Americas Best Value Inn - Chicago, USA 

WARNING! DON'T STAY HERE
Posted: Sat, Jun 20 2009
I booked this room based on the website pictures and previous stays at other America's Best Value Inn. The website said that there was a hot tub available. When we arrived at the hotel around 3:20 pm, the buildings were in poor condition. There was paint peeling off the exterior of the building, the grounds were dirty, homeless/drug dealer type people in the parking lot and scattered around the grounds. When we walked into the lobby, it was shabby and smelled terrible. We asked to see the room prior to checking in. The man behind the counter (who was Indian and barely spoke English and was very difficult to understand) reluctantly gave us a room key. As we walked thru the halls, the floors and walls were dirty, and there were homelss/druggies sleeping and/or laying on benches in the hallways. The exterior doors were propped open, thus allow anyone to walk in. We could hear dogs barking from some rooms and the entire hotel smelled terrible!! It was so bad it took your breath away. My traveling companion is allergic to dogs and she immediately starting having difficulties breathing. We walked into the room and it was awful!! The carpet was ripped with fraying edges, the floor and walls were dirty, the smell was awful and the beds sagged in the middle (could visually tell by looking at the bed). The bathroom still had hair and dirt on the floor and toilet. We went back to the front desk and told the man we wanted to cancel our reservation. He said that he would take care of it and they would fax him a cancellation confirmation. He then proceeded to ask us why we didn't want to stay, what was the problem. I asked him about the hot tub. he said, "you have tub in room with hot water. that is hot tub." I tried to explain to him that no, that was NOT a hot tub. He argued with me about what a hot tub is and what a jacuzzi tub is. He insisted on showing us other rooms. He was not friendly at all. We went to look at the other rooms to humor him. On the way to the room, he yelled at a couple of people laying on benches in the hallway, "you leave, you don't have reservation, you don't belong here" We told him no repeatedly we wanted to cancel our reservation. He argued and argued with us. At 5 minutes to 4, after stalling us with trying to get us to take a different room for a higher price, he informed me that I (NOT HIM) had to cancel the reservation online before 4:00pm or he would charge us. He repeatedly told me that he couldn't cancel, which contradicts what he originally told us. I had gotten my laptop out of the car and had already tried to cancel via my reservation confirmation, without success. While I was doing that, the man at the hotel (who refused to give me his name) kept yelling at us that I had to cancel before 4 pm or he would charge me for the room. I kept trying to explain to him that I was trying to cancel. He told me to go to abvi.com to cancel. I took the laptop up to the front desk and showed him that abvi.com is American Blind and Visually Impaired website. He kept repeating to me that I had to cancel via website. I was crying and very upset. I begged him to help me. He just kept repeating to me that I had to do it. He refused to help me in any way. At 4:05 he said that he was going to charge me cuz it was after 4pm. I was traveling with my friend and her 16 yr old niece. We were all very upset and scared. He threatened to call the police on us. He forced me to sign a credit slip. I asked to speak to the manager repeatedly. I was told he had left for the day and wouldn't be back til monday and that he was at a party and couldn't be disturbed. The manager was there when we arrived and HE showed us one of the rooms. So, he was aware of the situation before he left. We refused to stay even though we had been charged for the room. WORD OF CAUTION. DON'T STAY HERE!

WARNING! DON'T STAY HERE
Posted: Fri, Jun 19 2009
I booked this room based on the website pictures and previous stays at other America's Best Value Inn. The website said that there was a hot tub available. When we arrived at the hotel around 3:20 pm, the buildings were in poor condition. There was paint peeling off the exterior of the building, the grounds were dirty, homeless/drug dealer type people in the parking lot and scattered around the grounds. When we walked into the lobby, it was shabby and smelled terrible. We asked to see the room prior to checking in. The man behind the counter (who was Indian and barely spoke English and was very difficult to understand) reluctantly gave us a room key. As we walked thru the halls, the floors and walls were dirty, and there were homelss/druggies sleeping and/or laying on benches in the hallways. The exterior doors were propped open, thus allow anyone to walk in. We could hear dogs barking from some rooms and the entire hotel smelled terrible!! It was so bad it took your breath away. My traveling companion is allergic to dogs and she immediately starting having difficulties breathing. We walked into the room and it was awful!! The carpet was ripped with fraying edges, the floor and walls were dirty, the smell was awful and the beds sagged in the middle (could visually tell by looking at the bed). The bathroom still had hair and dirt on the floor and toilet. We went back to the front desk and told the man we wanted to cancel our reservation. He said that he would take care of it and they would fax him a cancellation confirmation. He then proceeded to ask us why we didn't want to stay, what was the problem. I asked him about the hot tub. he said, "you have tub in room with hot water. that is hot tub." I tried to explain to him that no, that was NOT a hot tub. He argued with me about what a hot tub is and what a jacuzzi tub is. He insisted on showing us other rooms. He was not friendly at all. We went to look at the other rooms to humor him. On the way to the room, he yelled at a couple of people laying on benches in the hallway, "you leave, you don't have reservation, you don't belong here" We told him no repeatedly we wanted to cancel our reservation. He argued and argued with us. At 5 minutes to 4, after stalling us with trying to get us to take a different room for a higher price, he informed me that I (NOT HIM) had to cancel the reservation online before 4:00pm or he would charge us. He repeatedly told me that he couldn't cancel, which contradicts what he originally told us. I had gotten my laptop out of the car and had already tried to cancel via my reservation confirmation, without success. While I was doing that, the man at the hotel (who refused to give me his name) kept yelling at us that I had to cancel before 4 pm or he would charge me for the room. I kept trying to explain to him that I was trying to cancel. He told me to go to abvi.com to cancel. I took the laptop up to the front desk and showed him that abvi.com is American Blind and Visually Impaired website. He kept repeating to me that I had to cancel via website. I was crying and very upset. I begged him to help me. He just kept repeating to me that I had to do it. He refused to help me in any way. At 4:05 he said that he was going to charge me cuz it was after 4pm. I was traveling with my friend and her 16 yr old niece. We were all very upset and scared. He threatened to call the police on us. He forced me to sign a credit slip. I asked to speak to the manager repeatedly. I was told he had left for the day and wouldn't be back til monday and that he was at a party and couldn't be disturbed. The manager was there when we arrived and HE showed us one of the rooms. So, he was aware of the situation before he left. We refused to stay even though we had been charged for the room. WORD OF CAUTION. DON'T STAY HERE!