It’s kind of hard to know where to start with this experience… originally we had booked a different property near the Belmont Redline station so we could easily get around town. However Zencity decided that no we couldn’t stay there, so they moved us to a “comparable property” in an entirely different neighborhood and far away from any CTA train lines. The location would be cute if it was at all close to where we originally booked with them. Unfortunately that was the first red flag I wish I listened to and just cancelled my reservation to book with anyone else.
When we arrived to check in, getting in the door was relatively easy despite the 10 digit door code, however we were greeted with a smoke alarm with no batteries screaming at us every two minutes. This was an indication that no one had been on the property that day to clean- which became apparent by the dust accumulation in the living room. When I called to get someone to change the battery (there were none on the property and the alarm that needed new batteries was on a ceiling that required a ladder), they told me they were “done with maintenance requests for the day” and would put us on the queue for the next day… when I pressed them that it was extremely annoying and impacted our sleep as well as our safety, they told me they would call me back only to tell me the same thing. On my second phone call I asked to speak with a manager or anyone that could actually help us I was told once again they would call me back- no call back. On my third phone call we had a new pressing issue, the thermostat was locked on ‘cool’ in 45 degree weather making the apartment freezing cold. Even after getting the thermostat set to heat- not sure why it wouldn’t be set to that given it was October in Chicago and the weather forecast was as low as 35 degrees- they still did not follow up with the smoke alarm. We were in Chicago to celebrate a dear friend’s wedding the following day, we all got terrible sleep because of the loud alarm that no one would help us with.
On top of all the above issues, the shower would take 10 minutes to drain and every time anyone showered you would have to stand in 2-3 inches of water. We had six people in one bathroom all having to get ready for a wedding at the same time. Not only was this massively inconvenient, it’s dirty. To my disappointment the last two reviews from months ago mention this issue. I guess Zencity doesn’t read their reviews or doesn’t care about guest experience if they have left this issue for months.
Cleanliness was definitely an issue, as well as broken closet door handles, lights in the bathroom that never turn off, patches in holes on the wall without new paint, and sheets that were very wrinkly making me not sure they had been washed before we got there. Halfway through our stay the fuse in the kitchen with the oven and microwave went out and the breaker was behind a locked door making our kitchen unusable. If they kept up with maintenance instead of weird millennial decor maybe people would enjoy their stay here.
Also the couch was so old, felt like I was back in college sleeping on a third hand couch I found for free on the street, the chair not much better. We had 6 people stay there and there was only seating for 4 people, we always had people sitting on the floor. Only one extra comforter and two terribly flat pillows.
Overall I would not recommend this property, if they move your reservation just save the headache and cancel. I wish I did.