ALLERTON

A completely unacceptable check-in experience. International travelers should think twice before booking this hotel. My stay at the Warwick Allerton Chicago was fully prepaid, yet I was unable to complete check-in because the hotel’s terminal would not process my international bank card for the incidental deposit. What followed was, in my opinion, an astonishing failure of customer service. Rather than trying to resolve the problem, front desk staff repeatedly told me that it was “my problem.” I explained that my card was valid and working in the United States and asked for an alternative way to provide the deposit. No meaningful alternative was offered. I asked to speak to a manager. The manager did not come. Instead, I was told to leave the hotel, go to Walgreens and obtain another card if I wanted to complete check-in to the room I had already paid for. I followed the hotel’s instructions because I needed access to my accommodation. Doing so cost me an additional €32.40. And this is where the situation becomes particularly extraordinary. After I complained, the hotel acknowledged to me in writing that certain international cards cannot be processed “due to compatibility issues with our terminal.” So after being repeatedly told at reception that this was my problem, the hotel’s own management subsequently acknowledged a compatibility limitation involving their terminal. Management also told me afterwards that a $60 alternative solution had been available. I was NEVER offered this option at reception. Instead, I was sent to Walgreens to solve the hotel’s payment-processing problem myself and incurred €32.40 in costs as a result. To make the explanation even less convincing, the hotel subsequently managed to process another international bank-issued card. I asked the hotel to reimburse the €32.40. They refused. Even more remarkably, after previously acknowledging in writing the compatibility issues with their terminal, their final response changed position and said they were “unable to determine the specific factors that affected the initial transaction” and suggested that I contact my financial institution. So the sequence was: Their terminal rejects my card → staff tell me it is my problem → no manager comes → I am sent to Walgreens to obtain another card → I spend €32.40 solving the situation → management later acknowledges compatibility issues with their terminal → management reveals an alternative solution existed but was never offered → another international card works → hotel refuses to reimburse my €32.40 → hotel then says it cannot determine what caused the original problem. This is not about objecting to an incidental deposit. Requiring a deposit is perfectly reasonable. What is unacceptable is failing to disclose a known limitation affecting international guests, providing extremely poor assistance when that limitation causes a problem, failing to offer an available alternative, sending a guest out to obtain another payment method at their own expense, and then refusing to take responsibility for the consequences. All of this over €32.40, an amount the hotel could easily have reimbursed after acknowledging what happened. Instead, they chose to turn a straightforward payment-terminal issue into one of the worst hotel check-in experiences I have had. For a hotel that welcomes international travelers, this level of handling is simply unacceptable. International guests: I strongly recommend having multiple payment methods available if you choose to stay here.

Dated but cute. Clean. Felt like I was stepping back in time. Small bathrooms and elevators. Elevators are super slow. Desk staff is rude. Charge extra fees.

Old and charming. Excellent location. Very dirty carpets and walls. Carpets need a serious vacuum and shampoo, walls need dusting and this place could be good!