The good: great location, incredibly affordable, comfortable beds and powerful, hot showers. The bad: very basic, small rooms, dimly lit. If you don't plan to spend much time in your room, it's a great base for exploring the tourist attractions in Chicago. read more

Usually I have amazoing stays here but this one 23-24 November was subpar for sure. Mostly due to lack of delivery of food supplies to the location and subsequent lack of communication by staff. Had a colleague buy the $20 breakfast and discovered Monday morning no coffee or food. Later in day 6 pm I order food in bar and only discovered the issue when I asked where it is an hour later. Pull the menus off the table if you dont have the food. read more

Nohand needs to be the name. No kitchen, refrigerator for guests. No water. Only thing that makes it a hostel is the low rates at low demand times and having to share a room with people that want to smoke weed in the room. One toilet and shower for four people in a room? Don't think the HVAC worked. I might has well went camping. read more

We stayed here for 3 nights during our visit to Chicago and this place did not disappoint. You get exactly what you paid for plus some good vibes. This was in the heart of all the hubbub so many things were walkable which was our main requirement. We could walk around and explore and get to tourist spot quickly. The room was on the small side but had everything we'd need plus very cutely decorated with books and plants. The bar downstairs had great drinks and the seating area all across the hotel's first floor could be used to hang out with a drink. The staff at the front desk was very sweet and accommodating. I'd definitely consider this place again for an affordable option in the middle of all the activity. read more

Echoing all the other reviews to say the hotel is quite worn out. Lots of stains, rips and marks on curtains, sheets (yes!) and even on desks. The entire place doesn't feel very clean. The noise is terrible and does not give the hotel experience. Last time staying in a freehand hotel/hostel! read more

I stayed here for 2 nights and the room was okay. Theres a radio in the room and I tried to use it and my hands were covered in grey black dust after I put it down. It's very close to literally anything you could want to do. I tried to go to the bar to get a drink for myself and the bartenders were busy pouring and taking their own shots. The room I booked said it was "city view" the window was a view of another brick building and some AC units. The sheets smelled like someone else's sweat. Staying here is like getting the full experience, it's like a mini Chicago apartment. I still had fun on my trip, only came back to sleep and that was enough for me won't be back. read more

I had a TERRIBLE experience staying with Freehand Chicago. Over four nights, I had to change room two times and lived in three different rooms. Each room came with its own serious problems. The first one had a disgusting flood in the bathroom (with dirty water coming back up from the toilet and the shower drain). The second one had a serious water leakage that soiled the carpet. The third one had a bad odor from the hallway. There were also dusts/stains all over the place (echoing other reviews). I was not able to rest at all (the worst you could expect during a conference trip). I brought these issues up to the hotel front desk and the Airbnb host, and requested a refund for what I went through, and both parties were taking their time to respond (and it's been over 1 week now!), which means they simply do not care about customers' experience at all. If I knew what I know now, I would never have chosen to stay here in the first place. I would never come back. read more

Terrible hostess at bar, have patience. Bed sheets have purple makeup on them. Asked for ice they said someone would bring to room and never received. read more

The mold situation was WILD. You could smell and see it in the bathrooms, and the lumpiness on the adjacent wall/ceiling above the top bunk bed leads me to guess there's more mold than meets the eye. There appeared to be blood (or some other dark reddish brown stain) on two of the privacy curtains. That said, we were here for 4 nights and found it very convenient/overall comfortable. Perfect location to visit the city 5-10 minutes from the red line, lots of shops/food, and the river. We got a great price on the 4 person dorm/hostel style room, and staff was very friendly. We both left with a sore throat and sinus issues that went away after getting back home though, presumably from the mold. read more

Freehand Chicago - Grimy shower - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I booked five nights at Freehand Chicago but checked out after just one. That should say it all. The place felt more like a grimy hostel than a hotel -- and certainly not worth the $240 per night they charge. My room had a view of a parking garage, and I was kept up all night by the sound of shouting and what sounded like break-ins. I didn't feel safe for a second. To make matters worse, the room was barely functional: half the light bulbs were missing (possibly stolen), and the AC didn't work at all -- the room was hot, dark, and uncomfortable. It was clear that no one had properly inspected the room before handing over the key. This place is not what it looks like in the photos. I cut my losses and moved to a different hotel the next morning. Don't waste your money here. read more

The manager, Manny, is an absolute angel! I was having a rough day, and he surprised me with a complimentary upgrade that truly lifted my spirits. His generosity and genuine care completely turned my day around. I highly recommend the Freehand Hotel for their incredible service! I stay here every time I come to Chicago...the vibe is fun, the rooms are clean, and the beatnik decor gives it a unique, artsy charm that sets it apart from anywhere else. read more

Freehand Chicago was my home for a few nights during a conference in Downtown Chicago. It was one of the affordable options I could see on a 3rd party website so I decided to go for it. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, some of the rooms here function as hotels (shared form spaces) and above are private rooms with its own bathroom. This was a definite must for me so I made sure my private queen room was crystal clear confirmed. The hotel itself is a vibe. It's warmly lit public areas and hallways create a chill atmosphere. I stayed on the tenth floor which meant battling for the two elevators, which I'd say were decent in terms of speed and response. I was given a corner room which was smaller than other queen rooms. The bed was comfortable and the shower had great water pressure and temperature. Not a lot of space to do much else inside the room but it was decent. It wasn't the cleanest (and some of our towels had some marks left behind), but affordable nonetheless. Walls are thin as we definitely heard our neighbor's arguments on some of the nights. I suppose it's good for the drama but can be annoying when trying to get sleep. Wifi is complimentary and is an open network, meaning it's a bit slower than other hotels that are private. I probably wouldn't stay here again unless it was the absolute most affordable option in town, but by no means did I have a bad stay either. read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The bed literally took up the entire room, the window was covered with a moldy quilt, the only light in the room was completely covered in dust and barely illuminated anything. There was a weird art piece that was just a few ropes tied onto a wood rod and it was soooo lopsided. The tv was squeezed into the corner and the bathroom wasn't terrible but it smelled awful. read more

Freehand Chicago - The covered window and tv in corner - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Freehand Chicago is a great value in a great location. Being just a couple blocks from Michigan Mile, Riverwalk and about 10 blocks from Navy Pier. It's very reasonably priced with nice clean rooms. They're not the biggest of rooms but nice for a couple with a large bathroom. The hotel has an eclectic vibe. Lobby has a large sitting area with comfortable couches and a couple nice bars. The service was fantastic on check-in. Very nice and engaging. Got to ask but they offered a great deal on a parking garage located one block away. $49 for a day and a half. read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm giving this a GENEROUS 3, it's more of a 2.35. The lobby area is a vibe. It's a very chill area but that's as good as it gets. This as my first experience at a hostel and will be my last. If you're trying to save $200+ per night then yeah, it's an okay deal however going forward we won't do that again lol. This place lacks cleanliness. It's very dusty, stains everywhere and doesn't look like it's ever been vacuumed. The 1 thing I did like about this place is the staff. Front desk was nice.. This is a 1 and done experience, could have been way worse I guess. read more

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I was looking for a cheap place to stay that's proximal to all the Chicago thangs. This popped up in Air BnB and I must say, I got lucky. AMBIANCE: Parking: There's a parking structure that's about $49 per night but I just did public transportation for my stay. Rooms: I rented out a single and it was perfect. A cozy bed with a sizable tv, workable desk, mini vault, and standing shower. The view isn't too flashy but an interesting art installation to keep you entertained. Vibes: This is a pretty prime location. Close to a lot of good things from the pier, Uno's - home of the deep dish pizza, and public transportation. You have access to a gym and washer/dryer. I spent a good amount of time at the bar and lounge as it was pretty cozy and community-friendly. FOOD Adult Big Mac (Recommend) Deefreakinlicious. A fulfilling burger with a side of fries. Everything is pretty nostalgic about the burger (even the signature Big Mac Sauce) just trade the sesame seeds with bacon! The fries complemented the meal well with a pleasant and savory crunch. Dealer's Choice (Recomend) I asked for something sweet, refreshing, and something with fire anddd boom! Results were something cinammony, sweet, with a refreshing mint flavor, and flamed for a 15 seconds or so. I dig it CUSTOMER SERVICE: I had some pretty good interactions with Jerome, Melissa, and Cesar. Great people! TL; DR OVERALL: 5 Stars. Awesome! I feel like these unconventional places are hit or miss but for nomads with minimal standards, this place is great! This place contributed to my positive experience visiting Chicago. Clean rooms, great company, and service. I recommend this to other travelers. I look forward to coming back here for my next Chicago visit. TIPS: * Check their website for live socials (New Years, Live DJ, etc) read more

Freehand Chicago - Wooo! - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Omg this place is amazing. The price, location, service, amenities, quality of sleep and the rooms. A total package. Sure you're in a bunk bed with other people! Everyone in the two different rooms that I stayed in was very nice, friendly, considerate, and polite. The lounge are in the back is large and comfortable. I was able to get lots of work here done even with the music on. There's a small and convenient gym in the basement. Along with a laundry room. Super awesome to have available. The cafe is great. With options for food and several options for a good cup of coffee. This place is a gem. My flight actually got moved to the next day and I had no issues rebooking another night at the hostel. Made my trip to chicago soooo enjoyable. Can't wait to be back. read more

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This is a hostel/ hotel, and has a young bohemian vibe. I can't speak to the hostel part since I had a queen room with my own bathroom. The room was tiny, but that was expected. It was mostly clean, but very well used/ worn. The walls were beat up and could use a fresh coat of paint, and the woodwork needs a new coat of varnish, which was mostly worn away. There were also some cobwebs in the ceiling and from the fixtures. My curtains had unknown stains. There were also mechanical issues in that none of the outlets in the bedroom area worked causing me to have to charge my phone in the bathroom, and both lamps were inoperable, resulting in a very dimly lit room. Finally, the walls are paper thin and you will hear every person in the rooms around you. If you're young or thrifty and looking for a cheap, very average hotel in a great location, this is your place. If you expect higher than average accommodations, take a pass on this place. read more

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Very disappointed in staff after a good intitial start to my stay here. Main issue revolved the safe in the room. Worked perfectly fine the first day, but then all of a sudden stopped working with the code i set for it. A little bit annoying, but definitely not at the fault of the staff. Spoke to front desk regarding issue, however it took some time for a staff member to arrive to our room. When staff arrived, they stated they did not have the correct key to open the safe, and went to get another key but informed us that they would just keep the safe open for us when we get back since my girlfriend and I had plans to leave by then. While we were out, freehand had called my girlfriend regarding the safe. A bit of miscommunication between her and the staff occurred, however by the end of a couple back and forth calls, staff informed that the issue was resolved and that the safe was left open for us. After a long day out, we come back to our room to find the safe STILL closed with keys right next to the safe (very unprofessional to do and dangerous if left in the wrong hands). With the safe still not open and my code not working, I called front desk once again, explained the situation, and was told that a staff member would come by as soon as possible. However after waiting 40 mins, I called again TWICE, and no one answering both times. Frustrated, I went downstairs to front desk and see the receptionists not actively helping others but laughing with other staff members, which was very distasteful. When I asked for a follow up on if someone would come by, one of the receptionists asked a staff member next to her if he was able to see it yet, but ended up telling me that I "would have to ask someone in the morning about it." Returning to my room, me and my girlfriend wondered if they truly did resolve the issue on the safe and possibly just reset the code without telling us. After just trying a simple 123456 on a whim, it opened. We were finally able to retrieve our items, but we were left very frustrated with something that could have easily been COMMUNICATED properly. The hotel room in itself was okay. It was aesthetically nice with the decor in the room, but it was left dirty with old candy wrappers lying around and hair left in the shower as well when we first arrived into the room. The phone in the room didn't even work either so I had to call them with my own phone or just go downstairs to talk to front desk. It's at a fairly okay location as well (lots of crackheads roaming near the front but that's normal for a hotel located in downtown), and even a bar downstairs for those who are sociable. Also, staff appears to prioritize small talk with other staff members whenever I was waiting for my turn to be helped at front desk. The last impression I was left with was when I went to go claim my luggage from front desk. (Side note: Freehand holds luggage after checkout time as long as you retrieved it before 10pm that day.) While waiting to get helped, the two receptionists, one male and one female, were helping guests. While it appeared that the female receptionist was helping a guest, she was loudly "flirting" with another staff member, as they continued to talk about their date the other day. I stood there for a few minutes until the guest in front of them looked at me and stepped aside for the receptionist to finally give attention to me. Turns out that the guest was just a friend all along taking part of the small talk. read more

The location is great and the front desk staff was nice, but I don't think I'd recommend staying here. The sheets were stained and there's lots of mold in the shower and it's nearly impossible to shower without the moldy shower curtain touching you and having to stick your arms and legs completely out of the shower just to wash them (it's that tiny.) the thermostat didn't work up or down in our room, it was always way too hot or too cold, luckily we were able to open the windows a little when it was hot, but nothing we could do about the cold. We were put on the 4th floor and you can hear absolutely EVERYTHING. I have stayed in Chicago several times in the same area and had no issues with noise, but here we could hear every car, car radio, honking, loud music at all hours of the night, the same volume as if we were outside on the street. If you stay here, bring your own sheets and towels and request a room high up. We did not go to the bar or restaurant downstairs but they looked very nice. The elevators also take forever, you'll likely be waiting 10+ minutes unless you're coming and going in the middle of the night. I'd recommend spending the extra money to stay somewhere else that is actually clean. read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My first hostel stay! The hostel was good vibes- from the front desk workers to my hostel roomies:) the hostel itself is old but in a cute way with lots of personality- it was clean too!! i enjoyed my stay here, amazing price, amazing value and amazing location! if you're solo tripping or your flight gets cancelled and you're in a pinch like me, highly recommend this hostel! read more

Interesting hotel with lots of room options. We recently stayed at The Freehand because it offered quad rooms - which we booked for our four kids in addition to a king room for us. I felt the rates were reasonable. Generally speaking, this hotel is clean but a little dated. Rooms are small, but more than adequate for a quick stay in downtown chicago. The location can't be beat! Our king room had some temperature control issues, and while mostly clean, it was dusty and showing wear. That being said, we were seldom in our room. The quad room was very spacious and beds had curtains for privacy. Elevators were very slow, especially during check out. Overall, the front desk staff were friendly and helpful. The bartenders and service staff were also friendly and were great with offering suggestions. The clientele here was very diverse, which we enjoyed - all ages, nationalities, etc. The common areas were great places to socialize or hang out. For a quick trip with kids, this hotel was more than adequate and we'd consider it again for a future visit. Probably not my choice for a private romantic weekend. read more

Had the pleasure of staying 2 nights, and felt welcomed and at ease during my stay. Dimly lit lounges are my favorite, and the bar is poppin at night. I stayed on the 16th floor, and felt there was ample space for a solo travel. I do wonder why there is no fridge or microwave on the premises though. read more

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worst experience ive had in a hotel ever! i only came here because im 18 and this is one of the omly hotels with 18+ check in. had to room change last night because the only socket next to the bed was broken and there was only one other socket in the room at rhe desk. changed room and the ac takes forever to adjust who knows if thats broken too, the corner lamp in the room needed a lightbulb change, but it wasnt a big deal so i didnt want to move rooms again. i left for the day and turned the big light off ans when i came back to my room, the big light's switch was jammed and wouldnt let me turn it on and it is nighttime so i had no sunlight just the bathroom light. spent 5 mins trying to figure it out and i did but it still gets jammed at times. went down to the reception and spoke with Amanda and she was very understanding and accommodating offered me another room change but i politely declined because at this point im tired of changing rooms because who knows what might be broken in the next one! its 1 am and the manager is not in right now will speak to him in the morning for a refund. maintenance needs to do better! read more

Stayed here in a last minute visit to Chicago, so it's great when there's not much to find . The lobby area has super chill vibes and the bar it's super cute decorated great to hang out with friends . The rooms are good .. the a/c didn't seem to work that good ; so maybe if they were to do a hit upkeep that would be great . read more

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Fun concept hotel/hostel, but will not be staying here again. We stayed in a Queen room, and both the bedroom area and bathroom were very small. PROS: -Nice lobby and common spaces. -Friendly staff. -Parking garage right by main entrance. -Shower was a good size, despite overall bathroom being small. CONS: -Room was too hot. The thermostat said it was 60 degrees, but it was probably around 73. -Bathroom counters were not very deep, so I couldn't even put my toiletries bag on the ledge. -You can hear everything that your neighbor is doing... opening/closing doors, when they have the shower running, etc. -Lighting is horrible in the room/bathroom. Way too dim. It was really difficult getting ready for dinner without proper light! -Mattress was not comfortable and felt very worn out. read more

DO NOT STAY THERE!!! Customer service is horrible. My aunt needed to stay one night, but she does not have a credit card, so i paid for her stay. I was directed to pay online, the hotel does not take cash. When she arrived at the hotel she needed a credit for the incidentals. She called me. The hotel told me they could not take my card over the phone and they could not take my aunts debit card. So she left the hotel. In the meantime i go to cancel her reaervation. I can not get a full, nor a partial refund. I am unable to get back a $1. This is the hotels policy. So, BEWARE!! read more

This is a hostel. They have bunk beds but also plenty of single queen bed rooms. I booked a private queen bed room. Came with bathroom, towels and a closet. Furniture was outdated. Bed wasn't that comfy either but it was clean. It was also conveniently located, 20 mins walk from millennium park and near train stations. read more

The room I was given has such a bad mold and dust problem I had to see a doctor. Tiny room, absolutely filthy, beside lamp didn't work, sliding door to bathroom was detached and couldn't be used. Worst hotel experience I have ever had by a significant margin. read more

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I am going to compare this stay to the other hostel I stayed at in Lincoln Park a bit North as a female traveling alone. First of all, this place is a hostel and I used to run a co-op that was similarly maintained. This place is habitable, but know that it is a ZOO. They have to be a bit stricter here because people are constantly taking advantage of this place/ not checking out on time/ not following the rules. They re-did the carpets on my floor starting at 8 am each day I was there and it was very loud . I'm not sure why they did this in summer! The Chicago getaway hostel didn't smell, had a nicer, larger lobby, offered free breakfast and seemed safer. The neighborhood is adorable, although further from grocery and downtown. The chcicago getaway also had no curtains around the beds, so the pod like feeling of the bunks in the freehand didn't carry over to the Chicago getaway hostel. Overall, I enjoyed my stay in both I just could not stand the smell in the freehand hostel, they need to get that under control. My other complaint is that it costs $53 to stay in a male or mixed dorm, but $123 to stay in a female dorm. This should not be the case, safety shouldn't cost 3x the price of a mixed bedroom. The good: -in house paid bar and coffee in the morning -back house tiki bar at night -relatively good WiFi -Trader Joe's and CVS down the street -bathrooms in the quad bedrooms -cute tiki decor, low lighting -cleaning seems to be relatively thorough, no lack of fresh towels, tp, etc. -staff is friendly The bad: -terrible smells everywhere. Musty, mildewy in the rooms and a persistent rotting broccoli smell coming from the basement/ gym/ laundry. -laundry costs money, but not too much. Doesn't work great tho -no microwave or fridge. Makes affordability hard -must pay more for all female bedroom but not all male. Gender safety shouldn't come with a pink tax. -absolute characters coming in and out of the building -loud ass music 24/7 so u can't take calls there Overall, I'd probably stay here again. If you don't have anything stopping you from traveling around, the Chicago getaway hostel is cleaner and smells better for the same rates, but is less centrally located. Beautiful neighborhood tho! read more

Customer service was awful. Checked in with my girlfriend and my mother (mom waited downstairs as I went to take a Power Nap). Front desk told my mother that I could get a bigger bed considering I was tall and won't fit in the frame and to "come down whenever you are ready". I came downstairs after 45 minutes and when asked to switch keys, they declined the request and said we slept in it and so we can no longer change out rooms. Despite the misinformation they stated, the front desk lady said, in front of my mom, "yall already did the deed so we can't get yall a different room". Mind you, I was gone for 45 minutes tops taking a nap. She was inappropriate and rude, and the manager was not accommodating. We all felt incredibly uncomfortable by her inappropriate commentary. read more

I booked this hotel guessing it might be a gamble, but hoping the photos would be true. Alas, I was disappointed. Let me just say, if you're over the age of 30, don't book this. My husband and I agreed this place did not meet expectations of a big city hotel. It gave hostile vibes more than trendy. Could have once been a brothel. There was no place to set your things other than the floor and yet there was space in the room. The bed was on the floor, maybe on a platform 3" off the floor. The room was tiny and yet the bathroom was huge. Plenty of space for a chair & table by the bed, but no furniture. It was as if someone stole these items or we received the last room available. The bathroom had no place to set your toiletries bag except this narrow shelf that looked like half of a boat oar (in width). The ceiling paint was peeling, the curtain didn't open and upon further investigation it was likely due to trying to cover up a nasty window and sill. I didn't feel overly safe in the common areas without my husband. The gym was small and didn't appear to be cleaned regularly. There was a sign to wipe down your equipment but no towels, wipes r spray to clean with. Checkout was interesting, in that there were people behind the desk, but they didn't check us in till they were done chatting, laughing and joking with one another. The room was very clean and hotel was conveniently located. If you're looking for a lesser expensive place and don't care about these standard amenities then this is for you. Not our style. read more

Freehand Chicago - Gym - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The view was so ugly it almost ruined my stay. Anyone in the garage outside the window can see directly into the room if you leave the blinds open, and at one point I saw a man urinate in full view. There was also a large clump of hair on the side of the tub when I checked in. The only good thing I can say about it is the bed was comfy. But even then the thermostat in the room didn't work. I complained and the maintenance man came up to replace the batteries in the remote. That didn't work so he tried another one which didn't work. Then he admitted that the entire hotel is centrally set to 69 degrees. The hallways were also like a meat locker. The lounge downstairs was lovely but you do not have to stay in this dump to hang out there. read more

Freehand Chicago - The awful view from the south side rooms (not depicted is the man I saw urinate on one of those columns). - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I would give them zero stars if I could. When I went to get into bed tonight (at 11pm) there were around a dozen short dark hairs on the bottom sheet along with four or five things like crumbs. My hair is long and red. I called the front desk and they said they'd bring me some new sheets for me to change because they have no staff to change it for me. I said OK and waited 20 minutes. They dropped off the sheets and left and then I realized they brought the wrong size sheets. So I went down to the front desk. It's now 11:30 and they tell me they have no more clean sheets at the hotel and I need to wait for the laundry truck which should come sometime early this morning! What? I am in town on work and have a morning appointment! I asked for a new room and they refused to help me. I asked for a manager and was given a card. When I called the card I got a message that the inbox is full. DO NOT STAY AT FREEHAND CHICAGO--they are terrible. Selina Hostel is much better. I've thrown the twin top sheet on top of the mattress pad and am hoping for the best. Hope I don't get bed bugs. A nasty place and terrible service. Stay away. UPDATE: the woman at the front desk did finally help me get into a new room. She even helped me get my bags moved after I repacked. The new room is nice and clean. Maybe there's hope for Freehand. It's almost 2 hours since I found the hairs but I'm glad to go to bed now. read more

Freehand Chicago - More nasty hairs - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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PISS BLANKETS AND HOLEY SHEETS!!! Got this room for my anniversary because we wanted something unique. I will never return or recommend read more

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Wow. What an awful experience. From the staff at check in - unhelpful, unaccommodating, and unpleasant (not as important as the first two, but doesn't add anything to the experience). The room is about 8x10, ok. The layout means the only place to put your suitcase is on the floor, in front of the door and the bathroom door, so you're climbing over your stuff because there's nowhere to put it. The lighting is so dim and crappy you can't see anything, couldn't read unless it's a lit screen. The bathroom light fixture is missing a bulb, the main one in the room is FILTHY, buzzes, and flickers. There's yellow stuff along the baseboards, the carpet is frayed at the edges. The curtains have *multiple* stains and burns, the ceiling has a waiter stain with a huge chunk of peeling paint. The fan in the bathroom doesn't work, so when two folks take a shower, the room is full of steam for an hour - the fan issue probably contributes to all of the MOLD in the shower window! So, OF COURSE they make you pay in full in advance with a no exceptions no-refund policy. There's no way people would stay more than one night in a row if that was an option. The front desk person straight up said I couldn't have an extra pillow?!? And the other guests ran up and down the hall giggling and yelling at 6am. Real classy establishment. One positive: there was a different front desk person the next morning, and he gave me an extra pillow. Zero stars. read more

This hostel was definitely interesting to stay at. I am rating highly because of Amanda, the incredible front desk worker who helped me after a long and toiling day of travel. The hostel itself is dark, and warmly lit, with an interesting maximalist aesthetic to it. The tables in the lounge were sticky. I wanted to polish my shears before my work interview, and make sure I had everything properly ready to work on this dog I had to groom, but I didn't want to even touch the tables after feeling the stickiness and the thick residue. The bar is cramped and the bartender seems to have his head in the clouds. The lounge was strange. On one hand, I liked having a social common area where I could relax, but the insufferably inconsiderate and loud others in the lounge made it hard to enjoy. One part of the lounge was calm and the other end of the couch sounded like Patrick Bateman and associates on steroids, but that is no fault of Freehand--it is that of the clientele. The second night I was there they only played Drake. It got on my nerves heavily. No variety at all. Just Drake. I get it, you like him, but please. God. The downstairs bathrooms smelled like ammonia and piss. So did the gym. The rooms were...comfortable. To a point. Again perhaps this is caused by the clientele, but it felt strange, and one of my roommates crossed a border I did not think possible, despite speaking for maybe 10 minutes. If I had a different situation perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. All in all I would stay here again if I needed somewhere to crash. read more

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One of the better hostels I've ever been to. Everything was clean and, dare I say it, classy.

I've been here three times and each time it was for the Bed Head tigi hair products event before Lollapalooza. This is an older Hotel and the Elegance of the Furnishings in the lobby and bar area suggest some of the old style Hollywood glamour. Centrally located, it is the perfect place to stay if you are visiting Chicago or to even stop in for a drink. read more

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The receptionist who handles the checkout at the front desk was incredibly rude, impatient, aggressive, and disrespectful. She insisted that I hadn't pay for the hotel and throughout the entire interaction even though I am showing my bank account transaction that I have paid through booking.com. Her tone was cold, ignorant and unprofessional, despite providing transactions history that I had paid for the hotel through a screenshot, she still didn't get satisfied. She asked me in a very adamant tone saying that I should call the third party booking app cuz they didn't get the money, she says it like a law and order but the entire process is like a joke. I said "you should call them, cuz I have done what I can do". During the process, she kept saying impatient stuff entire time and talks very quick, and my friend was trying to help by saying "could you give her some time to let her check her back account?", she responded to my friend aggressively:" I'm not even talking to you." In order to be TRULY heard without being cut off, I had to raise my voice, mirroring her rudeness and ignorance. When I asked that she should call the third-party booking app for verification instead of asking me to call, she immidienttly blow up: "You shouldn't be such disrespectful!" This is what she said after I asked her to call the third party booking agent. Wait what? During the entire checkout time, she responded with each statement in a condescending manner, resembling a very rude and uneducated person. I only tried one sentence using "her tone". Strangely, when my tone not even close enough to match hers, she quickly expressed being offended, and her face changed like an actress. She got mad like a joker and said "DISRESPECT IS NOT TOLERATED". We were so surprised she knew the rules about disrespect. But it seems so ironic that she initiated disrespect towards me by keep saying I didn't pay, being impatient the entire process to us, and she refused to acknowledge or even didn't realize how rude and ridiculous she looked. Finally, she refused to store my friends' luggage and said again "DISRESPECT IS NOT TOLERATED." I responded "you disrespected first". She insisted she did not at all. Wow! Holy. Must say I RESPECT SUCH EPIC ATTITUDE, and super appreciated this double standard drama-queen. If kindness is not mutual, then please teach me the "double-standard" on how to be more appreciative and respectful at Freehand. Otherwise, this person does not deserve customers respect, or simply don't care about her job. Is this the standard training for Freehand hotel staff? If so, it reflects extremely poorly on your establishment, and there should be reconsideration of your training processes and overall ridiculous system. Thanks so much for your time and RESPECT to your customer. This is a shameful service and this person deserves to be fired. -------- ( P.S. You can keep saying "I never disrespect you" in the threads cuz I don't give a s just like you said ignorantly in front of everyone this morning. But if you have any, any tiny empathy left, maybe learn to be less mean in the future for others or at least know attitudes are mutual??? Don't you know you talk before the customer? ) read more