Spark by Hilton Matteson Chicago I 57

The breakfast and coffee bar were a nice bonus, and the staff were really friendly and quick to respond. My first room had a problem, but they moved me to another one right away. The rooms are basic, and since they recently switched from Comfort Inn to Hilton, it seems like updates are still underway. It’s decent value for a short stay nearby, as long as you’re not expecting anything fancy.

I cancelled the rest of my reservation because I no longer felt safe or like my privacy mattered. No manager ever came to speak with me, and I had to call corporate after the staff struggled to handle what happened. They said it was a fire inspection, but there had been no notice. A paying guest should get proper notice before anyone tries to enter their room. The trouble started with my first room, where there was black mold in the shower and a strong urine smell, so I changed rooms. The next day, just after I got out of the shower, a man who said he was maintenance started pounding on the door and demanded to come in. Hotel staff hadn’t told me anything, so I refused. He got angrier, and it scared me. I realized they might have come into the room if I hadn’t been there. Do Not Disturb signs weren’t available, and I’d already asked the team not to disturb me for that reason. In 25 years of travelling, I’ve never had an experience this unprofessional. I’m still baffled they assumed they could enter a woman’s room when she’d just gotten out of the shower. Don’t be fooled by the name change. This place operates more like a motel than a hotel. Stay at your own risk.

This has happened more than four times now. We reserve an ADA compliant room every week, get confirmation, then arrive and find it unavailable. My Elder uses a wheelchair and can’t stay with us on weekends, so when he needs the restroom, we have to come all the way to the hotel and take him to the first floor. How do confirmed ADA room bookings keep turning into regular rooms, with no discount offered for their mistake and the huge inconvenience it causes us?

The manager was terrific and sorted out our problem really quickly. The staff were very sweet, and the property was clean. There are plenty of restaurants and shops nearby. The website photos haven’t been updated, though, so the place doesn’t look like it does online.