Hotel Baker

Everything was perfect! Communication and assistance was perfect! Our big day, was beyond amazing! Staff was so helpful! Food and atmosphere was incredible...we go so many Compliments!!! If I could give them more than 5 *'s I would!

We had a wonderful wedding at Hotel Baker. The day was beautiful, the wait staff and front desk staff were extremely helpful, in particular Trina and Francisco. The day was everything we hoped to be. However, the planning process was horrible. The two people we worked with, Tiffany and Rowena clearly did not communicate with each other and asked us questions the other already had the answer to. Neither of them showed up for our rehearsal, (which I have in email stating that one of them would be there,) and on the day of our wedding Tiffany did not come to greet us until 4:06pm, 6 minutes after the schedule ceremony start time. We were in the middle of the procession when she came to ask if we needed help with anything. As someone who had worked in the retail industry for over 10 years, I have never seen such terrible customer service. Again, the rest of the staff day of, (Trina, Francisco, bartenders, and wait staff) were phenomenal, but our interactions with Tiffany and Rowena certainly soured our experience overall with Hotel Baker. I have seen reviews with similar experience, and have seen the hotel’s defensive, and at times, childish response. It’s a shame they won’t take accountability for the mistakes and stress they cause families who simply want to celebrate love.

We've been here at our friends wedding and it was phenomenal! The decor was breathtaking and we felt so welcomed

Hotel baker provided us a stunning, unforgettable wedding! The rose garden for cocktail hour was unforgettable. The service during the dinner was great and the space was perfect for an unforgettable night!

We held our wedding reception at the Hotel Baker. It was a beautiful and memorable event for us, our Families, and our Guests. Kelly and Ryan Karas

We were guests at a wedding at the Hotel Baker and everything about the Hotel and the event was an amazing experience. The Hotel is picturesque, the staff is very friendly and attentive and the room for the ceremony and the wedding dinner was decorated beautiful and the food was amazing!

From the moment my daughter entered the stoic establishment, I could see on her face that Hotel Baker was her perfect wedding venue. The Rainbow Room transports you back in time when you enter, as it is a very intimate and historic space. The guestlist ranged from ages 21 – 92 and every single person in attendance had a blast. The ceremony took place overlooking the river, and cocktails soon followed in the garden. The Ballroom was a magical place to hold the reception, and my daughter felt like she was living in a movie. The food was excellent, the presentation perfect, and the staff was attentive and available all night for all our guests needs. Thank you Hotel Baker for an unforgettable experience!

The most AMAZING and MAGICAL wedding ceremony, reception, dinner and dancing for my daughter and new son-in-law. The staff, Tiffany, Cheryl and the front desk were so helpful. And, Rowena Salas - owner, was the ROCK of the event. Thank you Hotel Baker for EVERYTHING!

To make a long review short: Hotel Baker is an excellent venue, full of class & charm - from its beautiful architecture & stunning grounds, to the staff, service, & delicious food. At every step, care is taken to provide the best possible experience for its guests & patrons, & we can provide no higher recommendation for a place to host your event. To those that still need a bit more convincing, please read on about our wedding experience with HB. Hopefully it'll give you the confidence you’re looking for to choose them, or further validate your decision if you’ve already chosen! HB stood out to us particularly because we were looking for a space with a lot of character. We wanted a classy atmosphere & charm of its own. The Rainbow Room & the glass-block dancefloor look amazing in pictures & even better in person, & immediately drew us to HB. That, & we were looking for an ‘all-in-one’ venue - where we could have the ceremony & reception in the same space, & stay overnight there too. HB checked all of our boxes! If you have the opportunity before your event, definitely try & make it to one of the wedding showcase events that HB regularly puts on. You’ll have the opportunity to meet preferred vendors, try food, & get to know what the hotel looks like & the amenities it offers. There is, of course, a formal tasting as part of your booking, but the showcase will also give you a further selection of their available appetizers in addition to samples from bakeries that offer cakes for HB’s events. Speaking of, the wedding packages offered by the hotel will give you enough to have a fully featured event - lacking for none of the basics - even with their base level package. There are upgrade options for most aspects of the event, but one we’d really recommend going for is a room upgrade to the Baker Suite. It’s gorgeous, spacious (enough for the bridal party to get ready in, morning-of), & well worth the cost. On our wedding weekend, from the moment we walked in the door, Rowena Salas - the hotel owner - & the hotel staff made us feel prioritized & taken care of. We never felt like we needed to fight for attention or assistance, or that our requests were a burden. Everyone involved went above & beyond to make our wedding day everything we dreamed it would be. We also wanted to extend a special shout out to Tiffany & Molly. Molly especially stepped up & coordinated our event to ‘T’, despite being a relatively new staff member at Hotel Baker. She led us through our rehearsal on the day before the wedding, & was there for the event itself making sure that things went smoothly, & did it all with the foresight & attention to detail of a seasoned coordinator. Our event went off with hardly a hiccup, & our guests are still raving about how good the food was, how beautiful the Rainbow Room was, & how great the service was. It was really evident to us that Hotel Baker cared about making our day special, & that care was directly felt by our guests, who all had just as amazing of a time as we did. We’re incredibly proud of how the day turned out, & Hotel Baker played a huge part in why we feel that way. I could keep going on & on about all the little things that HB did to make our day special, but part of the charm & one of the reasons we’re so enamored with the hotel are all the tiny surprising ways they found to go above & beyond for us. Those are things that you’ll need to find out for yourself, & why you absolutely should book with them!

We had our ceremony and reception at Hotel Baker on 9/23/23 - I want to start off by saying Rowena was extremely helpful start to finish. If you plan to have your wedding here I would highly recommend the baker suite to get ready in. It was extremely spacious and great for photos. The preferred vendor list was helpful to narrow down my planning and even found me the harpist I didn’t even know I needed (Dawn Bishop - 100% recommend her). The room turned out exactly how I pictured. Glad we chose this as our venue.

I was father of the bride and saw all aspects of the people of the hotel baker. They were terrific at all times.

I had a wonderful June wedding at the Hotel Baker! The venue is absolutely gorgeous. The staff was courteous and the event went by without any bumps along the way. Truly a memorable day with the help of Hotel Baker!

My husband and I just got married at Hotel Baker on September 1st, and thanks to the Hotel Baker staff, we had the most incredible wedding day ever. We have not been able to stop talking about how perfect everything was. Our friends and family agree! There are plenty of wedding venues that look the same, but Hotel Baker is something special. Looking back, we couldn’t be happier with our choice to host our wedding at Hotel Baker. We got married on the boat dock and had our cocktail hour in the beautifully manicured rose garden, which both overlook the Fox River. It was so picturesque and romantic! Our reception was held in the gorgeous Rainbow Room. From the moment we toured the venue, Rowena made us feel important, valued, and like family. Throughout the entire wedding planning process, Rowena and Marissa were incredibly kind and accommodating. When planning a wedding, there are so many moving parts, but Marissa’s expertise, patience, and grace put my mind at ease. She and Rowena perfectly executed everything I asked for. At Hotel Baker’s showcase event, we had the opportunity to meet their wonderful preferred vendors. We ended up choosing our bakery, photographer, day-of-coordinator, and DJ from Hotel Baker’s preferred vendors, and we couldn’t be more pleased with their professionalism and services. It is easy to see that the Hotel Baker staff takes pride in their work. The staff transitioned between the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dessert like a well-oiled machine. It was truly so impressive! The dinner service was impeccable and our guests agreed that the food was delicious. The Hotel Rooms are clean, beautifully decorated and updated, yet they still have a historic charm. Our room overlooked the rose garden and the Fox River– it was truly stunning and made for a quiet, romantic getaway. We wish we could get married all over again just so that we could spend another day celebrating at Hotel Baker. We are forever grateful for the Hotel Baker staff and all they did to make our day truly unforgettable. If you are looking for a venue in a desirable location with excellent staff, delicious food, historic charm, and beautiful views, look no further. Host your wedding at Hotel Baker…. We promise you will not regret it!

I proposed at the Hotel Baker and they were great about getting everything set up. It was an extremely smooth process and they were a joy to work with! Also, we had our Shower there. This was a pleasant experience as well. We were able to bring items in early to store overnight prior to the event. They let us use the outdoor patio as well, which was a-lot of fun for our guests. Highly recommend them!

What an AMAZING place for a wedding! I had the great privilege of getting to officiate my nephew's wedding and they chose the Hotel Baker for the ceremony and reception! The wedding was outdoors off the river and all of the so many great pictures were taken in the beautiful garden out back. It's such a historic building for St. Charles and the location just can't be beat. Everyone at the Hotel Baker was incredibly accommodating, friendly, attentive and made sure that my nephew and his bride had the wedding of their dreams! I told my nephew his best decision was to pick Christine for his wife... and the second best decision was picking the Hotel Baker!

Hotel baker was a venue we saw and knew we had to have our wedding there. Everything about it had a wonderful atmosphere from the moment you walk through the doors, all the way to the boathouse in the garden. We had our ceremony in the rainbow room and our guests were beyond impressed with how beautiful the floor was, especially when it came time to dance, everyone loved it. The food during dinner was also amazing and the staff was just wonderful. Marissa was so helpful from beginning to end and helped us with anything we needed and was quick to respond. In short it was nothing but perfect.

I had my wedding here and expectations were exceeded! I was never a fan of wedding food but Hotel Baker changed my mind. The charm of this venue and its many rooms allowed for minimal decor on our part. Bartenders were quick, never a long line for a drink. The Hotel Baker is very accommodating.

Hotel Baker was a great venue for the wedding. Beautiful outdoor gardens for the ceremony. Delicious appetizers and dinner entrees. The dessert was creative and so fitting for our culture. Our servers were very professional and courteous. Definitely recommend this place!!

We attended the wedding of Francis and Jennifer on August 18 at the historic Hotel Baker in St. Charles. We had a wonderful time. We enjoyed socializing with friends and family during cocktail hours in their beautiful rose garden and during the main reception at the Rainbow Room. The food was delicious! (filet mignon and chicken) and we love how they included filipino desserts during the late snack hour, halo-halo, banana turon, ube cupcakes, hopia, bibingka,kutchinta to name a few. Our servers were so polite and very pleasant and the DJ (Bobby D) did a wonderful job! The Photo booth was a blast. What a fun night!!! It was such a well coordinated event. Excellent job by the entire staff at Hotel Baker.

Perfect! The beautiful rose garden outdoor ceremony overlooking Fox River was so awesome. Hor d’oerves was tasty including the lechon served in a nipa umbrella uniquely decorated in the patio The flow of the reception and the delicious food served in timely manner. Dance floor is awesome. Late snacks were delectable as well. It was a great night to remember. Hotel Baker made the big difference.

Hotel Baker was the most beautiful venue we could ever ask for. The building itself is so unique and we received so many compliments from our guests. The food is fantastic and the chef/staff were so accommodating with our main course requests. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour outside and WOW! so beautiful. The rose garden is well kept and sets a perfect backdrop for photos that will last a lifetime. Our planning process leading up to the big day was also smooth. We always received timely responses to our emails and they answered every question (and we had a ton) - so thank you! Marissa Dries was our main point of contact and she was amazing. Very communicative and she was there the day-of to ensure our day went as planned. We also stayed in the Colonel Suite and it was so clean and spacious. Lastly, I want to note that the entire staff was friendly and extremely helpful - from the front desk receptionists to the bellboys to the event staff. Thank you for treating us and our guests so well!

As a wedding photographer and film maker who has captured more than 200 weddings, I have seen a lot of venues. Hotel Baker was one that really stood out for me and my wife’s wedding day. It’s classy, unique, and timeless. One of the best parts of the venue is that everything is there on site. From getting ready, to ceremony, reception, stay for guests, food, drink, cake, tables, etc. Everything you need for a wedding day is right on site, which made planning SO easy. The staff was wonderful. Ashley, Tiffany, and Manuel made the day so wonderful. They were very hospitable and on top of things. In regards to the food, most of the time when you go to a wedding with 150 people or more, you tend to get dry food that really isn’t all that great. This was not at all the case here. We are still receiving countless compliments from all of our guests about how amazing the food was, which wasn’t really something my wife and I cared too much about, but looking back, it made the day that much more amazing. Finally, the pent house was an immaculate way to end the night. You can see the entire downtown and it was wonderful to wake up and enjoy the morning on the balcony. We cannot thank Hotel Baker enough!!

Hotel Baker truly made the wedding of our dreams come true. We could not have picked a better venue. From the moment you meet them, you know you are with people who know what they are doing. Rowena and Marissa were exceptional, and they were able to help us with everything and anything that we needed. They helped us plan every detail, and we received the best hospitality possible (and then some). We appreciated their kindness and professionalism, and their staff was top notch during the reception - I felt like VIP with our waitress during reception, haha. Also, their food was incredible - I still get compliments about it, and the wedding was a month ago! (My grandma is still looking for that steak recipe, Rowena! Haha!) All of our guests and family keep talking about how amazing and unique the venue was, and they were truly impressed with our decision and planning. Thank you again to Hotel Baker for making a day we will never forget, and we hope to visit again soon!

Hotel Baker never ceases to amaze me. My husband and I attended a wedding of the son of my dear friend. The ceremony and cocktail hour on the patio were beautiful with the Fox River as the backdrop. The meal for dinner was the best I’ve had at any wedding and I have attended many. The staff was attentive, friendly and very professional. From start to finish, it was an enjoyable wedding. We also stayed the night which was a treat. We enjoyed the complimentary continental breakfast the morning after and had a chance to say our good byes to many of our friends we seldom see. Thank you, Hotel Baker for a wonderful weekend.

Had a great time at The Hotel Baker for a wedding I attended! The staff, food and most atmosphere was amazing. Highly recommend booking any event here.

Amy F. I recently attended a wedding at the Hotel Baker and I cannot say enough wonderful things about this iconic venue, in the heart of downtown St. Charles! The staff was extremely attentive, the food was outstanding, and the cocktails were absolutely delicious! The Hotel Baker Team nailed it, and I would highly recommend them for any professional event or any friend getting married in the near future! No detail was spared! Thank you Hotel Baker for an incredible memory! I cannot wait to visit again!

We absolutely loved our wedding at Hotel Baker and have received so many compliments from our guests regarding the venue and service. The service staff at Hotel Baker is best in class. We especially wanted to give a shout out to the Director of Catering, Jay, and one of our service staff members, Elizabeth, who never missed a beat in making sure that all of our needs were met throughout the event. The food was a particular stand-out to both us and our guests with many people saying that the cocktail hour appetizers and dinner entrees were some of the best of any weddings they had been to. We hired our DJ, photographer, and florist from Hotel Baker's Recommended Vendors list. Each of them were very familiar with the spaces and process at Hotel Baker which made the day- of set-up run smoothly. We highly recommend working with Show on the Road as your DJ vendor. Our DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Chuck, was great and kept people dancing until the very end of the night! We booked the full-venue and are so happy that we did! We had a wedding with about 155 guests and we felt we really got the most of the space. We had our ceremony on the Boat Deck and cocktail hour in the rose garden, patio, and Waterfront Room. Our seated dinner was in the Rainbow Room and the Waterfront Room remained open after dinner for coffee, cake, late night snacks, and a second bar. After dinner concluded and dancing began, our guests were flowing between the Rainbow Room (DJ, dance floor, and first bar), the Waterfront Room, and the outdoor patio. Our guests felt this was a really unique and fun experience to have a venue with different areas for everyone to enjoy. At times throughout our planning process, we were worried about having enough space for all our guests to fit comfortably and we can honestly say that it was perfect for a wedding of our size. Our wedding at Hotel Baker was the beautiful and unforgettable day we were hoping for and we highly recommend considering this for your venue!

We had a wonderful experience having a small, intimate wedding at the Hotel Baker. And, since this was planned last minute, Rowena Salas and her team at The Baker stepped up and helped us have a lovely, quality, beautiful wedding. They treated us like royalty! Look at this venue for a special celebration and make it all your own. Sarah R.

Hotel Baker was truly an elegant venue and perfect for our daughters wedding. The backdrop along the Fox River was just beautiful for my daughters outdoor ceremony. The grounds are meticulously maintained and rose garden is just lovely. The personal service and attention to detail was excellent! The Baker Suite and additional rooms were timeless and perfect to get ready for our weekends events. Complimentary breakfast served in Rox was great start to the day. The bridal suite was large enough for bridal party of 10 with 3 hairdressers and makeup team. Our guests secured most of the rooms in hotel that evening with no complaints, just praise for a fabulous wedding. We secured the entire venue which is great option available & makes for very private affair with no worry of overlapping with another event. The owner of the hotel is extremely gracious and very hands on. Rowena accommodated all of the requests without hesitation. The communication/relationship between our wedding planner & hotel was always respectfully dealt with in our presence. The staff were all wonderful to work with. The food was seriously excellent and I believe my Sea Bass was best I ever tasted! Our sit down dinner service for 170 guests in the Rainbow Room was very impressive. Both Event Manager Kelly and Food/Bev Manager Jay went above and beyond to oversee that my daughters wedding was a "Fairytale" come true!! We are thrilled to have such a historic gem in our city.

Hotel Baker was the perfect place for our wedding. We had 120 guests and there was plenty of room; folks loved the dance floor and had tons of complementary things to say about the food! Can't tell you how many comments I got on how the steak was AMAZING and they never expect there to be good steak at a wedding. Kelly Schmitz was incredible when it came to last minute adjustments. My husband and I are both active duty military and had to coordinate from afar, but she was so kind and accommodating. Would not have been able to coordinate this without her. Also, St. Charles is such a cute little town and there were plenty of bars still open to go after the reception ended.

We had our Bridal Shower at Hotel Baker in St. Charles. Everything was wonderful! Food was delicious and the staff was very accommodating. You won’t have any regrets booking there for any occasion! Ask for Kelly Schmitz she is terrific to work with and will make sure all your needs are met.

Kelly Schmitz, our event coordinator is extraordinary in her field! Hotel Baker is very lucky to have her. The wedding went very smoothly due to her due diligence and care for my daughter's wedding. She was always one step ahead and her communication was out of this world! The charm and history of Hotel Baker made what my daughter and her fiancee's vision for their wedding was all about! Along with their other vendors, the wedding was perfect! The only issue I had was it went so smoothly, that it went so fast! We all want a re-do, lol! Thank you to Kelly and her staff!

We were absolutely blown away by our wedding event at the Hotel Baker! We had our ceremony in the gorgeous Waterfront Patio and our dinner/dancing in the Waterfront Room, and we, along with our 85 guests, are still buzzing with excitement and reminiscing about the sheer perfection of the whole evening. One of my favorite things I heard from a guest was, “this really felt like a destination wedding!” People said they felt as if they were in Italy or France. We fell in love with the venue right away. We were charmed by the hotel’s boutique feel, and were stunned by the Waterfront Room and Patio right on the Fox River. We booked the venue a little more than a year ago and were pleased to find the Hotel Baker staff to be incredibly professional, responsive, and accommodating. Their food is top notch, their wait and kitchen staff was very organized and efficient, and many guests commented that this was the best food they ever had at a wedding. In my opinion, their filet mignon rivals some of the very best in the Chicagoland area. In addition, their food tasting event is a class act. They invite a variety of vendors to the event, from photographers and videographers, to the cake vendors that were included in their wedding package. We ordered a cake from Deerfield’s Bakery that was as tasty as it was beautiful, and it was all coordinated seamlessly by the hotel; all we had to do was try the cakes at the bakery in Buffalo Grove and select our favorite flavors and designs. The cake was then delivered to the hotel staff who displayed it, cut it, and served it on the big day. Throughout the process we worked with Kelly, one of the hotel’s Sales Managers. She guided us through the process of designing our wedding timeline, helped us coordinate with vendors, and made sure everything was perfect for the event. She was very quick with email responses, was always willing to meet with us in person or over the phone, and also worked very well with our day-of coordinator. She was very accommodating of our family wedding traditions and helped coordinate with the bar staff to make our specialty cocktail a huge success. The Hotel Baker is charming, unique, and stunning, and their wedding package is incredibly convenient with its inclusion of a dedicated coordinator, food, beverage, wait/bar staff, wedding cake, hotel block, and ceremony space. We cannot recommend this venue enough!

I can't speak highly enough about Hotel Baker and Kelly. We moved our wedding up for personal reasons and had to completely start from scratch and find a venue/plan a wedding in two months. When we toured Hotel Baker, we knew we were in great hands. Kelly is organized and responsive, always willing to work with us when we needed help. She fit us into her schedule and made sure that while this wasn't our original plan, it really did feel even better than the first one. The actual wedding at the hotel was in the Waterfront Room and our guests LOVED it. We heard that it felt like "they were in Italy" or "they were outside, while somehow being inside." The team is great there, the food is exceptional. Wedding food isn't something people typically compliment on but the food at Hotel Baker is genuinely so good that multiple people told us it was the best wedding meal they've ever had. Additionally, it's such a nice benefit to have the hotel to get ready in. Everything (reception, ceremony and lodging) was in one place for our guests which was great for those that travel from out of town. The location is perfect, there is so much to do in Downtown St. Charles, our guests never felt bored or trapped which sometimes happens when venues are in the middle of no where! Their new bakery partnership with Mad Batter... don't even get me started. Such a good bakery and well worth the last minute hustle to get everything aligned. I really can't speak highly enough about the experience!

I was in the wedding party for what should have been a perfect celebration for the couple's December 4th date. First let me list off the pros: -the scenery around the hotel is nice, and the rooms/hotel are aesthetically pleasing -the food was good -the staff at the hotel BAR was friendly -the hotel breakfast was surprisingly decent Unfortunately that's where the pros ends. Where to begin with the list of cons: -while the hotel BAR staff was friendly, the actual hotel staff at the front desk and throughout the rest of the hotel were sadly lacking in customer service abilities -to start off the event, the sister of the hotel's owner (who works the front desk) shushed the bride after she brought it to their attention that specific rooms that the guests had reserved were not being given to them (ie, adjoining rooms for families with kids) -additionally, Hotel Baker did absolutely NOTHING to remedy this room situation, instead blaming the bride and groom for the hotel's mistake -POWER OUTAGE: this one deserves its own paragraph Note: If a hotel is going to advertise as a wedding venue, then i would assume they are able to appropriately manage power, utilities, etc. -at ~8:25pm, the power went out due to the city of St Charles resetting the power in that area -the city then sent out personnel to all the affected businesses, telling them that all they needed to do was to reset their main circuit breaker -the power should have been completely restored by ~9:39pm if Hotel Baker had done what every other affected business in the nearby area did -however, because Hotel Baker had no idea where in the building the main circuit breaker was located, the power was off until ~11pm -every other business on the street had reset their breakers and had power, but due to Hotel Baker's incompetence, city personnel had to come BACK out in order to show them where their own breaker was -as you can imagine, a power outage (due to the venue's incompetence) during a wedding reception results in an endless amount of problems and frustration To wrap the whole thing up, the morning after the reception, I was woken up at ~6:30-7am with the setup of a meet and greet kids Santa event directly outside my room. Pretty much sounded like there was a press conference going on at my front door. With almost the entire area from my room to the elevator blocked off with kids, lights, cameras, and photo ops, it only added to the frustration from the day before. While the wedding itself was a lovely celebration, I was extremely disappointed in the overall quality of service and ability of Hotel Baker to handle the event. Weddings are already stressful enough and if I were looking to plan one, I would prefer to select a venue that inspired confidence and security in their skills. Disappointingly, Hotel Baker does neither of those things and instead showed their incompetence throughout the entire wedding event.

If you're like me, and you're not using a wedding planner, you will spend 99% of your time planning your wedding, agonizing over the details, and worrying that everything will go as planned. 1% of that time will be you fully enjoying your beautiful wedding day. You need to book with a vendor that will help with the majority of your plans. My wedding was beautiful. The food was delicious. I resented the venue up until that day for making my job harder than it needed to be. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we planned for a winter wedding in 2021. When COVID had other plans, in the summer of 2020 we expressed interest to postpone. We were told by staff that we would have to forfeit all the money we had for the original date to postpone our date, and start a new account for the new date. We had to involve lawyers and the director of operations at Hotel Baker for them to postpone our wedding. Meanwhile, the venue continued to hold weddings and receptions that were indoor and far exceeding the state and local guidelines for the pandemic at that time (Summer and Fall 2020). We would have cancelled if they didn’t refuse to refund our deposits. As we approached the new date, lack of communication and response to emails, phone calls, and in person visits defined our planning process. It was infuriating to not get an email or phone call response for up to two weeks. I wanted to have my wedding at a hotel so that my friends and family could enjoy the day without concern for traveling between venues. The staff at Hotel Baker made frequent and numerous mistakes in booking members of the wedding party and guests into the hotel block - first saying the block was full, and then having guests book at the full rate. They then assumed no responsibility in re-booking these guests that they misinformed and overcharged. No one who doesn't want to be engaged for 2 years should be - but if you do, I hope you have supportive and consistent vendors. The venue is the most important.

I’m St. Charles native and was so excited to have our wedding at Hotel Baker, and now I wish we would’ve had it ANYWHERE else. *No onsite parking. There is a free parking garage close by but Main Street is super busy literally all of the time and there is only room for 3 cars at a time to drop their stuff off at the door before trying to exit out of traffic and make it to the parking garage *Absolutely NO early check ins. Check in is a 4PM sharp even though a handful of our guests who had kids with them requested early check in, and the hotel told them no problem, even though it was *One family booked rooms next to each other and when they got to the hotel the rooms were at opposite ends. When the mother went to talk to the front desk Faye or Faith, was so rude to her that she made the mother cry, while telling her that the reason they couldn’t have the room next to the room that they currently had was because the bride didn’t book any of the “River King” rooms. I happened to overhear this and told Faye/Faith that’s not the case at all and she shushed me and then ignored me completely. I went and got the list containing all of the guests that booked rooms in our room block (sent to me by the hotel) and at least 15 of the rooms were listed as “River King Rooms.” During this entire situation, Faye/Faith told the only nice front desk worker that she “was incompetent and you can’t train her to do anything” *The light up floors are great but be prepared. They make the room SO hot *We were supposed to have the white curtains hanging from the ceiling but for some reason they weren’t there *The power went out for 2 hours during our reception and Hotel Baker is claiming it “was the entire city block.” We went outside. That wasn’t the case at all and we are currently reaching out to ComEd to see what actually happened *We had an awesome 5 person band, but there really isn’t room for a band at this venue. The rainbow room says it fits 200 people but we had 130 and the band and it was packed *We were told that we could keep all fo our stuff In both the Triple Crown Room (where the bridesmaids got ready) and St. Charles Room (where the vendors kept all of their stuff) until the next morning and it would be locked up and no one would be able to get in there. At midnight, after our failed reception due to the power outage, I got a phone call from one of the groomsmen saying that we needed to get to the Triple Crown Room ASAP because there were a handful of guys in there who stated they were “pitching everything in the room.” When we got there, sure enough, they were clearing out the entire room and thankfully we had awesome friends grabbing all of our stuff otherwise they were seriously just going to throw it all out. During this time, we also didn’t know that they were planning on completely flipping the St. Charles Room for Breakfast with Santa the next morning which was were we stored everything used during the reception that was then thrown behind the front desk. *Cut to today. I haven’t heard a peep from Hotel Baker with my many inquiries about a missing veil (it was found with a bridesmaid) or about the power outage situation. But I did receive an unsigned Christmas card from them to make up for everything. This original review was over 6000 Characters but I had to shorten it but that just how bad this venue is. Weddings are stressful enough. Save yourself some stress and don’t get married here.

We had an amazing experience with Hotel Baker! Danielle helped us with changes (bc of covid). The staff is awesome and food was amazing - our guests can't stop talking about the food and the wine (served at dinner). Thank you Hotel Baker you made our day perfect!

They wouldn't communicate with us, their wedding staff wouldn't call us or email us to plan our wedding. We would send a single email and wait weeks to hear back, we would leave a voicemail and wait weeks to hear back. We were fine with having the wedding at their venue and on our COVID rescheduled date but they were non-responsive and stopped helping us. We asked for a refund because they were ruining the excitement of getting married at Hotel Baker. They didn't do the bare minimum to communicate as a venue. Update: I guess the Hotel Baker needs our money more than us, because they decided to keep not only our deposit but also our subsequent payments. I grew up in St. Charles and I liked Hotel Baker, it's unfortunate they are not willing to be reasonable. We hope our $15000 helps them stay in business.

Hotel Baker is the most beautiful wedding venue with a stunning outdoor space for the perfect ceremony and cocktails. The staff was extremely professional and accommodating to work with while planning the wedding . The food was truly amazing and the guests raved about how fabulous it was. You could not ask for a more professional and customer focused banquet staff. Hotel Baker provided and incredibly friendly, welcoming and inviting atmosphere for the perfect wedding day!

We looked at a few others and decided upon Hotel Baker for so many reasons. The Staff was professional to work with in planning the wedding. We had a taste of the food during a wedding tasting event and every one of our guests raved about the exceptional food and excellent banquet staff. Everyone, from the Front Desk staff to the servers were friendly and welcoming. Most of all, the venue was beautiful and spectacular. We had our dream wedding and we highly recommend Hotel Baker to all.

We could not have been happier with our wedding at Hotel Baker. The staff from sales to banquet were so professional and made us feel special throughout the day. The hotel is just beautiful inside and out. It is so important to have good food for your guests and they did not disappoint (food outstanding). The day was perfect! Thank you Hotel Baker

We were married on August 13, 2021 and our wedding could not have been more perfect! From planning to execution, everything was flawless. We had an outdoor wedding and the setting with the river and terrace was stunning. The food was amazing - the best ever for a wedding according to our guests -and the reception was just so much fun. Thank you to the Hotel Baker and all of their talented and caring staff for making our day unique and absolutely unforgettable.

We were married last month at the Hotel Baker and we couldn’t be happier with how everything went! First, the manager was the best to work with she was easygoing and professional from the start, and made us and all of our guest feel very welcome. You couldn’t ask for a nicer person to work with and all our expectations were met and then some. The people that work there go out of their way to meet your every need, and are on top of everything. The food was also amazing all of our friends and family were raving at how delicious the filet and gnocchi were. The venue it’s self was beautiful and historic. We we’re married in the Garden right over the water. It was my wife’s dream wedding and Hotel Baker delivered. Wonderful in every way!

Hotel Baker was a nightmare to deal with in an otherwise pleasant wedding experience. Our issues started the year prior with communication around the COVID pandemic. In early May 2020, we began asking Danielle Razee what the protocol would be around postponement or cancellations. While we never expected clear answers in such an ambiguous time, we were only met with vague legalese and increasingly delayed communications. In our view, Danielle consistently avoided answering specific questions about costs and timeline, and she took days or even weeks at a time to respond. Despite all of this, they also insisted on charging us with our 3rd quarterly deposit. Every other vendor we had at this time was able to speak to use like human beings. There are a lot of moving parts in a wedding, and Hotel Baker’s refusal to communicate with us caused a lot of undue stress and costs. In mid June 2020, Danielle offered that we could place a “soft hold” on a 2021 date in case we needed to postpone. We were happy with this and in late June we notified Danielle of our soft hold date. In August 2020, as the pandemic progressed and our 2020 date was officially under restriction, it was made official that the date would be postponed to Sept. 25th 2021. We were sent a contract amendment with a new date, updated deposit schedule, and with the clause that “no other terms or conditions of the contract are negated or changed as a result of this amendment.” In the initial contract, we were reserved the “penthouse suite,” which was a big drawing point for us in our decision to go with Hotel Baker. In May 2021, we reached out to confirm the rooms we had in our hotel block and were told we did not have the penthouse suite. Danielle said that they gave it to another couple when they reserved in July 2020. We were astounded that this was never communicated to us prior to that point, despite us placing a soft hold on the date almost a year prior (and a full month before the other couple) and expecting all contract terms would move forward as the amendment stated. What ensued after we brought up this fact was astonishing and incredibly disappointing to us. We had a call with Danielle and Rowena Salas – Hotel Baker’s co-owner. In our view, we felt like Rowena was rude, patronizing, and unapologetic on this call. To us, it did not seem like she was making an attempt to listen to our concerns or to placate the situation. We eventually decided it would be best to get lawyers involved, as it came down to a contractual dispute. We negotiated a middle ground through lawyers and proceeded with our 9/25/21 wedding. I would not recommend Hotel Baker to anyone. I am now aware that while some wedding vendors and venues can sell well upfront, they understand that once you are in the contract, most couples will not rock the boat when they are being mistreated. Neither my wife nor I have ever needed to get a lawyer involved in anything. It was incredibly deflating and disappointing that part of the planning for our big day was communicating back and forth with our first lawyer. As someone that also works in client services, on a professional level I have been unbelievably appalled by Hotel Baker’s poor communication and abysmal customer service. Again, I would not recommend Hotel Baker to anyone. For what its worth, the food was fantastic. The kitchen staff is wonderful. I can’t say the same about the management.

My husband and I could not have picked a better team and a wedding venue than Hotel Baker!!! The venue has such a vintage charm that guests were BLOWN away by. The boutique venue had everything we were looking for - hotel accommodations on-site where our guests could stay and where we could get ready the day of the wedding, a beautiful garden where we had our wedding ceremony on the boathouse, an outside patio overlooking the river, the Waterfront Room where we had for our cocktail hour, and of course, the reception ballroom with a beautiful lit up dance floor! I mean how cool is that! It was truly a spectacular experience for our guests and it was a dream wedding come true for us. Not only was the wedding venue space unique, but the food was amazing! So many guests told us it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. We also had guests tell us our wedding was the most fun they had ever at a wedding. Hotel Baker truly delivered on all accounts. Rowena, the owner, is an absolute star to work with. She and her team are so genuine and such professionals. When we had to postpone our wedding at the start of 2020 because of the pandemic, they were so understanding. They have answered my millions of questions over the past two years all while doing so with a smile because they truly cared about making our wedding day special. If we could do it all over again, we wouldn't change a thing. Hotel Baker is dream wedding venue and will leave your guests talking about it long after your wedding day comes and goes. Plus, our wedding photos look like they are out of a wedding magazine. Hotel Baker's backdrop is timeless. The team also became family throughout the process. Thank you HB team for making our wedding dreams come true!!! We will be back to visit again soon :)

Our wedding was perfect! If there was ever a problem, I was unaware because Kelly and her staff did such an amazing job. The venue is just gorgeous! My photographer said there is literally no place in the building that wouldn't be a beautiful photo. I wish we could get married again so we could throw another party at Hotel Baker!

Our actual wedding at Hotel Baker was beautiful! We will remember it fondly and the guests had a great time. The elegance of the room and garden really speak for themselves. We got so many compliments on the venue and the food was great. I loved the historic feel of things - it was very unique from other venues we looked at. The event staff was also great - the bartenders were fantastic, the wait staff, the front desk, and the people work staff for the event were polite, nice, accommodating, and friendly. I changed my mind a lot during the process and everyone was flexible about changing. However we had A LOT of issues with communication leading up to the event. In the months prior I was not too bothered because I figured other weddings were the priority and I was not an immediate concern. But in the week before and even the week leading up to the event I sent multiple emails, follow up emails, and phone calls and didn't hear anything until the day before the wedding. As a Type A person this was very frustrating and stressful and I didn't feel like our event was important or a priority. We had a lot of questions and nobody was answering them. I felt like I was bothering people which is not how a bride and groom should feel leading up to her wedding. Our florist tried contacting somebody at the Hotel for 3 weeks about information and she had to tell us she couldn't get a hold of anyone through phone or email. It was very frustrating. We were told somebody would box everything for us after the event, but then the wedding ended and I was told I had to do it all and luckily we had some bridesmaid and groomsmen that hadn't left yet that helped. If we were told ahead of time we would have to clean up then we could have prepared better. We also had a similar problem as another bride where I had to unexpectedly run most of my own rehearsal and on the day of nobody came to talk to us about what was going on with weather the day of the wedding - our MOH and BM had to go track people down. So overall, the wedding was BEAUTIFUL and the staff working the event was GREAT, but communication was very frustrating leading up to the event and the day of.

We had our wedding at Hotel Baker in August, and it exceeded all expectations! There were so many reasons why we selected this veue. For starters, the venue in and of itself is stunning - historic, unique, and absolutely beautiful. We took advantage of the whole space. Our ceremony was outside on the boat dock, which was gorgeous. Our cocktail hour was split between the rose garden (beautiful!) and the waterfront room giving our guests options to enjoy the outside or cool down from the 90 degree heat. :) Then our reception was in the rainbow room, which was the perfect layout to accommodate our guests. The room is spacious yet intimate so you can truly enjoy the company of all. The venue also was great for our out-of-town guests, giving them a place to stay, and getting to see and spend time in St. Charles! I especially loved getting ready in the Baker Suite with my bridesmaids. It was the perfect set up. Now I have to rave about Hotel Baker's staff because they are top-notch. They accommodated all of our special requests and made sure everything ran smoothly that evening. Our guests even commented on how great everyone and everything was. I'd also like to give a special shout-out to Jay - he is the best and runs a smooth operation! We loved working with him. Thank you to all! A few of the other things we loved: Hotel Baker helped us find other vendors that we needed (e.g., dawn bishop - a string trio, etc.), the food was so delicious, and what's included for the price. Hotel Baker, I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for making our wedding day absolute perfection. I wish I could live it over and over again!

Due to our family and friends working extra hard, our wedding was beautiful, but it was constantly on the verge of disaster because of the unprofessionalism of Hotel Baker’s management. After numerous emails and calls to the hotel last 3 weeks, it’s time for our story to be shared in hopes that no other couple has to go through this experience. It is unfortunate enough to have to be a Covid wedding couple. When trying to reschedule our event the contact didn’t answer us for weeks. It took getting in contact with a different person (who no longer works for Hotel Baker) to even get dates for rescheduling. At that time I asked the owner/manager to switch contacts for our event. We were not granted that opportunity. Two years of email communication between the event contact and ourselves during this planning was less than satisfactory. Every email required multiple follow-up emails to get an answer. She was basically unreachable by phone, as we only had one conversation on the telephone prior to the event. At the rehearsal, our event contact didn’t come to help show us how weddings at the venue are usually run. We ran the rehearsal ourselves without knowing the room or understanding the system Hotel Baker has in place. On the wedding day, our event contact didn’t show up and never reached out to us. No one from Hotel Baker came until nearly 6 hours after the time our coordinator said they would. The general manager arrived to help. The Hotel owner showed up at some point only to give us excuses and no attempts to help. She instead gave my brother-in-law attitude and rude behavior. All event details were prepared into a document that Hotel Baker had. We had folders, printouts, day sheets, and somehow no one knew what was happening the day of our event. My mother, my siblings, and even my husband were constantly asked what was supposed to be happening by the event staff. At the end of the night, we were told the bar in the lobby would be open until 2 am after our event ended at midnight. This was not the case. The bar was closed before our wedding was even over. There was no prior information communicated about the retrieval of items. Within hours of leaving the Hotel, my mother noticed that we did not have my bouquet. She called Hotel Baker to let them know and was told she would receive a callback. She did not get a call so 3 days later she called again. She was told at this point that anything unretrieved after 48 hours is thrown away. Apparently, even when you call to inquire about an item left, it is still thrown away without notice. Additionally, raw chicken was served to a guest resulting in food poisoning. I attached a photo to my email chain for reference but apparently, that doesn’t need to be addressed either. This venue runs a restaurant and bar daily. We are fully aware that this place is an old hotel and loved the aesthetic it brought to our wedding. The garden, the hallways, the room where everything took place were beautiful. But for how much our guests paid for their rooms it was unacceptable how dirty the rooms were from multiple cobwebs, broken windows, and pieces of ceiling hanging. At this point, we have been reaching out to Hotel Baker to try to resolve these issues. We spent 2 years planning a wedding with Hotel Baker for them to not show up, know what was going on, or even try to resolve the numerous issues we brought to their attention.

We had our wedding at hotel baker 8/21 and cannot express how fabulous it was. The staff, venue, food, everything was 10000/10!! We had a particular vision in mind and the hotel baker team surpassed our expectations. We are glad to call them family and truly cannot thank them enough for making our wedding dreams come true!!!

Had our first date at the piano bar Rox City Grille then our wedding in the rainbow room 3 years later. The outside boathouse deck on the River is the most beautiful place to eat “I Do” then enjoy cocktails in the Rose Garden. Appetizers people are still raving about. The light up floor in the Rainbow Room is fabulous and makes dancing and pictures so fun. The food is great …get the filet and blue cheese salad with raspberries. Service was speedy. The color choices and accent sashes and starry night swags make the room pop. People are still talking about the best wedding ever.