar area.

My complaint involves a $100+ check out overcharge which was identified and admitted by the receptionist, when finally got to a live person on phone after saw the online billing. Reception referred me to a billing person w no phone number and a bad email. All literature and telephone queries are explicitly directed to the text number. Surprise, guests are encouraged to use text exclusively -- evidently for better "service"!

I'm contesting this billing w AMEX and will not return to the Ambassador.

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We have stayed at this location several times due to its proximity to activities we are doing during our stay at a reasonible price. I am well aware of the addtional fees which is why I have chosen to book directly through them to not only see that the fees are included with the booking but that we are supposed to receive a $25 discount booking direct after staying previously. Unfortunatley the last 2 years now the booking page tells me the ameninty fees and Recovery fee are included in my price when booking to only be charged for them still after check out. Last year I was able to get them refunded but this year Michael, the manager I spoke to prevoiusly, will not respond to my request for the refund that is owed. We even discussed this in person the day before check out. I have emailed, texted, and called several times and not one response. This is a flat out overccharge on my card and needs refunded.

Raymond was professional and very good Receptionist, He guided us throughout our stay at the host, Really kind and adorable

Although there were a couple problems with check in, the hotel staff, specifically Jermaine and Raymond were so polite and helpful, and without them we probably wouldn’t have been able to stay here. They are the best!

Raymond at Reception was very kind and helpful! He helped with my language and made sure were kept safe. Great service.!

Had an amazing time here i went for friends birthday she got a suite and it was beautiful !! Everyone at the hotel was so nice and helpful especially Raymond ! He works at the front desk and he was so sweet!! So trust if you go there and see him you be in good hands !! 10/10 would recommend also the breakfast was delish and very warm none of the food was cold which was good !!

After booking my stay and paying $150 for 2 nights on super . Com I got to the hotel and they told me I needed to pay an extra $300 dollars for my room for a mandatory “breakfast/dinner” fee!! Absolute scam would never come here again

I was charged a $69 “no-show” fee that was never disclosed anywhere in my reservation. If the people who run this hotel can add an undisclosed fee for a no-show, it raises real concerns about what undisclosed fees other guests might encounter.

I’ve attached screenshots showing exactly how this unfolded, as well as a screenshot of their posted policy. I accidentally booked for the wrong night — my mistake — but their written policy clearly states the penalty for a no-show is “100% of the stay,” not an additional fee. When I contacted the hotel, they first insisted this fee was part of their policy. When I pointed out that the policy says nothing about a separate no-show charge, they claimed they never charged me. I then sent them their own receipt and a screenshot from my credit card. After that, communication stopped.

My issue isn’t the booking error — that part was on me. The problem is the undisclosed fee and the lack of accountability once I questioned it. Based on my experience (and after reading similar reviews from others), travelers should review their bills carefully and be aware that unexpected charges may not be refunded.

I love this hotel. It’s beautiful. Amazing room! Spacious. Great rooftop bar!

My only complaint goes to Jose, 10/27/25 during breakfast at 10:10am - he was arguing with 2 woman whom had come into the dining hall for breakfast. He told them it was too late to get breakfast even though it wasn’t even 10:30 yet and they just stocked the food. He was raising his voice at these two woman till my fiancé and I had to step in. It was completely unprofessional. To try and deny food when they’re paying customers to raising your voice at them, screaming practically all because he would have to do his job, made me not want to stay there ever again. The way he treated those woman was insane and disgusting.

This place is an absolute S C A M. After I booked through PL and paid, on my receipt it said that “Resort Fee” may apply, and to contact the Hotel if we had any questions. So, I tried to contact them. They do NOT have a person to answer their phones. You must contact them through email or text. So, I sent several texts. I was told that they could not disclose the fees until after I stayed because “FEEs” varied. THE FEES are $146.70 PER NIGHT !!!! WTF? They will NOT waive these. You can NOT cancel your reservation. You can’t NOT talk to a person on your phone. When you text, they won’t disclose fees unless pushed. Regarding the hotel, the location is awesome, but the hotel is MID. Dated, run-down, and the service is a terrible. It is next to Northwestern Medical Center, so I’m sure a lot of patients and staff are deceived into staying here by the Bait-and-switch on the rates. If your company paid for your room you’ll have a nice surprise on your CC when they add in the resort fees of $146.70 per day and you’re responsible for that fee! My advice is to cancel your reservation and stay with another brand that is TRANSPARENT with their pricing. This is a very MID hotel, not on par with the Intercontinental, VoCCo, Marriott or several others we have stayed at. The dishonesty is appalling!!!!

Biggest scam I've e ever encountered .I was informed when checking im that I hD to pay 141$ per day for their all-inclusive plan which they said was mandatory. I booked via Expedia and nowhere was it mentioned they were using a 3td party to book or that there was a mandatory resort fee. My booking confirmation and invoice receipt didn't mention anything about resort fees. I showed this to the front desk and they kept saying I booked with a 3rd party and unless I paid them 282$ I wasn't checking im. I called Expedia and after 1.75 hours on the phone they said I could van el my reservation with a penalty of 125$. I had paid 245$ snd when I looked for a different hotel given the time of day the cheapest was 425$ per night. I was im town for dinner and had no use for a 10$ dinner voucher. I went to use the dinner and drink voucher on my 3nd day and gave the vouchers to the server. When I checked out my printout did not reflect the vouchers. The front desk said they don't apply them! And there's nothing they can do. They gave me a card with an email address. So far no response to my email. So NEVER STAY AT THIS HOTRL. I've stayed at hotels in Chicago over 200 times and have r ne er experienced this. Expedia posted my review, hidden in the May 2025 reviews when I was there in October 2025. Today my review was removed.

If I could give ZERO stars that would be more than this hotel group deserves. FRAUD. EXTORTION. BAIT AND SWITCH. All the words for sneaky, intentionally misleading advertising. I booked through Travelocity and was impressed with the “all-inclusive” amenities advertised on the site. I read ALL the fine print just to make sure there would not be any surprise charges since I am a single mom on a budget and I was coming to Chicago to visit my kid who goes to college there. Imagine my surprise when I was told the $300+ I had already paid was for the “room only” and that I now owed over $281 in “mandatory amenities fees.” This is a completely unethical (and I am currently looking into whether it is also illegal) business practice. I will be pursuing a full refund of both the amenities fees AND the room charges and if Travelocity can’t help me, I’m betting a lawyer will. BEWARE - YOU WILL BE SCAMMED IF YOU BOOK A ROOM HERE

This hotel should not even be listed on Expedia, TripAdvisor, or any other booking platform. I booked 4 nights (Sept 22–26, 2025) through Expedia for $449.97, only to be forced at check-in to pay an additional $563.28 in undisclosed “resort package fees.” These hidden charges were actually higher than my original booking price.

Management’s response was dismissive and copy-pasted, blaming Expedia instead of taking responsibility. This is not a one-time mistake — it is a systematic business model built on deception. At check-in, the staff first asked for my Expedia receipt, then immediately added the hidden charges. I personally witnessed another couple facing the exact same problem and spending hours on the phone with Expedia.

The so-called “package” (drink vouchers, small dining credit, bottled water) is useless for business travelers like myself. Facilities were outdated, the sink drained very slowly, the carpet was stained, and no housekeeping was provided during my entire 4-night stay.

This property ranks #215 out of 215 hotels in Chicago on TripAdvisor, and the reason is clear: a long trail of complaints about fraudulent and misleading charges. If the fees were really as “transparent” as management claims, reviews would not be overwhelmingly negative.

The only positive is the location, but with dozens of better hotels in the area, there is no reason to subject yourself to this kind of experience. Avoid at all costs — this hotel operates on deception, wastes your time and money, and should be removed from major booking platforms.

Absolutely despicable their business practices. Hidden fees. Avoid at all costs.

Read the other complaints. I do not know how this place is allowed to operate.

Stay away.

The customer service is horrible. You can’t even call and get in contact with this place. I’ve been trying to call to cancel and do it online nothing is working, yet they are trying to charge me the full amount for not canceling

I would definitely not recommend this hotel got charged a extra 280 dollars per person for a 2 night stay even though the room was booked and paid for
most was for a food and drink package that should be a option not compulsory ironically you get a 35 dollar breakfast voucher that covers a cold buffet style meal that you wouldn’t pay for if you was served it and 10 dollars for a evening meal that doesn’t cover the meal so you have to pay on top and drink vouchers that don’t really cover any drinks this is a stealth scam to get more money out of you
Free bit of business advice charge what you actually want for your room and then offer this package as a extra but if you done this your hotel would go out of business

The only good thing about this hotel is the location. They do not believe in customer service. They email you saying things are complimentary and then charge you for them. They blame the 3rd party site and when I confronted them with the welcome email they sent me it called everything all-inclusive and complimentary then they ghosted me. The staff is rude and treated everyone like an inconvenience. Just gross behavior. They are making no attempts to fix this but certainly enjoy taking money from people. Would NEVER stay here again. Clearly I'm not the only one who feels that way.
The manager continues to argue on here. If you cared about your customers you would up your nightly rate and stop ripping off your customers. We didn't use anything you offered because I didn't come to Chicago to be forced to eat hotel food when I can't even get a coffee maker in my room. I have ALL of my screen shots and none of it was mentioned.

From the minute we entered the hotel I was disappointed. The receptionist was extremely unwelcoming and then on top of this the fees that had to be paid $500 for 4 nights!! I knew we had resort fees to pay but we were told prior it would be €335.44, I’ve read this is then for the benefits package, no water was given over the full stay which is detailed 6 bottles of water a day and I had no WiFi the whole stay…the room was cleaned on our last day. Overall extremely disappointed and won’t be booking this hotel again, I find it absolutely ridiculous that a €500 fee was charged for 4 nights.

Absolute joke of a hotel complete ripe off and scam, definitely do not book the fees are just ridiculous that you will be charged apon check in, I was told these fees are Mandatory for all guests they charge you per night so for 5 nights it was as follows: $20 Reservation Recovery Fee
— 5×$117.40 + $99.95 Guest Amenity Package
— 5×$586.70 which adds upto $704.10 this is charged on top of what you've already paid for the hotel room, if booking through 3rd parties they do not tell you nor included these fees don't get caught out and avoid!!!

HORRIBLE. Hidden extra fees were ridiculous did not know what they were charging. Charged additional $800 when we arrived when they know that you have no other option and desperate, and then my friend arrived separately and ALSO CHARGED HER AS WELL A DIFFERENT AMOUNT. Had to get her money back but why did they charge another random price, it's like they pull the number out of thing air and start charging. Front desk useless and made the experience horrible

DO NOT RECOMMEND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE