Hotel Zachary, Chicago, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel — Hotel in Lake View Township

Sharing our experience at this hotel summarized by a letter I wrote to the Director of Operations and the General Manager of this hotel regarding our incident/experience and how the team handled our critical situation. I am disgusted. Please note that they offered us 50% off our stay (which is still unacceptable) and apologized for these as training issues. Please also note we are TITANIUM BONVOY MEMBERS! (i removed personal info). Further conversations with the GM of this hotel were by far worse and riddled with lack of accountability. He also told me I could have checked into another hotel. Last night, we were guests of your hotel in Room xxx. As you are aware, our dear friend staying with us had an extremely low blood pressure incident, leading her to pass out and strike her head multiple times in the bathroom at around 4 am this morning. I understand the room was a mess due to her injuries, but we did the best we could to cover everything up as we awaited housekeeping. As I was at the hospital with my friend this morning, my husband, xxx, called you to share our experience with your staff during this crisis. The incident was scary, and we were all in shock and working to ensure our friend was okay. So, after a long day and further discussion with others who were guests there, I wanted to share disturbing details about how your hotel handled our situation. At around 430 this morning, we called an ambulance, and then the front desk to them that an ambulance was coming and to let them up. When the EMTs arrived at our room, there was another gentleman with them who appeared as part of the EMT staff. He did not introduce himself or ask permission to enter our room. During this crisis, and only right before we left in the ambulance, we learned he was trying to capture an incident report for the hotel, and it became apparent he was in extreme CYA mode. As he checked these boxes, he asked us for personal medical information about our friend. He asked us insulting and accusatory questions about being drunk and doing drugs, all. At the same time, our friend was being launched into the ambulance with a blood pressure of xx/xx and admitted to the hospital. We even overheard him ask the EMT these HIPPA-sensitive questions, which he rightfully refused to answer. This gentlemans interrogation was done with extreme insensitivity and zero empathy. But it looks like he got his report, right? Right before the ambulance left, I went to the front desk receptionist and asked the woman for housekeeping to help the other two friends staying back from the hospital clean up the room. The answer is, There is no one here to do that. So, I then asked to switch rooms. The answer is , we are booked. I understand you were at total capacity due to the concert, but the front desk receptionist suggested we leave and check out. At 445 am. 11 hours before our scheduled late checkout. With nowhere to go. The woman at the front desk did not ask if we were okay. She did not ask if our friend was all right. She did not ask if we needed any help or if there was anything she could do for us. She did not offer towels or cleaning supplies to help us clean up the room while waiting for your housekeeping staff, who wasnt there yet. No one even offered us water. No one offered to help us get our bags. No one offered us a place to sit while they figured out how they could help. After they got the incident report, we didnt exist or matter as we stood in our pajamas with other staff members bustling around to prepare breakfast. We were invisible. I understand this is not a typical situation, but common-sense empathy and customer care should be core skills. I am appalled at the way this was handled and saddened that this happened...

Several positives: Our room facing Wrigley was excellent! It was my husbands dream come true to wake up and sit in the chair facing the ballpark. The person who checked us in sent us chocolates and a bottle of wine for our anniversary. She was so sweet to do that. When we went to pick it up at the front desk, we let the woman who helped us know that we do not drink so asked her to give someone else the bottle of wine. The clerk checking people in was nice enough to give us a breakfast coupons for full breakfast as a substitute. The folks greeting us at the door were always friendly and welcoming. Couple of frustrations. I used three suite vouchers that come with my Titanium status for a suite upgrade. I was told we had received it. I had booked a room using points which were already for rooms facing Wrigley. I assumed we would be upgraded to a junior suite or something else. When we arrived we were told we were "upgraded" to a room facing Wrigley which was what they do for suite upgrades....if I had known this I wouldn't have used my suite vouchers for this stay as I would have been given that room as that is what I booked, or would have been upgraded because of my status. You should make this clear in the fine print with Marriott. While the room was great and nice, I didn't need to use my vouchers and could have used them for another property.

When we went to have breakfast on Sunday, we sat at the bar. While the food was excellent, the servers spent more time talking to each other than they did with the customers, this was the case across the board not just with us. I learned all about their schedules and how frustrated they were with their hours etc. It was unprofessional and not the right place to have those conversations. There was no hurry to refill drinks or to check back in with us, we had to finally catch his attention and ask for refills and to ask for our check. This was my same experience in the restaurant when I went down for desert on Sunday night. Little attention to refills or me at all, (charged $5 for soda water which I never got a refill for or even offered one). Also disappointing that you have one desert which is $12, and no other selection. It seems silly to me when you have the bakery downstairs that had all kinds of cakes and deserts, and then the one option is extremely expensive and really meant for more than one person. Overall we had a good stay. The property is really nice and fun to be across the street...

I’m a well-travelled Bonvoy member (I even have their credit card :) ) I’m somewhat disappointed by reading the negative reviews for I don’t think they paint a fair picture. The “Karen’s” of the world, when everything is not perfection decide that misery and disdain for everyone is the only solution and the best path forward. The hotel is a lovely boutique of perfect proportions. I’m here in January and I’ve never seen or heard another soul on my floor, I’ve been here for two days and will be staying another 10. I have two dogs in tow and the hotel has been incredibly welcoming and kind to all three of us. The room was much larger than I expected and is stunning. The hotel and rooms aren't quite up to the JW level, but damn close. I absolutely love this place, the second floor lobby/lounge/bar/restaurant is an absolutely incredible place with impeccable energy that non-hotel guests come to for it’s just ambiance perfection. Parking is steep at $67 for valet which is really the only option, my room rate I think was sub- $300 and was one of the cheapest 4-stars in all of Chicagoland. Everything you can think of encircles the hotel, CVS, 7-Eleven, Tacobell, McD’s, and about a dozen other epic restaurants are in the building or across the street. The fitness room… it’s good, not incredible, but good.

My only negatives are as follows: The lapse of a fridge in the rooms.., I’ve never seen this in a Marriott and with dogs, I’m struggling with where to put their canned food. The other would be that almost half of the room doors have damage to them from what I believe must be the luggage carts or cleaning carts… it steals richly from what is otherwise a stunning hotel. Finally, the doors definitely slam and are jolting, I think the arms could be adjusted for softer closing and felt placed on the jamb so it’s less disruptive.

Edit #1 - Since my stay is longer than a week, they've upgraded me to a suite which is incredibly kind and completely unexpected. I now have a fridge and likely the most aesthetic hotel room...