Elmhurst Hotel Deemed A Nuisance Tackles Issues: Manager

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst's Clarion Inn has responded to a chronic nuisance warning issued by local police, saying it is taking steps to make the building more secure.

In an April 8 email to the police, Raminta Milto, the hotel's general manager, said less than one out of 1,000 guests have required police assistance.

"If our staff witnesses anything out of the ordinary, we will be the first to remove guests from our premises," she said.

Patch obtained her email through a public records request.

In late March, Elmhurst police issued the warning, requiring the hotel, which is at 933 S. Riverside Drive, to respond in writing in 10 days.

In March, a man was charged with two counts of domestic battery at the hotel after hitting another person a few times, police said.

Around the same time, a man was charged with drug possession after the hotel called police that the man refused to leave, according to a report.

In a February case, a man was arrested on charges of domestic battery, unlawful restraint and felony robbery at the hotel, police said. In the same incident, a woman was charged with violating an order of protection. She was found injured in a hotel room, police said.

In her letter to the police, Milto said the hotel has raised its rates, which has resulted in less income. It has also increased incidental room deposits to $75, from $50. The hotel, she said, does not accept cash or gift cards.

Clarion Inn also has added mid-shift staff who can tend to guests and their issues and walk the premises to identify safety concerns.

Other measures include:

• Continuing a do-no-rent list to ensure those who have created nuisances do not return.
• Hiring someone to install an intercom system, so the hotel can lock the front doors and only grant access to authorized guests.
• Training employees to stand at the front desk and spend less time in the back office, so they can ensure only authorized guests enter.
• Continuing the ban on long-term stays.

Milto described the hotel as "midscale and upper midscale," which its guest demographics reflect.

"(W)e cannot be compared equally to the Courtyard or the SpringHill as those brands are considered upper midscale and draw a different type of clientele than we do," Milto said.

She said winter is slow for the hotel.

"With the way the world has changed with more remote workers and high inflation, it has led hotels to be more reliant on transient business to keep the 'lights on,'" Milto said. "Heads in beds pay our bills."

Clarion Inn has been invested in Elmhurst for more than 15 years, Milto said. It has donated to Elmhurst University, an area homeless shelter, York High School, the local police union, ICC Catholic Prep and the Elmhurst Indian-American Association, among other groups, she said.

"Over the years, we have taken pride in bringing in large exhibitions, corporate clients, sports groups, international and business travelers, social groups, associations (and) Fortune 500 corporations to conduct business in Elmhurst," Milto said.

Clarion Inn is the second local hotel to receive a chronic nuisance warning in recent months.

In January, Extended Stay America, 550 W. Grand Ave., got a warning. This was after a 40-year-old woman and two boys were accused of attacking a man driving near the hotel. The city connected the warning to that case.

Clarion Inn is now on the market.