Spark by Hilton Des Plaines Chicago O'Hare

For a short stay, this was affordable, clean, and in a handy spot with lots of shops within walking distance. I enjoyed staying at Spark by Hilton. There were snacks and TV dinners downstairs, plus breakfast, though the selection was pretty limited. The microwave was downstairs and shared by the whole hotel, and the sinks were outside the bathrooms. A gym would have been nice. If you're staying around O’Hare in Chicago, it’s worth considering.

The bathroom was really nice, and the room had a mini fridge and desk. It’s a simple place without extra frills, but it works well for a night near the airport. The lobby didn’t impress me much at first. The room did: very clean, modern, and nicer than I expected. My name even showed on the TV when I came in, and the HVAC had a newly updated high-tech thermostat.

After a bad stay on 2/13, I emailed manager Marie and assistant manager Christina twice and still have no response. Towels weren’t clean, the sheets looked worn and dirty, the tissue box had only two tissues left, and the soap and body wash hadn’t been replaced after the prior guest. The air conditioning vent was dusty and looked as if it hadn’t been wiped in months. I had to ask the front desk for fresh towels, soap, shampoo, and tissues. The night employee seemed new and didn’t know where to find them. I also tried a room the desk employee offered that smelled strongly of sewer. Veronica gave me an attitude when I showed her my emails after she said the managers hadn’t received them. I complained to Hilton corporate on 2/14 and got a case number right away. Even with corporate on a two-way call, the managers wouldn’t speak to a guest with a complaint. They also won’t authorize the third-party booking company to refund me. The emails went to the addresses on the front desk business cards, and I had already raised all of this with the male employee on the evening shift on 2/13. He needs retraining on where housekeeping supplies like shampoo, soap, and tissues are kept. I’d rather sleep in my car than stay here again. Update: Five minutes after I posted this, Spark Hotel called. Hilton corporate had just told me a manager wouldn’t be at the hotel until after 3 pm, but the call came at 12:12 pm. They left no message and still haven’t approved the refund. The only way to get a response from this hotel seems to be posting publicly. Very disappointing.

The room itself was clean and the beds were made nicely, but the bathroom completely ruined the stay. There was hair on the sink, floor, shower, and shampoo bottles, mold coming out of the shower drain, and a wet, dirty rag left on the shower rod. I couldn’t even shower properly before my 7 am flight because it was so gross. After American Airlines left me stranded, an airport employee recommended this hotel as top notch. I arrived at midnight after a long day of travel, then waited more than 20 minutes just to get a room key. Spark by Hilton, please fix these issues.