DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago Alsip

I went there for a private event in their Ballroom. Every was set up to perfection. The room was decorated quite nicely. Food was very good. The sound system was amazing. The staff were very attentive and polite. I may use them for my next affair. Plenty of parking. I was impressed with how everything appeared to be very clean.

Pro: location accessible to nearby stores. Thursday front desk clerk was very friendly and accommodating. Housekeeping staff was nice and friendly, everyone I passed in the hall said good morning. Nothing spectacular about the rooms. Cons: Saturday morning breakfast for our conference was an hour late. They overbooked and took 2 additional rooms we had for other events. The bathrooms stopped working on Saturday, leaving only a one stall bathroom available on the first floor, so in order to avoid lines, I had to go to my room on the 3rd floor to use the restroom. The sink in the room bathroom didn't have a lever to push it close and open it back up, so I had to stick my hand in the water to open to let the water out and hold it up because it kept closing. The shower was okay. There was no microwave in the room. It was on the floor with an ice machine, but it was a refrigerator. They charged me for the 2 bottles of water in the room (Desani) $2 each. The electricity decreased in voltage on the days of check out, or the plug by the light was bad because my phone kept decreasing in charge percentage. My room on Thursday was a whole lot cheaper than the group rate we received. The group rate was $121, and my friend's Hilton Honors rate was $56.

I hosted an event in the event in the ballroom for a 5th time. My event in the banquet room was excellent. Gabe and Jeremy were exceptional as always. However, the front desk staff, as usual, are an issue for me and my guests. It is becoming embarrassing. I have sent emails after prior events and was assured that they would be passed on and nothing has changed. They are rude and under pressure their customer service skills lack professionalism. One of the staff members advised me they were too busy to help me because they were at the desk alone. The rooms for the second time smelled of mildew and there was visible mold in one of them. The room with the visible mold was exchanged. There were leftover items under the bed prior to our arrival in Room 213 and the floors in the bathrooms were disgusting. One of the rooms were not clean enough to shower. I almost forgot for the third year the elevator did not work. The hotel was fully booked with only one elevator. The desk manager told me if my mother was her mother she would want her on the first floor anyways, in her usual condescending tone. The front desk staff never greet upon arrival. They always seem as if your arrival is a bother to them. I have used this hotel for events well over $5,000 and the food is good but the rooms are disgusting and the hotel staff get meaner every year.