We are giving this property a poor review due to extremely poor communications with the owner and questionable charge and billing practices. Poor Communications: Since there is no attended desk we were instructed (in our Expedia contract) to call the property 24 hours ahead to get check-in instructions. We tried multiple times and after 3 days we were contacted by the owner who stated he had been sick. I don't understand why the owner doesn't have a back-up as standard customer service. And after check-out we texted multiple times to get a copy of our receipt and when we found charge discrepancies. Questionable charge and billing practies: Our Expedia contract clearly listed tho room charges and that there would be a breakage deposit, both collected at check-in. Although they we were both charged when the room was booked. After multiple attempts to get an explaination of an additional charge, we were finally told it was a "credit card" charge and "taxes." these charges were not listed on the Expedia contract. Because of our problems with communications and billing we checked on the reviews online. While there were a few positive reviews there were many more negative reviews where previous guests questioned billing issues and in several cases used the word fraud. One other issue that is important.Several of the photo on the website show the owners home downstairs from the B&B room and not areas that guests do not have access. I write this review with some trepidation since in almost all of the negative reviews the owner responded in a very negative and sometimes an attacking. I would warn other travelers to avoid this property.
House 5863- Chicago's Premier Bed And Breakfast
Address: 5863 North Glenwood AvenueAvailability
Description
Facilities
Reviews
Great location, nice patio and deck. Large bathrooms and nice common areas to work/lounge in. We had an issue with our room and the owner resolved it for us in no time. While others say they do not get their deposit back we received ours in less than 5 business days. I also want to state that the owner cleans the whole place himself, which is rare to see these days and I have so much respect for a business owner that does the heavy lifting instead of hiring 3rd parties.
So where should I start. Well let's start with all the negativity that I saw in other people's reviews. Please don't believe in them, gossip is very very evil thing to do, I almost looked for another place, because I let the bad reviews get to me. And for that Eric I am so sorry. Me being a survivor from evil gossip in the past, I should have known better. This place is amazingly beautiful, the rooms are nice, cozy, and colorful it's cool and comfortable. and yes my bathroom was in the corridor, however it was still my private bathroom, The place is clean, kitchen and the self service breakfast it's really nice and very well organized. Eric is respectful and kind. The area the place is located at is fantastically beautiful. If you don't want to challenge yourself with traffic and drive, you can take a 20-minute walk and you are in beautiful Andersonville. This place is full of interesting shops, good restaurants, and Swedish cafe's. For me this was all a true blessing, and I feel very very grateful to have had this experience here. Thank you for having me here.
What a wonderful experience!! Everything was neat and clean! The breakfast foods were always stocked for us, coffee was made, and we had an ice maker!! It was quiet and the neighborhood was beautiful. The flowers were blooming and the tree canopy is incredible!! The shower was fantastic! The deck off our room was so well kept, with flowers and plants and lovely furniture to sit comfortably while enjoying the evenings and the mornings. I cannot say enough about House 5863!! I highly recommend this bed and breakfast, and will stay there whenever I visit Chicago, if there is a room available!! Great job on creating a perfect place to stay!!!
This was my first experience in a bed and breakfast and probably my last. My youngest sister and I stayed here 2 nights. First the Pros. This is a charming place in a decent location depending on where you need to go. There are also lovely outside sitting areas. Cons: when we arrived at our schedule appointment, I rang the bell several times and then texted that we were here. Response I received was ring the bell. I said I had several times and then the owner came to the door and let us in. This did not feel very welcoming. I have food allergies and had placed a special request since breakfast would be included. Upon arrival, I could see there was nothing I could eat but a piece of fruit and when I mentioned my request to the owner, he said he never received the request but also turned his head away to say it. I asked if they had any boiled eggs and he told me I could go to Whole Foods which we never saw in our many walking travels. As my sister stated, he lived on the property so he could have just boiled me a couple of eggs or gone to Whole Foods since he said it was so close. Also, there were apples the second day which I got excited about but they were in such terrible shape it was like somebody had beaten them. No fruit nor any other food for me. Additionally, the floor in our room and bathroom were filthy. They had not been dusted much less mopped. The corners and edges were also very dirty and the shower wasn't very clean. I asked other guests if their rooms were clean and they said no. They did say they had seen a cleanliness decline over the years. We were charged a $45 cleaning fee. Finally, there was no air conditioning and it was a hot weekend in the 80's. My sister was incredibly uncomfortable and we definitely wouldn't have stayed here if we had known prior. Air conditioning is standard in the Midwest. Although this property is only 5 minutes from our middle sister, I would not stay here again. Neither she nor I will be recommending this place in the future. And my sister graciously boiled me some eggs and brought them over 10:00 at night so I could eat something for breakfast. Just a Bed for me😥 Response to owner after their scathing response: Instead of taking constructive criticism and doing better, you decided to lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie. Just know everything he said, was a lie. And I guess I'm banned now. Funny how we were rarely even on the property, we were there for the Bruno Mars concert and in great moods, and our arrival was early but I didn't ring the bell until 3:59 for our 4 o'clock appointment so I guess that wasn't a lie. And that garden I was so loud in, we were Never in. I have attached the text from the special request that was sent to them and a text that they are happy that we stayed with them. .Yes we did meet Robert and had a wonderful conversation. We truly were rarely there. Arrived, dropped luggage, went out to eat and then the Chicago Architectural tour, came home and went to straight to sleep. Saturday we left at 10 am, came home for an hour late afternoon to change and left for the Bruno Mars concert. We were gone Sunday by 8 am. And if we were so loud, why did no one say anything to us? Also, this man chided me for disclosing medical information, yet he broadcast my medical information on a public forum. Who is at fault here? 🤔
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