I love this hotel! I've stayed here twice for business and the rate and quality can't be beat. The location is perfect with some rooms overlooking the river (hence the name). Free bottled water, kiosk check in/out and a really fabulous restaurant make this my go-to hotel in Chicago. The staff is helpful, friendly and accommodating. I can't recommend this hotel highly enough! read more

Horrible hotel. There was a leak in the toilet which disturbed us all night, not only that but there was an issue with the toilet that made the whole room smell like sewerage... There was a drip coming from the ceiling in the bathroom, there was very little water coming out of the shower, literally just a few drops at a time! And then they had no ironing boards or iron the room! They told us to go outside the room to some cabinet to find the iron and when I got there, there was no iron, so basically everybody on a floor shares one iron and board, how ridiculous! The guy who checked us out didn't even ask how was our stay, I guess he already knew so just didn't bother! Don't waste your time with this hotel! read more

This inner city hotel is in a fabulous location! Very short walk to the elevated train and literally hundreds of restaurants and sights. We walked to the Art Institute. The value was tremendous, our room was in the tower and directly overlooked the river. Gorgeous views. The room was the same size as other inner city rooms I have stayed in such as NYC and London. We don't hang out in the room much, we keep busy outside the room as tourists. Bathroom and room were very clean, some very modest wear was evident, we did not care, the mattress was very comfortable. We stayed four nights. Two issues upon check-in were promptly corrected within fifteen minutes or less by very courteous staff. The tv went out and was promptly replaced. The last guest stole the hair dryer out of the room, it too was replaced in less than fifteen minutes. We will definitely stay there again! read more

Stayed here with my boyfriend during Lollapalooza 2015 weekend. When we checked in, they gave us the saddest, smallest room which was around 300 square feet and NO window. It just felt very claustrophobic being so small. I called the front desk and they quickly apologized as they said I was given this room by mistake. They re-located us to a much bigger room on the 32nd floor with a nice view of the city. Overall, this hotel was great. The location was nearby everything. The only con I can think of was the lack of elevators. I believe there was only 2 or 3 elevators for the entire tower. Being on the 32nd floor, it sometimes took 10 minutes to reach the lobby since we kept stopping on every floor. read more

I loved it I had a great view of the Trump tower and the bridges The room was small, but I loved it The only down side was the elevators, but they did make an effort to notify us about this problem. I appreciate the effort so I'm not gonna be harsh on this one read more

The location is fantastic. Wonderful views. The price was good as well. We just finished a 4 night stay in a Deluxe Double/Double room. Now I know what kind of a burger that is, but I've never heard of a hotel room like that. I expected that it was a suite with 2 bedrooms. Not so fast. There were 2 bathrooms and 2 sleeping AREAS. That means no doors on the bedrooms. Probably good for a family but not so good if you are with another couple. Thought it was funny that the description said "2 sleeping areas, each with 1 Queen size bed, 2 private bathrooms". I guess they thought they were pretty high class with the PRIVATE bathrooms (as opposed to a bathroom with no door). Come to think of it, the bathroom doors were the sliding barn door type which was sort of cool. The not so cool part is that the door was frosted glass and was about 3 feet from the head of the bed. So if anyone got up at night and turned on the bathroom light, the entire room lit up because of the stupid frosted glass. We could adjust the room temperature just fine and the bottled water was really nice. Had to ask twice to get the tv fixed. Water pressure isn't great and they had to come clean the shower reducer gasket and the valve itself. Service was ok. read more

River Hotel - This is the door to the bathroom in a Deluxe Double/Double room.The light blasts through the frosted glass when someone turns on the light. - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I can see how some people may have had a negative experience at this hotel; it is definitely no frills -- negligible "lobby," smaller rooms with the bare essentials, no room service or view. But my experience was lovely for what I needed: a fabulous rate in a great location (half a block from Michigan Ave, right on the river), clean and contemporary rooms, and free bottled water!! Great for all the walking and sightseeing we did! If you are fine with a no frills yet modern and comfortable room, this is a great hotel!! read more

There were a couple of little things... The heat went out the first time and it was cold out... but they had maint. come up and fixed it right away. The outlets by the computer desk didnt work so I had to move the coffee maker so I could plug it in. BUT the room was clean and comfy. The location of the hotel is perfect, and I do mean perfect. Walking distance to EVERYTHING downtown! The hotel's restaurant, Bella Bacino's, had a great stuffed pizza, the bruchetta was to die for, and the calamari was tasty. Great drinks also. The staff at both the restaurant and the hotel were all gracious and kind, very helpful. The white marble staircase is so pretty and made us feel "important". Located in the renovated Mather Towers, a beautiful building built in the early 1920's with a gothic style. The prices are very reasonable. All in all we had a great time AND it's where I was proposed to... 3/17/2013 :) read more

See all

This hotel was very nice! Right when my family and I walked in, we were greeted with fantastic service. The staff was very welcoming and helped us with everything from directions to getting us an extra toothbrush. The two bedroom suite was very nice and the accommodations were great as well. On top of that, it's at a great location with lots to do all around it. Fun stay! read more

Terrible valet service. I've been waiting for my car for over half an hour and they have seemed to have lost it! I will never spend my money here on valet service again. I'll probably be waiting for another half hour because the guy just asked me what color my car was. Shouldn't they know that by the ticket they gave me?! read more

i've stayed in the club quarters part of this hotel a few years ago, & i chose the river hotel because it looked very nice when choosing a hotel & they also said they had complimentary wine hours every night, so i thought that sounded amazing, so then i wouldn't have to buy my own alcohol. when i checked in for our hotel, the check in was very fast and simple. but they informed me the wine hour was only monday thru thursdays & we were there from saturday to monday. so we were a disappointed in that false advertisement & before we stayed there we even called to ask and they never said anything about that either! but anyways, our room was nice & clean, a bit on the smaller side, but it had a nice view of the river. the bed was really comfy, & had a very nice tv in the room. some of my complaints on the room is that i noticed that some of the plugs in the room did not work for some reason and could not be used. there was no ice bucket in our room for ice, so my boyfriend went to the 9th floor where they had the ice and found buckets there, and had to look through every bucket to find the cleanest one because they were all dirty and had some kind of gross stuff in them. also, when the room would get a little cold & we would turn the heat up, we started to smell a poopy smell like someone had just farted and we had no idea where the smell was coming from, but realized that whenever we turned the heat up it would start smelling like that. besides the complaints, the hotel was pretty, & in a very good area, with tons of stuff to do around there! read more

Staff was awesome... The guy working the front desk night of the 12/27 went out of his way to accommodate us...on top of being super busy during the holidays....the guys working valet and cleaning was awesome... Great deal for downtown Chicago... Would def stay there again read more

This is in the same building as Club Quarters. River hotel occupies the lower floors and CQ the upper. We had a 2 bed kitchenette. The room was clean and adequate size. The a/c fan blew right in to bed which is annoying. Too stuffy without if fan is turned off. Bed was smaller than standard queen size. Very small shower. Overall a decent room and value. They have a supply of bottles at a purified water station on each floor. They host complimentary wine cocktail hour daily. They have a nice big lounge area on second floor open all day and evening with complimentary coffee, pop, fruit, nuts, M&M s etc. Very nice touch. They only clean the rooms every other day so we did not have any housekeeping since we were only there 2 nights. The location is great. read more

Room was okay, but only ONE elevator was working and it took FOREVER to go up or down. You have to wait in line and let me tell ya, the wait was REAL! There were a couple other hotels which are around the price range as the River. So check those out before it's too late! read more

Very clean and super helpful staff. The rooms have nice beds with down pillows and decent duvet covers. The air conditioning in my room didn't seem to keep it as cool as I would have preferred but that did not hinder my review much. The single room with a queen sized bed was a little small, but for staying just two nights and being in the room only to change and sleep, this was not an issue. The hotel provides free bottled water, free Wi-Fi, and free computer/printing usage. Quite helpful for quick information and a drink. Right off of Michigan Ave., we were super close to the "Magnificent Mile" and had a beautiful view. I will definitely return! read more

Fantastic location, friendly staff and nice accommodations. The room is not large but adequate for 1 or 2 people. My daughter and I stayed 2 nights and were very pleased with our room. We overlooked the river. Initially we were assigned a room 2 floors higher but they were working on the AC. The technician let us into our new room and the front desk sent up our new keys. We were able to check in early with no problem. We requested a late check out, paid a little extra for that but it was worth it. The bottled water available in the hall was very welcomed with the high temps!! I would definitely stay there again. read more

Don't use GPS to try and find the place. It took us 40 minutes to figure that out. Don't use self park if you have a large pickup or SUV. The self park is VERY tight and I wish the valet's would've told us that to begin with. The concierge bypassed us and allowed 2 women to cut in front of us without even acknowledging my BF and I were there. We were, however able to check in a few hours early, which was very convenient. The rooms are small, but that's expected in Chicago. I like that you have to put your key card in the elevator to travel up to any of the floors. The hotel is eco friendly which is nice in this day and age. The purified water stations are convenient and helps save money if you drink lots of water. The location is perfect, right near Michigan Ave, Navy Pier and Millenium Park. The view was not of the River unfortunately but of the tops and sides of buildings. It was not too bad for the money, but next time we'll probably pay the extra and stay somewhere else. read more

On the upside, you get a good deal on price here given its central location in downtown Chicago. They also offer a small, free, self-service laundry room for guests to wash and dry clothes. My two friends and I were pleased with our two-bedroom suite, which had two real beds and one couch that we pulled out into a bed. The couch bed was pretty good, better than you'd expect. On the downside, the suite didn't have doors separating the rooms, so the only way to have privacy was to use one of the two bathrooms in the site. That was a little weird. Another lame part was that we didn't receive room cleaning service despite following the stated rules about taking the "do not disturb" sign off our door before 3 o'clock. Fortunately when I called the front desk, a man brought us replacement towels quickly. Be careful about the bath tub shower; mine didn't contain water well, and when I stepped out of the shower I discovered there was water everywhere on the bathroom floor which I had to sop up with spare towels. All things considered, I would stay here again. read more

The only good thing about this hotel is the location. Rooms are super tiny in need of upkeep and renovations. Dirty. Furthermore the room we were put in shouldn't even be a room. It was next to the electrical room and it sounded like a roller coaster was coming through our room every 30 seconds. Horrible. Hardly slept the whole trip. No vending machines. No blow dryer no iron. Shower water was not hot. Room temperature was very uncomfortable and could not be adjusted. read more

The River Hotel is definitely geared toward the business traveler; if I am not mistaken I believe this hotel also operates as a Club Quarters location. Nonetheless this hotel served me well during my weekend stay in Chicago. I found hotel to be central to the activities which I planned. A brief walk northbound will lead you to the Magnificent Mile and a brief walk southbound will lead you to Millennium Park. The hotel itself definitely had a mature clientele, no ruckus or wayward people which was ok with me. My room was awkward. Clean but very awkward. I think the hotel did a really good job of trying to make the room as comfortable as possible, however it was pretty clear that guest rooms have been converted. My room was not particularly large but again the hotel did a really good job of trying to accommodate guest. There was a nice desk area that would serve the business traveler well. A mini-fridge and microwave was also on hand. The bed was not remarkable, but it was clean. My only true gripe about the River Hotel is definitely the bathroom. I am a woman; so bathrooms are important. Not only did it appear as if this bathroom was converted from a former closet, there was no bath tub. It's not that I wanted to take a bath, I just like to be able to distinguish my bathing space from the rest of the bathroom and this was not possible with the shower stall which was provided. If you are just looking for a place to set down your belongings and beat the streets...this hotel will serve you well. read more

Hard to belive this place gets four stars actually not a bad place IMHO other than the staff needs retrained on customer service!

Impressive! Great hotel for first time visitors to Chicago. Hubby and I were in town for our daughter's graduation & this was our very first visit to the Windy City. I was so pleased to get a room with a view of the river, the view overall was spectacular! The location is right in the heart of the Loop, thus walking distance to many tours, attractions & shopping. The amenities were unique, water purifier near the elevator with free 16oz bottles to fill your own, free coffee, a laundry room, free Wi-Fi, etc. The bed was very comfortable as was the pull out sofa. Per our request our towels were refreshed everyday and the bathroom cleaned. We were very happy with out visit and will stay again on our next visit to Chicago!! read more

What a surprise! Great place at a great price with great customer service...a rarity these days. My husband and I enjoyed three days in the city, and with the hotel in this location we walked everywhere! It was very hot while we were there, so we appreciated the cold beer in the bar next door and the FREE cold water bottles. Would definitely stay there again, and we highly recommend it. read more

I was unsure about this hotel after reading some good and some bad reviews. Well let me just say I will be back! Every time we walked in the door was held for us and when we went to check in we originally had a single room which from my understanding was a small room. We were offered an upgrade for $10 a night with no early check in fee which put us on the 29th floor and the river view was AMAZING and so worth it! The water bottle stations were very convenient along with the free computers and printing station. Only down side was the bed was not the most comfortable but it serves it's purpose. Along with the shower, there is no tub and the way it is set up water gets all over the bathroom floor but it is what it is, a towel easily dried it up. I highly recommend this hotel and the location couldn't have been more perfect, right in the middle of everything. So glad we chose the River Hotel! read more

See all

My girlfriends and I came to Chicago for a 40th birthday girls weekend. We stayed here and were overall impressed with our experience. The hotel is right off of Michigan Avenue, so it's very convenient to everything. The hotel staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The only complaint we had was the room was a little warm and stuffy as we couldn't adjust the temperature. However, it was an unseasonably warm weekend in Chicago, so all the indoor places felt warmer than desired / probably not use to mid 60 temps in the winter there. We would definitely go back to this hotel. It's very quiet and clean. read more

Location, location, location!!! We had a fantastic view of the Chicago River and the bridges. It serves as a central point to all the major attractions. Hotel had such a friendly and accommodating staff. Several nice perks like their grind-and- brew coffee maker with choices of coffee options, fruits, cereals, snacks and beverages in the club room. We plan on staying again here on our next trip. Highly recommendable!!! read more

The location was excellent and close to major tourist sites. We had a room facing the buildings to the back of the hotel, which we didn't mind because it seemed to "buffer" the noise level. It was a great historical building, which usually indicates small rooms. This was expected..but was surprised by the minimal housekeeping. We stayed a week and some days the room would not be cleaned up until 3 pm. I don't think they ever vaccumed the carpet while we were there. It took them 5 hours to get us a roll-away for our daughter to sleep in the first night. The staff was somewhat helpful when we asked them a few questions about how to get to the orange line to get to the Mid-way airport. The restaurant downstairs had good food, but a bit pricey I felt for the portion size. Checking in and out was really fast and they stored our luggage for several hours on the last day. The bathroom flooring did have a "urine" smell to it. I believe someone in an another review also had mentioned that as well. The filtered water/water bottles was a perfect addition. We had a few days where there was not enough warm water when showering in the morning. I was shocked to find out that this hotel throws out all the plastic/paper and does not recycle anything. I took our empty plastic bottles down to the street side recylce bin myself. In all it was a good location for the money. read more

Excellent location. Excellent stay. Affordable. Due to some Expedia booking issue, we got upgraded to a double room. Very clean and all the room amenities were provided. Held our luggage safely after checkout. read more

We stayed at this hotel because of the great price we found on an app. What they really get you with is the valet parking of $53 a night which seemed crazy to us but we did not want to leave our car in some garage for 3 nights while we stayed at the hotel so we paid the price to keep our car in the valet. Overall the hotel was subpar. Had a good view of the river and location and we were able to walk to the places we visited such as the bean, navy pier, and Skydeck. We booked the smallest room they had which they tried to upsell us on when we got there but we got there but we were fine with keeping the room as it had what we needed. Water pressure was not very good and the drain did not want to drain the water. The toilet was clean on the inside but the outside was pretty dirty and had other people's hair on it when we arrived. Not very appealing since I am already a germ freak. The bed was not too bad the first night but the next two nights my back was not comfortable the day after and could not lay straight on my back had to be on my side. The comforter was very very uncomfortable and itchy! I thought I was getting bitten by bugs but my husband reassured me it was just the comforter which I'm still kind of freaked out about whether it was or not. There is no refrigerator to keep leftover foods in which was a bummer since we brought food in that may have went bad if not for having brought our cooler in and keeping it next to the window. They do have a pretty cool tv with apps that you can watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. Probably wouldn't stay here again as it wasn't the cleanest for my taste. read more

The person that checked us in said that we were getting a "great room" in the hotel. The tiny size and lighting made it feel like a prison cell. The sewage smell that permeated throughout the floor was an added benefit as well. I don't know how this hotel could possibly be rated a "4 star" hotel. read more

I was happy with the location of the hotel and the cleanliness of the hotel, but accommodations in the sense of tour details and luggage storage was very inconvenient. Telling your customers to google for the map of a tour that they highly pushed to leave a $10 deposit at the hotel and pay the rest on the bus isn't the right way to go about selling the bus tickets. When you check in they should tell you that when you check out they hold your luggage but you need to bring your own luggage to the correct floor - they won't bring it for you. I was not impressed with the service that they offered to their customers. I would only recommend if staying for a quick weekend and are not looking for 5 star service. read more

Bed bugs! My business booked me for two nights in The River hotel for the NMSC conference. At first I was delighted by the old architecture and location in the city. This all went away when I woke up the first morning to find a bed bug in my sheets. At first I thought it may be my mascara as there was a streak on the sheets from me sleeping. I killed the bug, took a picture, and placed the bug on the desk to be looked at. As I was leaving for the conference I informed the front desk. The front desk did not seem concerned. They did offer me a different room or even apologize. They simply said they would have someone look at it. When I came back from the convention later that evening I went up to my room to find a used wet towel in place of the tissue I put the bug in. I lifted up the covers to check if I could find another bug. It was then that I saw the mascara streak from my night before. So- I tell them I find a bug in my bed and they A. Don't offer a new room and B. Don't change my sheets. At this point it's almost 9pm and I had been at the conference for 13 hours. I called a friend who was staying at Hyatt near by and crashed in their room. I recommend the Hyatt that was a great hotel! Also when I checked out from the River my last day they asked me how my stay was. I told them about the bug in my sheets that looks like a bed bug. All they said I will make note of that. read more

Stayed for 1 night mid-week last week. Fantastic location, great price. Rooms nicely designed and very very functional. Free internet and a great water-bottle to-go dispenser in the elevator lobby. Will stay here again! read more

This boutique hotel is in an excellent location and the staff (both restaurant and housekeeping) are absolutely wonderful. It's easy to catch a cab or to walk along the river or lakefront. The restaurant serves good, reasonably priced food. You can get great salads, delicious breakfasts and appetizers and can sit outside or inside. I found the microwave, coffee machine and fridge very useful in the suite and liked the separate seating area with additional TV. Our room was on the back side of the hotel and was very quiet and extremely clean. I highly recommend this hotel. read more

It was our first time to Chicago; we didn't know what to expect. I booked this hotel off of the great reviews on Yelp. We were very pleased with this hotel, easy check-in, clean, updated rooms, friendly staff. Added bonuses of free chilled bottled water stations on every floor and free wifi! GREAT location; we walked everywhere. Close to a lot of great restaurants as well. We defiantly recommend this hotel and will stay here for our next Chicago visit! read more

This hotel is amazing. It's literally in the middle of everywhere you will want to be in the city. My room has an amazing view. It was very inexpensive compared to the hotels surrounding (ex. Hard rock and the trump tower) but you know if your hotel is next to trump tower than its a great location. I'm planning on eating at the restaurant downstairs tomorrow which I'm sure is great bc it definitely smells like it will be. Free wifi, kuerig in the room. Small room but perfect for one person or a couple. Absolutely nothing to complain about it. I will definitely be back. read more

Very reasonably priced for a place within walking distance of Chicago's attractions. Staff was very courteous and helpful. For two of us, the irregularly shaped room was plenty large with good closet and drawer space. View from the 38th floor is great. read more

I travel to Chicago often for work, and this has been my favorite hotel to stay in to date. Super convenient to downtown, and very affordable. Yes, the rooms aren't huge, but there are great amenities, including a coffee/tea machine, free wifi, refillable water bottles, and a decent size gym. The staff are incredibly nice as well, and they keep the place very clean. read more

Room was clean, that was about the best thing about our stay. We stayed in a superior room that was DOWNGRADED from a river view to the backside of the building. Smallest bathroom of any room I've ever stayed in. No on sight parking. To park at the hotel you have to valet which is 50+ dollars a night. The parking the hotel does have is TWO BLOCKS AWAY and is $44 dollars a night. They do validate your parking ticket, but that is only a small, small discount. There is no breakfast, Friday-Sunday. This was exceptionally upsetting due to the fact that we were told there was and it was on the second floor. The cafe within the hotel is where breakfast is, is not free. It's an additional charge. For nearly 300 dollars for a 2 night stay I expected much much more. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, nor would I stay here again. Very disappointed with our stay. I'd suggest staying at the Trump Tower across the street. At Least they have on sight parking. read more

This hotel is horrible. I stayed here on August 30th. I booked the room back in May. I was given the "best available rate" of $209 for 1 room with 4 people. We got to the hotel the afternoon of August 30th after driving 8 hours, all we wanted to do was relax a little bit before we headed out to the concert. The room we were given was disgusting! There were dead smashed bugs on the ceiling and lamp shades, the fridge was sticky and gross, the bathroom sink was full of hair that looked like someone had just shaved in it, and finally there was not enough room for 4 people to sleep in the room. There was a queen size bed and a twin size pull out couch. We were able to move to a new room which had enough room for all of us. When we went to check out on the morning of August 31st I was told that the total for the room was $459 and was booked for only 3 people. I told them that was wrong that I booked the room for $209 and for 4 people. The lady working the desk, Devin was very bitchy and didnt care one bit what I had to say at all. She called reservations and asked them to send a copy of the confirmation and when it came through she slapped down on the desk and said "It is $459". I asked to speak to a manger but no manager was ever called. I was forced to pay the $459 even after my husband sent a copy of my confirmation e-mail stating the room was booked for $209. They refused to work with me on getting the issue solved. We had to contact reservations after we got home in order to get the issue resolved and the money refunded. There is NO way I will ever stay at this hotel again or recommend this hotel to anyone. Obviously someone changed the rate of our room from $209 to $459 and the number of people from 4 to 3. I wonder how many other people they did this too? The hotel was fully booked with people going to the same concert we went to, so I am sure we werent the only guests that had a problem with the hotel.. This is FAR from a 4 star hotel. Dirty rooms, rude staff, small lobby, 4 elevators which only stop at certain floors which makes the wait for a elevator really long, no type of breakfast is offered only bottled water and they will book your room at one price but then turn around and charge you a lot more. The only good thing about this hotel was the Valet Parking staff, they were all very nice! read more