HYATT house Chicago/Schaumburg

The bed and pillows were comfortable, the hotel was very quiet, and having a washer and dryer right across the hall was handy. Alice at breakfast was friendly and welcoming. I didn’t interact much with the rest of the staff, so I can’t really speak to service. The plastic breakfast utensils were a big turnoff for me. It can be a four- or five-star stay for some, but preferences matter. The room had a full-size fridge, stove burners, microwave, sink, and dishwasher, though the layout was awkward. There was only about six inches to squeeze through on one side of the bed, and no bedside outlet there. The fitness center felt cramped with the sauna in it, though a spa and sauna were available. The pool area also had its ups and downs. Cleanliness was just average, so I wouldn’t recommend the hotel if that matters a lot to you. There’s a large TV with Fox News right when you enter, while the one above the breakfast bar showed NBC, presumably for balance. I was meant to stay two nights but will try a nearby competitor instead.

The pool was in awful shape, with hair floating in the water, dirty clothes left around, no towels, rusty furniture, and clear signs of neglect. The hot tub was broken too, more like a lukewarm bath. Reviews from months earlier mentioned that as well. The property was filthy and run down, with stains everywhere. Several other guests said they had similar problems with hot water, TVs, and cleanliness, so the recent positive reviews are hard to trust. During our five days, plumbing problems kept coming up, including clogged toilets and no hot water. We also found garbage in the room despite it supposedly having just been cleaned, one of the three TVs didn’t work, and there was no hot water. When we raised the cleanliness issue, the housekeeping supervisor argued that the room was clean despite the obvious evidence. We put the dirty towels and the trash can, which had been left on a chair in the middle of the room, out in the hallway so housekeeping wouldn’t miss them. We tried reaching the owner by text, email, and phone, but got no response. Staff said the owner was “unavailable” and offered no real solution. This is a disgrace to the Hyatt name. The owner, Salim, clearly doesn’t care about guests, and the property, staff, and leadership all need a complete overhaul. I’d never stay here again or choose another property connected to this owner.

The lobby looks impressive, but our four-night stay in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite with my family went downhill as soon as we arrived. I won’t stay here again. The customer service was lacking throughout. The key system was broken when we checked in, so staff had to escort us to the room. They were still working on it hours later and had to let us in again. After it was supposedly fixed, the keys quit working the next day and had to be reset. At checkout, the desk employee told me to “hold on,” answered a personal cell call, then walked away. I eventually left. The suite had a lot of problems. The heater and AC don’t operate automatically, and I froze the first night before realizing I had to turn the unit on manually. On a higher floor, we waited 20 minutes for hot shower water. Bedroom doors hit the beds when opened, and you have to push them past the beds to get in. The bedroom privacy locks didn’t work. The shower soap and shampoo dispenser came off the wall, was replaced by maintenance, then fell off again within a day. TVs were tiny and old, the WiFi was slow, and the different bulbs and switches made the lighting confusing. At least I didn’t notice noise from neighbors. The pool was freezing. The hot tub worked for two days, then became a cold, cloudy mess like pond water. It was visibly dirty, and staff just said, “Sorry, nothing we can do,” when we reported the problem. Towels were often not stocked. Parking was generally okay, but the lot filled completely if you got back late, around 10 PM. Breakfast gave me stomach issues. The eggs were watery, sausage links were dry, and the bread and pastries were hard and stale. The yogurt seemed close to expiring. Pancakes were the only decent item, but the machine was very slow and often broken. With the dirty hot tub, hot water and heating problems, and dismissive staff, this place isn’t worth half the price they charge.

The pool was warm, which isn’t the case at many hotels. Alice made breakfast especially good. Her omelettes and scrambled eggs are worth trying, she gets them just right.