The Chicago Hotel Collection Magnificent Mile

Great overall experience, especially the service from staff. Ebony and Raymond at the front desk were wonderful and got me checked in quick and easy. Andrea and Adriana at breakfast were both warm, welcoming, and attentive to all of our needs

Just ok – would look for another hotel if we visited Chicago again

The hotel was clean and we felt safe in the neighborhood – main reason for the 2 stars is their lack of attention to details and the staff, though nice, seemed to lack training.

Let’s start with the entrance to the hotel: The main revolving door was closed and one side door was also closed – leaving one side door for everyone to enter /exit. Here is the main issue – EVERYONE had issues opening the door. The sign said to “Pull” from the outside and push from the inside. When you pull to enter the door would not open so of course, everyone then pushed with was the wrong way, so it would not open. Stayed there long enough to figure out you need to pull once, to release a magnetic lock, and then pull a second time to actually open the door. Once you stepped in, if there was a line of people checking in you had to step around them.

Breakfast (part of $75 mandatory fee): stayed 5 nights and what was offered never changed, always the same, kind of got sick of it after a while. The pastries and bagel’s had no flavor. Had cereal the first morning (last two corn flakes) and they never replenished the cereal, the number available diminished each day and I could never have corn flakes again. The fake scrambled eggs were a big solid clump in the bin – they did not even bother to take a second and break it up a bit before putting it out.

TV: no pay per view – no streaming channels – no menu to be able to determine which channels are available. I asked at the front desk and they said they go rid of the enhanced TV system a while ago. Here is the really frustrating part, they left the remote for that enhanced TV system in the room (not the one for the specific TV itself) and only the power, volume and channel buttons worked. I brought a RUKU device in case I needed it to use it to stream shows, however there was not a way on the remote to change the TV's HDMI inputs. Called the front desk (twice) and no one could tell me how to change the HDMI input and quickly brushed me off.
Bartenders were bit too casual with each other in front of the customers. I ordered a club sandwich at the bar and after about 30 mins I called the bartender over and said “ I am not mad, however I ordered the sandwich about 30 mins ago and I have a show to attend, can you please check to see how much more time it might be’? Bartender immediately blamed the kitchen. Said they entered it right and they can’t control what they do. I was shocked – I repeated that I was not mad at them, I was just looking for an update.

$75 mandatory fee: It is worth about $75, nothing more and not the hundreds of dollars they claim. The breakfast was in no way worth the $35 (for each person) on the card. It was on the same level as the free breakfast at a holiday inn.

On May 23, I received a confirmation for my reservation. Prior to my arrival, I attempted to contact the hotel using the email address provided on Agoda to inform you that I would be arriving late on June 25. Unfortunately, I never received any response.

After a full day of flights, I arrived at the hotel at approximately 1:30 a.m. Instead of being checked into my confirmed reservation, I was informed by the receptionist that the hotel was overbooked. When I explained that I had a confirmed reservation, he told me that the hotel was full because the owner had given my room to one of his friends. He also stated that the overbooking was not his responsibility and that he would see if he could transfer me to another hotel.

I was completely shocked by this explanation. Having a confirmed reservation should have guaranteed me a room, and it is unacceptable that my reservation was effectively canceled for such a reason, or any reason without informing me.

The situation became even more concerning when the receptionist informed me that I owed an additional $427. I explained that I had already paid all required charges for my reservation. He then stated that this amount was for a "Private Guest Club." I had never requested, agreed to, or been informed about such a charge.

I am a 23-year-old woman who traveled alone to Chicago for only three days. I deliberately booked the most affordable accommodation available because I was traveling on a budget. I specifically chose a room without breakfast or any additional services. Being unexpectedly told to pay an extra $427 for something I never requested was completely unreasonable and unacceptable.

Eventually, I was told that I would be transferred to the Ambassador Hotel. When I asked how I was expected to get there at nearly 2:00 a.m., the receptionist simply told me to "catch an Uber outside." As a young woman traveling alone in an unfamiliar city in the middle of the night, I found this response irresponsible and completely lacking in concern for my safety.

This entire experience caused me significant stress and distress and was one of the worst travel experiences I have ever had. I had planned and paid for my stay in advance, yet I was left without the room I had reserved, faced with an unauthorized charge, and forced to relocate in the middle of the night.

I request an immediate refund of the unauthorized $427 charge, as I neither requested nor consented to any "Private Guest Club" membership or fee.

The hotel management did not reply to my mails and did not take any accountability!

We booked this hotel through Kayak - a travel site I have used dozens of times with no problems. I did not read the reviews from others before we arrived, so I was completely blindsided when we went to check in and found that we owed $850 more dollars. We had already paid $1,500 (two rooms for three nights). I received no communication that we would owe this extra amount for their "premium experience" - basically a few bottles of water and some drink coupons. Our room was non-refundable so our choices were to pay the extra $850 or walk away from the $1,500 we had already paid and spend the next few hours finding a different hotel room. They acted like this was an isolated problem, but the woman checking in next to me was dealing with the same thing and after reading the reviews I see that many others have fallen victim to this scam. I don't know how this is legal.

From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, Andres saw to our every need. Water, elevators, directions to places we wanted to go.

The housekeeper, Lily J. was also the best! She checked on us every morning, including the morning of checkout! Lily’s morning greetings were another highlight!

The Hotel Sofitel Chicago is a great place to stay, especially because of Andres and Lily!

Let me begin by saying, this place is a TOTAL SCAM. These people not only added 2 fraudulent charges to my account, they also held my deposit for almost 30 days. The supervisor Micheal Ward is a CRIMINAL AND the GM Christian is no better. Its bad enough they didn't have internet or cable the night I stayed there. I called them every week since July 1st and here it is July 23rd and they still are playing with my money. They held my deposit for a month. The only reason they gave that back was because I filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office. I just filed an investigation with my bank and will not stop until I get my damn money back. They are scammers who try to force you to pay for a private guest club package that I didn't ask for. They wait until you check out and try to add various charges to your card. Completely disgusting the way they treat paying customers. I WILL NEVER SPEND MONEY WITH THEM AGAIN AND WILL MAKE SURE I LET EVERYONE KNOW. DO NOT STAY HERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE ROBBED.

I am writing this review to warn future guests about the predatory and bad-faith business practices at this property. I recently attempted to secure a refund for a reservation (#1025254578) due to a documented, exigent medical emergency involving a scheduled induction for my pregnant partner.
To make matters worse, this property has ignored the fact that my partner and I are actively recovering from a severe head-on vehicle collision. Despite providing formal, time-stamped medical documentation confirming that my partner is scheduled for an emergency medical induction on July 11, 2026, at Prentice Women's Hospital, this management team has willfully refused to process a simple refund. They are fully aware of our medical crisis and the ongoing physical toll of our accident, yet they continue to prioritize retaining $107 over acting with basic human decency.
The level of deception here is profound. Priceline contacted the property twice within an hour yesterday, at which point staff explicitly instructed them to call back to speak with a manager specifically regarding the refund. When Priceline followed up 11 hours later, a staff member identified as "Raymon" flatly denied the request, contradicting their own previous instructions. This is not a matter of "policy"; it is a deliberate, malicious decision to withhold funds from a disabled man and a pregnant woman in crisis.
I have maintained a complete, time-stamped record of all communications, including their staff’s shifting narratives and their refusal to acknowledge legitimate medical hardship.
I am currently initiating a class action lawsuit against this property for their deceptive trade practices and intentional financial exploitation.
Consider this a public warning: This management team prioritizes stealing $107 over the health and safety of their guests. I will be updating this review with the official case details and legal filings once the class action is finalized so that others may see the reality of how this business treats those in crisis.

All of the locations and hotwire is a scam

I had a very disappointing stay at The Chicago Hotel Collection Magnificent Mile. From the moment I entered the room, there was a strong, foul odor coming from the bedding—particularly the comforter—which made the room feel unclean and uncomfortable.
More concerning, I encountered what appeared to be bed bugs, which is completely unacceptable for any hotel, especially in this location and price range. This immediately raised serious concerns about cleanliness and guest safety.
When I brought these issues to management’s attention (Micheal Ward), the response was dismissive and unhelpful. Rather than addressing the situation professionally or offering a reasonable solution, the interaction felt unprofessional and lacking in basic customer service standards.
Overall, this experience fell far below expectations. Cleanliness, responsiveness, and professionalism are fundamental in hospitality, and unfortunately, this property did not meet those standards. I would not recommend staying here.

I stayed at Chicago Hotel Collection Magnificent Mile Fathers Day weekend. It should be called a BROTHEL. While checking in I’ve experienced problems with the billing, I was charged an extra 500$…Later found out from front desk agent EBONY THOMPSON that they charge the extra 500$ because I went through a 3rd party. And the charges was made by the hotel of 100 plus dollars a day …(I also paid her 200$ for sex after her shift.)…THIS HOTEL IS A SCAM THAT OFFERS PROSTITUTION!!!

HUGE SCAM! I Booked this room for $110 (specifically without their member Benefits upgrade). When I arrived they said I owed an additional $142 for the MANDATORY inclusive/member upgrade which consists of a crappy continental breakfast and 2 horrible drinks. There were at least 10 others checking in who were caught in the same scam situation. Absolutely no customer service the TV in the room was broken and shower turned off after 10 minutes. STAY AWAY

I stayed at Chicago Hotel Collection Magnificent Mile from May 22nd to May 24th. While the location is convenient, my experience with billing has been extremely disappointing.

Here is what happened:

1. At check-in, I was charged $150 without any explanation. I assumed it was a pending charge from my side and paid it. Only after paying did they inform me it was for breakfast — which was absolutely not worth $150.

2. I was incorrectly charged $300 for valet parking — we did not have a car during our stay. I raised this with the hotel staff on the same day and was assured it would be corrected.

3. A $150 booking fee was also not refunded.

Despite following up multiple times, including speaking directly with a hotel manger (Cristian) and sending a formal email, $450 in unrefunded charges remain outstanding.

This is unacceptable. Charges were never clearly explained upfront, and errors acknowledged by staff themselves remain unresolved. I strongly caution others to ask for a full breakdown of ALL charges before paying anything at this hotel.

Still awaiting resolution.

Booked through Agoda. Upon check-in there were other fees amounting to $141 that we had to pay on top of what we have already paid. They should have been transparent with the extra charges and not let the guests be blindsided. You get breakfast credits worth $35 each--- breakfast was so so that consisted of french toast, scrambled eggs, fruit, sausages & pastries. Clearly not worth the $35 each! You get drink credits amounting to $34 on their roof top bar. All in all the package is not worth your dime! Front desk personnel will try to pass the blame on the booking party and insist that you try to get refunded. This is clearly a SCAM! Beware!

I am writing this review because of my experience communicating with a General Manager regarding a canceled reservation.

I work as an assistant and made a reservation at this hotel on behalf of a colleague traveling for business.

The issue was not simply that a credit card declined. The problem was that the reservation had been canceled without our knowledge, and my colleague only discovered this upon arriving at the hotel late in the evening. He then had to find alternative accommodations after a long day of travel.

Afterward, I contacted the hotel with a simple question: who was notified and when was the declined credit card notice sent?

Instead of answering that question, I received this response:

> "I guess the first question is why would your credit card be no good?"

I found this response inappropriate and unprofessional. I was not asking for assumptions or opinions about the credit card. I was asking for factual information regarding how the reservation had been handled.

What was even more surprising was being told that I had "never had a reservation" despite already providing the reservation confirmation number and reservation details associated with the booking.

Only after further exchanges was the reservation acknowledged and additional information regarding the notification process provided.

I was also disappointed by the tone of the communication. Portions of the responses were written in CAPITAL LETTERS, including statements such as:

> "WE HAD NO OTHER PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL..."

and

> "AS WE STATED PREVIOUSLY..."

I found the tone defensive, dismissive, and unnecessarily confrontational in response to a customer inquiry.

After my experience, I searched online and found another review describing a very similar interaction with the same General Manager. While I can only speak for my own experience, it was concerning to see another guest report feeling that the communication was rude and unprofessional.

Mistakes can happen. Reservations can encounter problems. What matters is how those situations are handled and how customers are treated when they ask reasonable questions.

Unfortunately, the communication I received left me with a very negative impression of the management and customer service at this property.

Based on this experience, I would not choose this hotel for either my personal travel or future business reservations.

I booked this hotel on Priceline tonight at the last minute because I have to work in the area early in the AM and I live far from the city. When a customer books a room that’s nonrefundable, late at night, they are expecting to be accommodated even if the fees have to be waived or adjusted—which any hotel can do as I’ve worked in client service for over 20 years. People book at those prices because they’re affordable. I was rudely dismissed by a guy at the front desk after I decided not to ‘ask someone if they can Venmo me the extra cash’, as he suggested. I offered a $100.00 for any accidentals, because that’s all I have left at the last minute of booking this room in the first place, and I would’ve been there maybe four or five hours at the most because of my work day. You mean to tell me the accidental fee couldn’t be deduced from $150.00 to $100.00?!?!?! It is disrespectful and humiliating to be rudely dismissed without any accommodation or possibility of getting my hard earned money refunded. Egregious!

Smoothless check-in and check-out process. The room was clean. Raymond at the front desk is the best! He is very welcoming and accommodating, just the right person the hotel needs to be in the frontline. Very friendly and hospitable! Although we did not get to enjoy much of the hotel amenities but the location is PERFECT!! Right in the heart of downtown but streets are not crazy busy during the day and well lit at night, safe to walk around! Breakfast was good!!

The place is a scam, I was meant to be charged $79.95 per room per night resort fee x 2. Nights $159 should have been the total the hotel then added a $40.00 per night reservation fee on top of this, so for two rooms for 2 nights they charged us $328.60 per room for the two nights so total $657 !!!!!! This is shocking I have spoken with Chase bank and we will be doing a chargeback when we arrive back in the UK tomorrow and will be going after the full amount, we just stayed 3 nights in vegas and the resort fee was $62 per night and we were only charged €186 which is correct. I have reached out to the hotel and they replied once and said they would send me a receipt when I explained that I had spoke to chase bank they have since stopped responding. This hotel is a SCAM, the room was not clean, the safe was missing from our room it had been ripped out and the damaged floor just left, no iron, but there was an iron board, dirty stained carpets and damaged cabinets.

We stayed at this hotel for 2 nights from 4th to 6th May before an onward journey to Seattle.
We had encountered the additional charges that other people have reviewed but as we were not told by our booking agent in advance and we had realised we had found out about it advance we accepted it with good grace. Is it value for money. Honestly I feel it could be better packaged and priced. The breakfast part our party agreed was OK and saved us scouting around with our limited time stay in the city. The choice was good and well stocked and replenished. The room itself was functional. The drinks part was overpriced and drinks could have been purchased a lot cheaper at most places in the city. The $10 dining voucher was wasted as it was never explained on check in where when or how to redeem it.
I think all in all the additional package we were required to purchase was over priced and a lazy way for the company to make you spend money in hotel with little effort on their behalf, and money you would not necessarily spend there.
The rooms were a little tired, with no cleaning of the room during our stay which is something I have rarely encountered in all the hotels of have stayed in.
My biggest gripe is the fact I pointed out to reception the poor sleep we had in room 710, due to a large air conditioning cabinet positioned less than 6ft from the bed which kicked in every 20 minutes like clockwork. Came on like a jet engine starting up then shuddering as it stopped. The couple we travelled with had no such problem as no trace of the unit in their room, so must have been part of the whole hotel air conditioning system. I was asked to email Christian with my feedback by the reception, which I duly did as this appeared to be their protocol and again not something I’ve been asked to do anywhere else I have stayed. As he couldn’t be bothered to reply I can only assume this is the attitude of the hotel to customer service and not bothered about any feedback. Total lack of respect shown.
Finally I was told the security deposit of $150 would be returned to my card after 7 days!! Just checked into my latest hotel in Seattle and told my deposit will be refunded immediately on check out!
I have waited to post a review for the response to my email but sadly I have had to resort to this. Hope someone at this company is taking note.

We recently stayed at The Chicago Hotel Collection Magnificent Mile while our grandson was at Lurie Children’s Hospital. A huge thank you to Raymond at the front desk, who handled our check-in; he was fantastic and made the process seamless during a difficult time for our family. The Junior King Suite was spacious and clean, and the dedicated hospital rate they offer is a wonderful service. Excellent hotel and staff. Highly recommended!

I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights. We booked the king room, which has a king size bed. Overall, the hotel is quite nice, very clean, and the rooms are pretty big (compared to other hotels I’ve been to). I enjoyed the atmosphere in the lobby. Checking in was very smooth. I did hear from other guests the common issue of extra fees being charged. Thankfully, I didn’t experience that. The breakfast was actually not as bad as I heard. It was an American style buffet, it was quiet and enjoyable. The room was very spacious, including the bathroom.

The location is around luxury stores, but it’s the start of the iconic Michigan walk. It’s next door to a pizza spot so easy access to a deep dish.

My biggest complaint is the bed. If I’m paying for a king bed, I want a king bed. The first thing we noticed when we came into the room was how small the bed was. I went back to the lobby and asked them about it. The lady rudely cut me off and said “you have a king bed. I can get the engineer to come look because we don’t just go and move beds around”. I have a king bed at home, and I’m sure the pictures speak for themselves- what we slept on was NOT a king size bed. I don’t even think it’s a Queen bed. I just wish the lady at the front desk didn’t come off so snappy, and could’ve been more helpful with our issue. The tv also doesn’t connect to the internet so you have to play around with it until you find the “antenna tv” option.

Would I come back to this hotel? No.. I would definitely take time to look at other places that would make sure my money is well spent.