The Talbott Hotel

Great hotel and staff! But……..the drinks were so expensive, we couldn’t believe it. Four martini’s were $92.00. A burger, hummus and 4 drinks. 135 dollars and that was with the $17 dollar credit from the hotel, not including tip. The girl next to us was complaining as well. 2 doubles cost her 100 bucks!! The coffee is awful and especially at over 7 bucks! Go to Starbucks across the street.

Our experience at the Talbot was primarily underwhelming. The front desk person during our check in was exuding 'no....whatever you are going to ask....the answer is no'. The rooms were dark and looking directly into an adjacent brick wall. When asked if we could have a room with a view, the front desk person provided us with the clear bit of information that the hotel is shaped like a 'T' and that's what you get with a 'T' shaped hotel. The elevator was a dicey prospect as it was being used by contractors who were updating some carpeting on some of the floors between our floor and lobby. This might have been good information for someone at the front desk to share. The location is the saving grace of the hotel...and the fact that it is perfectly adequate...but not special.

To truly make this a 4 or 5 star stay for the price, offer a reduced rate for valet parking for guests who don’t plan to leave during their stay. Also the vouchers for the hotel bar/ restaurant should be redeemable for the entire stay not just the first day.

The Talbott Hotel double-charged me for the stay. They charged two different credit cards (one that was given when booking, one given at check-in) the complete amount. Even when shown both credit-card statements, they refused to cancel one of the charges. We followed up with another person at the hotel, who also refused to address the situation. Both times, there was a complete refusal to find and deal with their error in charging us $575 more than we should have been charged. Whether this was intentional fraud or incompetence I do not know. We are disputing the second charge with the credit-card company.

A charming hotel located in a great area of Chicago. We were welcomed by Charles the bellman and Issac the valet. Richard and Tabitha do a fantastic job at the front desk. Check in was seamless and the room was very nice. We have previously stayed at this hotel and are always happy to return. The restaurant is currently being redone but should be completed very soon. In the meantime a meeting area has been converted to Restaurant/Bar and Amanda and George go above and beyond to take good care of everyone!

I should explain I posted this review on Google. My feeling is that this hotel could have much to offer. It did at one point but now is, honestly, not good. My wife and I have been coming to the Talbott on and off for the past 10 years. When we first started going the Talbott was rated #1 on TripAdvisor and was considered one of the nicest hotels in Chicago. Things have changed. We just completed a visit there. We were there for 5 days. I'll start with the good first...then move on. First the positives: Location is excellent. Very close to metro line, restaurants, and shopping. The room, for the most part was nice and large. Comfortable bed and roomy. Now the negatives: My wife made a reservation which included a breakfast plan for 2. It was in the email we got from the hotel. When we arrived they had only a breakfast for one. As I said it was clear in the email that she reserved breakfast for 2 people, not one. We were challenged on that until we showed the desk the email. There was a 44 dollar limit on breakfast. The first day I went down alone for breakfast because my wife was on a business call in her room. She is on a restrictive diet where she has to avoid salt, butter, oil, and greasy foods. When I asked the waiter about substituting fruit for meat he said there would be a 4 dollar uncharge!! As it turned out (And we found out on subsequent days) all he had to do was order fruit and eggs separate and there would be no upcharge. In addition we were charged for beverages. Just about any hotel with a breakfast plan will allow at least ONE beverage. They gave us coupons for beverages...more on that below. Food quality was ok except the toast was ice cold and usually overdone. The room: While the room was clean the shower hose did not work. We called to get it fixed and they sent someone up. The person changed some parts and told us it was fixed. NOPE! He never bothered to test it. We complained. They sent someone up the next day. Still not fixed. What they finally told us was that they would have to completely dismantle the shower hose to fix it and we would be unable to use the shower. They gave us the option to switch rooms but we were there to enjoy Chicago, not switch rooms which would take a lot of time. The USB port on the lamp where my wife slept didn't work. Room service: Only thing we asked for was ice. At one point I asked the manager when she was at the front desk for ice. I NEVER got it. Eight hours later I called again and finally got ice. At other times it took a very long time to get ice and I had to call a few times. On our second day we asked the manager about their "destination charge". It was 17 dollars a day. They gave us drink and dinner coupons which supposedly made up for this. What this meant was that if we were going to take advantage of this we would have to eat at their restaurant EVERY NIGHT for dinner! The problem was the restaurant was being renovated and the menu

Good

Always look to stay at the Talbott whrn in Chicago since the 1990s. We will return.