Ambassador Gold Coast - The Chicago Hotel Collection

I Armani the best had an amazing experience during my stay! The hotel was beautiful — clean, welcoming, and full of great amenities. But what truly made my visit exceptional was the service from the bartender Armani. Hew was incredibly friendly, and attentive,Their professionalism and warm personality added so much to my stay. I can’t recommend this place enough — I’ll definitely be coming back! Come see Armani!!

a week ago

One of the worst hotel experiences I've ever had. I booked a stay at The Chicago Hotel Collection Ambassador Gold Coast through Hopper from April 9–12. When I arrived, the front desk agent was rude and unprofessional, claiming my reservation was invalid and leaving me waiting for nearly two hours. Hopper support tried to help, but the hotel staff reportedly hung up on them multiple times and refused to honor my reservation. Eventually, I was given a room, but the situation only got worse. I believe I was targeted and discriminated against because of my Spanish/Latin background. After emailing the hotel about this issue, I received a shocking response suggesting they didn't want “people like me” there. They even deactivated my access card, and when I needed to extend my stay due to a delayed flight, they refused and kept my money for a night I wasn't allowed to use. This was an incredibly painful and discriminatory experience. To make matters worse, I was forced to pay for a service I was never given, and they still refused to refund me—it felt like I was being taken advantage of and completely disrespected.

2 weeks ago

Do not book at this property. I booked a room for our wedding anniversary trip while this was still a Hyatt property, it has since changed hands. After reading reviews after the new owners took over, I no longer felt comfortable staying at this hotel. My third party booking agent advised me to request a refund directly from the hotel. I spoke to Maggie at the front desk to report my concerns and request a refund since I did not agree for my reservation to be transferred or to stay at this property under new ownership. She refused to provide any sort of refund or even cancel the reservation, loudly stating that I have to do this through my third party booking site and they have nothing to do with it. She proceeded to hang up on me and when I called back to request a cancellation again, I was hung up on again. When my husband called to again request a cancellation, whoever answered raised their voice at him and stated that they will not cancel the reservation unless we want them to charge us AGAIN for the full amount we originally paid and then hung up on him as well. I have NEVER been spoken to in such a rude, hostile manner by someone who is ostensibly in the hospitality business. Good luck to this hotel on trying to stay afloat with this type of customer service.

2 weeks ago

If the F rating and 31 complaints filed against this hotel’s ownership (The Chicago Hotel Collection) with the Better Business Bureau aren’t enough to keep you from booking here, I hope this review is. This new ownership is clearly struggling, and they will make it YOUR problem. I booked my reservation a month in advance, when the hotel was still managed by Hyatt, through a third-party portal. When we arrived, the lobby was already packed with guests complaining about charges and struggling to check in. That was the first red flag. At check-in, without explanation, the woman at the front desk asked me to swipe my card—for the full amount I’d already paid through the third party. I told her I’d already paid. She claimed they had no record of it because the payment would’ve gone to Hyatt. I wondered why that should be my problem to solve, but apparently, it was. They refused to check me in otherwise. I then spent the next 2.5 hours in the lobby going back and forth with Hyatt and the booking platform. Eventually, the booking platform was able to confirm payment with the hotel, and I was finally allowed to check in—this time only providing my card for a $125 refundable security deposit. I assumed that would be the end of it. I was wrong. The room itself was fine—bare-bones. The carpet was stained, the toilet ran the entire stay, and we could hear our neighbor snoring through the wall. The lobby, gym, and bar were the nicest parts of the property. Also, the restaurant is currently closed. At checkout, we returned our keys. No mention of issues, no concerns raised. A few hours later, I checked my bank statement and saw they had charged me again for the full stay—despite us confirming and resolving the payment days earlier. I had only consented to the security deposit, and now I was charged in full a second time. We called the hotel, and this time they denied ever receiving confirmation of the original payment. When we pushed back, the front desk rep—Maggie—hung up on us. (A trend I’ve now seen in many other reviews.) So, once again, I contacted the third party and spent another hour confirming payment again. They managed to connect with the hotel and got a refund initiated. I thought—again—that this was resolved. Two days later: the refund was rescinded, the charge had officially posted, and another duplicate charge was now pending on my account. At this point, I had 3 charges for the same stay listed on my account. I finally disputed the charges through my bank. As of today, my bank resolved the issue and refunded me. I’m still watching my account like a hawk and I have changed my credit card number. In summary: this hotel is seriously sketchy. If you stay here, be prepared to spend hours of your trip fighting incorrect charges. If you already see incorrect charges, go straight to your bank for help. I’m not someone who typically leaves reviews, but this was the most unprofessional, chaotic business I’ve ever dealt with. Do yourself a favor: avoid The Chicago Hotel Collection entirely. It truly makes me sad that such a historic hotel in a lovely area is being managed so horrifically.

5 days ago

DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM. They are deceiving and scamming people. If I could give a lower rating I would do so. They offer you a price online (non-refundable) and when you arrive they force you to pay $140+ per each night saying that the online payment is just the 20% if the whole accommodation (which is never-ever mentioned online or in any place). For the total price you end up paying you could have chosen any other downtown hotel with a way better room than the one they give you. A total loss of time and money. I don’t recommend it at all.

2 weeks ago

Avoid for events!!! I had a wedding booked with The Ambassador before it switched from Hyatt to The Chicago Hotel Collection. After being told my contract would remain valid, I was then told the price would be 3x more than what we agreed upon with less things included! There was zero remorse shown and no meeting in the middle. This is a terrible thing to do to people who are getting married soon. Thankfully, I hadn’t sent out invitations yet. There’s nothing special about this hotel anyway and we ended up finding something better. Give a better and kinder business your money instead!

6 days ago

I feel completely scammed. I wish I had read the reviews before booking this hotel. This place is downright deceptive — a total scam operation. I booked through a third party (which I’ve done many times with no issues), paid everything in advance, and even double-checked directly with the hotel to make sure all costs were covered. They confirmed: yes, everything was taken care of. We left a credit card as standard for incidentals, but later discovered an extra charge of nearly $400 — with zero explanation. No one informed us. At checkout, the staff didn’t mention a thing or give us a receipt or breakdown. Nothing. Just silence. When we called to ask what was going on, they admitted it was a mistake — but guess what? They never refunded the money. We’ve followed up multiple times, and their customer service has been beyond unhelpful. It’s clear they have no intention of making it right. I feel taken advantage of. This hotel operates with shady, dishonest practices. If this is their idea of hospitality, then it’s absolute trash. Never again. Stay away.

4 days ago

Definitely beware of their mandatory guest amenities package - nearly $100 per guest per day, and while they say it is disclosed through third party booking, it's certainly in the fine print. Nearly everyone checking in had no idea, so it feels very "gotcha" — the staff, while I think are well intentioned, seem to be just as frustrated that no one knows about the fees. All in all, a poor experience. Our shower also broke, the wifi is slow. "Luxury stay" is a stretch.

a week ago