Pritzker Condemns 'Irresponsible' Wedding At North Suburban Hotel

NORTHBROOK, IL — Just one day after a potential coronavirus super-spreader wedding celebration was held at a hotel near Northbrook, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is condemning the event where an estimated 200-300 people attended. During his daily coronavirus briefing Thursday, Pritzker called both the wedding and the hotel "irresponsible."

"First of all, I'm deeply concerned for the people who attended that wedding. I understand people were in very close proximity from one another. I understand that those people will go home or back into their communities and may infect other people, and this is very concerning to all of us, at a moment when we have rampant COVID-19 throughout Illinois," Pritzker said of the Wednesday evening event.

"So I'm deeply worried for them, and the communities they return to, and for their families and so on. I hope each of them will isolate and get a [COVID-19] test."

As first reported by WBBM-TV, the wedding and ceremony was held at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook Hotel at 2855 Milwaukee Ave. Photos and video footage show hundreds of wedding-goers, many without masks, gathered together in crowded rooms and not practicing social distancing.

The ceremony and reception came on the same day Illinois had a record 238 deaths in one day.

The event appeared to violate the state's Tier 3 COVID-19 resurgence mitigations, which took effect on Nov. 20.

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The hotel is independently owned and operated, according to Hilton's corporate office, which described the event as shocking. Northbrook village staff emphasized the hotel is outside village limits, despite having a Northbrook ZIP code.

Hotel management issued a statement Thursday apologizing for allowing the event to go ahead in violation of public health mandates. It said the business, formerly known as Allgauer's Hotel and still owned by the Allgauer family, was struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

"However, our hope to keep the hotel afloat and employees working should not outweigh health and safety," the statement said. "We are committed to working with state and local health authorities to ensure our hotel is abiding by all safety measures and mitigation guidelines."

In 2017, multiple hotels owned by Frank Allgauer faced foreclosure suits, Crain's Chicago Business reported, although property records indicate he secured additional financing later that year. In 2019, hotel management unveiled the first phase of a multi-million-dollar renovation at the Milwaukee Avenue location, including revamped event spaces.

Pritzker said the Cook County Department of Health is looking into the matter and is considering citations and legal options.

"It's very irresponsible and it's also irresponsible of the hotel," Pritzker said. "They too have breached the rules, and they should be held responsible."