Me and my fiancé chose this hotel for a extended weekend in Chicago. We checked in on a Thursday (early) which they accommodated and we got a high-rise room facing the river which was nice. The rooms were small, however they offered everything you would need. The tv is extremely small, and hard to hear...we had the volume completely maxed out while trying to watch it in bed. We noticed the vent was dirty, and felt that it could have easily been cleaned. While trying to take a shower, we had to have the water all the way to hot for it to eventually get warm. We also had requested a set of fresh towels from the front desk, and they never came. We called again as a reminder, and still no towels arrived. The windows were also very drafty, which made for a couple of cold nights. The restaurant downstairs has good pizza, and is reasonably priced. The location of the hotel is what sold us, located directly across the river from the Magnificent Mile, It allowed us to walk almost everywhere. So if you're looking for a cheap weekend get away, and can look past a few bumps and bruises where the hotel is obviously showing it's age, it's perfect. We would more than likely stay here again, granted the price being similar for what we paid this time. One last thing, we requested a queen size bed and It ended up being two twin beds pushed together, creating a dip directly down the middle. That was a little unfortunate. read more

LOVED this hotel! Outstanding location and the staff was very helpful! Thanks to​ Pedro for service above and beyond! I'm very surprised by some of these reviews. WE had an outstanding experience! read more

Room was super cute and had everything we need. Easy access to great restaurants and a great view. Shower was amazing. I would recommend anyone staying here. Price was right for all the amenities and access! read more

I definitely recommend this hotel. It's an awesome location. We had a really cool view of the River Walk. Their website says they don't have microwaves or fridges in the rooms, but we actually did have both in ours. The price was much more reasonable than others. They offer off-site parking at half price. They do NOT offer any sort of breakfast. They have filtered water machines with re-usable water bottles on each floor. We were there a week, so we needed extra room services a couple of times and they came through each time. The rooms are tiny, but clean and modern. Beware, though, that they charge a crazy amount for local calls. We learned this the hard way. Other than the phone charges, no breakfasts, and the off-site parking, we were very pleased with The River Hotel. read more

No Help at all Our flights changed and we are flying in the next day. The hotel would NOT work with us and was still going to charge the first night. So, I cancelled the remainder of our stay. It's too bad they are so short sighted as to loose the remaining nights due to flight changes and a next day arrival. They lost several nights just for their "Not Helpful" hospitality. I'm booking at another hotel for our trip now. read more

My wife and I stayed here on our child-free vacation and let me tell you, one person can really make the difference. Our friend (a local) booked our room here for us and when got here, boy were we disappointed. The room was on the 9th floor but felt like it was in an underground bunker. Barely any natural light. A small window that faced dirty plastic that faced the side of a building. A sliding door on the bathroom. No microwave, no sink and tv that was smaller than my laptop screen. If we would have been hiding during the zombie apocalypse, I would have appreciated it. But on our vacation/delayed honeymoon? No way. So on the way back from dinner, we decided to mention our less-than stellar accommodations to the desk agent. The young man was very apologetic in letting us know that the hotel was entirely booked up but that we could check in with them around noon, the next day. He even gave us a $20 voucher for the restaurant next door. Nice gesture. We didn't even unpack our bags that night because we were prepared to switch hotels. When we got up to go get breakfast, we stopped by the front desk to check on our options, fully prepared/intending to move to the Hotel Monaco. A young lady named Shanti B. helped us out and completely saved our trip. She told us that she could get us into another room as soon as they had been cleaned and to check in with her once we got back from breakfast. We checked in with her and she said that the room she originally tried to hold for us had been taken, but she had a plan. We told her that we were going out again and she had us pack our bags and leave them by our door so that they could be transferred once our new room was ready. About an hour after we left Shanti called me on my cell phone and informed me that the "standard" rooms were all still unavailable so she put us in a "superior" for the same price of a standard (only $15 per night more than our original shoebox). While appreciative, we were stll a bit dubious. Once we returned from shopping, we headed up to our "superior" room... and superior it was! Shanti B. put us in a room on the 36th floor, with a river view to kill for. The pictures don't do it justice! Shanti really saved our hotel experience for us and we appreciate her hard work and caring manner. As long as she works here, we would stay at the River Hotel. All the staff were helpful and attentive but... Thank you, Shanti B. read more

This hotel is fantastic for a traveler there on Business or a couple who is planning on being out site seeing most of the day. Yes, the rooms are small, but they are efficient. I have stayed in much smaller rooms. The room didn't feel cramped at all. We booked a room in the River Hotel(floors 3-10) but we got a room in the Club Quarters(11 and up). Since it was as described, I imagine it was the same accommodations I could expect from the River Hotel, just with a better view. Everyone we spoke to was very nice, and accommodating. There is no Iron in the room, but there is one available on one of the other floors. There are water bottles available that you can fill up, which was fantastic. We ended up getting them for my parents too, because water at their hotel was $8. We didn't get a chance to eat in the restaurant, but it looked very nice, and is highly rated. The outdoor tables are super cute. I think the best thing about this hotel though is the location. It's right on the Chicago River near Michigan Avenue. There is so much that is within walking distance. It is also super close to L stops. The closest one is State/Lake, which has the Red line, and a couple others. A block up at Clark/Lake is the Blue Line that will take you to/from O'Hare. It's easy walking distance to the Magnificent Mile, State St, the Art Institute. There are also easy buses to Lincoln Park Zoo and Navy Pier. There is a Corner Bakery Cafe located right next door too for a cheap, good breakfast, or a lite snack. I also felt very safe at this hotel, after midnight you have to be buzzed in, you also have to use your key to access the Elevator. Apparently this is a Historic Building also. At one time, briefly, it was the tallest Building in Chicago, it is also considering the skinniest Sky Scraper in Chicago. It's a beautiful building! If you are someone who is looking for a small, nice, efficient room close to everything, this place is perfect for you. If you are looking for a big, luxurious room with all sorts of amenities, this place probably isn't for you. Considering its about $75 less a night than most of the surrounding hotels though, it's a fantastic deal! I would definitely stay here again. read more

My boyfriend and I booked a room at this hotel using a Priceline deal. I read some reviews and feared for the worst but I was actually pretty impressed by this hotel. We were on the 8th floor and had an updated room with no view. But that's fine. We spent very little time in the room anyway. The hotel was centrally located and it was very easy to get around the city on the bus and on the train. We were a short walk from Michigan Avenue, too. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and offered free filtered water and wifi. Our room also had a fridge and a microwave. Not sure what more you could ask for? I'd definitely stay there again if I had the chance. read more

We had a good experience here. It is a bit pricey for the amenities and the size of the room, but fit our needs. The rooms are a lot smaller than most hotels. This was fine as we used the room as a home base and not a hang out place. The bed seemed somewhere between a queen and a full size. We did find a long hair on the mattress pad (I check for bed bugs, and you should too! I didn't find any or experience any here [or ever, but I am really scared of them]). There is no tub, just a shower stall. Small bathroom. But again, fit our needs. The location is great, right in the middle of downtown, convenient to everything. It was just about 3 blocks from our El stop. The restaurant downstairs was pretty good, and very convenient for breakfast. We found the staff polite and helpful, though our interactions with them were limited. The fitness room was sufficient, the machines were fairly new. It was not fancy, but the equipment was good quality. It is a small space. The filtered water and bottles on each floor was a nice touch. We would go back. read more

Not too shabby! Last time we were in Chicago, we stayed at the Conrad. The prices for the rooms were about the same, but the Chicago River Hotel has an awesome location- right by the river and Michigan Ave. We were only a few blocks from Millennium Park, steps away from the shopping, and close to the metro. As I booked the room on their website and made the reservation, it said that the room won't actually be charged to my card until we physically arrive and check-in. However, a couple days before our arrival I noticed the charge to my credit card. When I called in to inquire, the first guy who I spoke with was rather rude, and argued with me, saying that I must not have booked on their site because they don't take the money out until check-in. He put me on hold, and I was connected to a manager, who was extremely nice and apologetic. Seems there was some problem with their site. He assured me that my request for a room with a nice view would be waiting for us upon our arrival. Sooo fast forward a couple days, and we get to the hotel. We check in, I speak with the manager I spoke with on the phone, everything seems fine. We get up to our room and we had problems getting the room key to scan in the door.. this actually happened EVERY single time we wanted to get in. It took on average 5-10 scans before the key would be read each time. Imagine our frustration. Anyway, the room was nice enough and modern, but it was DINKY. Super small. I'm guessing it was this size because it was a corner room, but it was definitely narrow. Our view was nice though, of the river and buildings across the way. One morning when we were heading out, housekeeping was cleaning some of the rooms on our floor. The doors were open, and what we saw were much bigger rooms, but they didn't seem like they were suites. Is it wrong that after the problems with the room charges to my card, I would expect them to do some nice gesture for us to make up for it? I dunno... I think I'd rather pay a little more and get a bigger room somewhere else. read more

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The Chicago River Hotel is an excellent boutique hotel. The location is outstanding, it's across the Chicago river and about a half block off of all the shopping that is the Magnificent Mile. The hotel is also within walking distance to a plethora of great restaurants, and Millennium Park. If you're taking the "L" from O'Hare, the walk from the Clark/Lake station is about 10 minutes while pulling a suitcase in the summer (no clue what it's like in the winter!). The room was clean, well appointed, and nicely maintained, although the TV was pretty small. A really nice touch is that each floor has a gratis self-serve water bottle filling station; the water is chilled and filtered, they provide the bottles, all you have to do is fill 'er up! We booked their smallest room which was more than adequate for our needs since we were always out, and saved us more than enough money to pay for an awesome dinner and drinks. While the hotel may not have as many amenities as other larger properties, it's still a winner based on cleanliness, location, price, and free Wi-Fi. I would not hesitate to stay here again. read more

I visited Chicago for 2 nights a couple of weeks ago and spent both of them at the River Hotel. My experience was a positive one. This hotel is located in what i think is a perfect place, right in front of the river, walking distance to lots of places (restaurants, bars, magnificent mile, millennium park). It is pretty nice, clean, great service. It has a 24hr lobby service. Their restaurant is pretty good/not bad. They have a really good pannini for lunch (brie, with cranberry mayo, smoked turkey and green apple). Their breakfasts, however, were just okay. I recommend going to the Coner Bakery just a couple of yards away for breakfast. I really like the fact that they have, on every floor, a filtered water dispenser with empty bottles. I personally drink plenty of water and not having to buy water during my stay was a plus for me. They also have a 'computer room' with 2 (or was it 3?) pcs with access to internet and printer. This was great to have and came in handy when i realized we had forgotten to print our boat tour confirmation and needed it that afternoon. It's also handy if you want to check in before going to the airport. Ah, the train station is only about 4-5 blocks away. We actually arrived from South Bend, IN via train and were able to find the hotel fairly quickly. One con: VERY small rooms. Very small. It was 3 of us in one room so it was a bit... uncomfortable at times; but not so much, really, as we spent most of our time walking around Chicago. But consider this if you plan to stay here. Free WIfi. Yes, all over the property. Huge plus too. Overall, we were all very happy staying at the River Hotel and thus, it gets 5 stars. I recommend it and if back in Chicago, will try to stay here again. read more

Dear Lord, Please don't get me started on how HORRIBLE my experience with this place went. Only reason for the one star is free internet and free water bottles to fill up otherewise I would say negative and never coming back here is my answer. First off the employees are rude. We had booked for non smoking but we got smoking in a tiny bedroom that reeked I seriously thought if I stayed there longer than the amount of days I did I would have gotten second hand cancer in no time. I went and asked for the staff to spray it down or do something he just waved me off without even asking for the room number I was staying in. I even went out and bought a can of air freshener after day 2 it ran out from my many attempts to "freshen" up the place. There was a DRIED UP BOOGER on one of our towels (gross!). not only that but there was stains all over the carpeting literally looked like someone had took a big dump on the carpeting all over the place. Trust me I will never come back even if its free and suggest people to stay away. read more

Went to chicago last week with my fiance, staffs are very welcoming and friendly. Upon checking out i accidentally throw my engagement ring in the garbage because it was wrapped in tissue and completely forgot about it until we were already in the airport and i realized i dont have my ring. I called the front desk and they were very helpful and took actions right away, thankfully the room wasnt cleaned yet, and very thankful to the housekeeping who took her time to look for my ring in the trash. They are even willing to go out of their way to give my my ring back before my flight. Very thankful to the staffs and Miguel who shipped my ring back here in california. Again, thank you very very much! You guys are awesome!! hhgh read more

The staff is generally slow, the check-in process is quite unnecessarily lengthy. The room is unbelievably small, the bathroom is the size of a closet, and the television is pretty tiny with few channels. For the price I paid I expected a lot more, in the past I have gotten much better rooms at other hotels for half the money. The view is nice and the location is good but if you're staying for several days or with family this hotel would not be for you. It offers very little amenities; no complimentary breakfast? No pool? Cramped room? What exactly am I paying for here. read more

This place was not very accommodating , I'd like to say even very cold in personal service. There was a family emergency that took place, I asked for an accommodation over 24 hours ahead of time and was told I needed to speak with another person, I spoke with that person, I was then directed to a non existent person. One of the hotel elevators was non functional leaving an entire building to use one elevator. I believe personal service is a large part of the stay and this place is very impersonal. I would recommend shying away from the River Hotel at all times. I've traveled for work all my life and have been met with awesome people in all walks of life, but this was not one of those places. read more

Pros/Cons: There was no iron in the room so we had to wait for someone to bring one. They were prompt so I give them kudos for this. The water bottle station is nice for guests to grab water on the way to the hotel. Convenient location Good wifi Beautiful decor in main hotel, modern decor in rooms. The bar in the hotel closes around 10 or whenever it's slow. It isn't affiliated with the hotel though. I was extremely disappointed with the room and the service I received. When I checked in they had checked someone else in under my name and card on file. Yes, we have the same last name but I'm a female and he's a male with different names. I was told they had one room for me and would move me in the morning. I didn't mind because I was going to be given an upgrade. I got to my standard room and it was perfect for one person but a double bed and two adults didn't work too well. I called in the morning to be moved and was given attitude about it and told I didn't have any notes on my account. I explained the credit card situation and finally was moved. I was given a room on the other side of the hotel and this was a standard hotel room for any hotel except the River Hotel (they think its a luxury). The second floor has snacks (when they feel like it) but I was disappointed after the first night when they had different trail mixes available and the next two nights there was nothing but soda. read more

We had our ups and downs here. I booked a 3 night Fri-Sun night stay at an incredible rate ($400 including all taxes), and the location was great. Valet'd the car, checked in, room was small but nice. Here's where the problems begin... The room was hot, 79 degrees. No worries, we were going to hit the town anyways. So we cranked it down to the minimum temperature allowed, 65, and went out. Returned several hours later, still hot. Maybe it didn't click on? Tried to re-set it but we ultimately ended up suffering through a sticky, sweaty night. This is when we noticed the unbelievably shitty quality of the bedding. Stiff, sandpaper-y, cheap. First thing in the morning, I notified the front desk that our AC might be broken. We went out and came back maybe 4-6 hours later to find that nothing had been done. When the maintenance guy finally came, he confirmed that it was broken and he called downstairs to get our room changed. Waited at least a 1/2 hour for a bellhop to come move our bags, never did. Called again and asked, still waiting...finally went down to the lobby and started to pitch a fit. Bellhop never came, so my boyfriend and the maintenance man dragged all of our bags down 2 floors. Room #2 smelled god awful as soon as we walked in. Some kind of chemical or moth ball smell. Had to argue with the hotel staff for a good 15 minutes about the smell before I finally went ballistic down in the lobby. NOW a manager intervenes... We got upgraded to a much bigger, nicer room on another floor. They also comp'd our valet parking, breakfast, and gave us a complimentary one night stay for a location closer to home on the East coast. Another manager saw us the next day and personally apologized, he did seem truly embarrassed. River Hotel hmmm wouldn't stay there again but I did appreciate all the free sh*t we got in their attempt to pacify us. read more

We arrived early in the morning around 9:30 not expecting to check in, but just wanted to store our bags while we went to the Bears game. Storing the bags was not a problem, but this was the first of two upsell attempts. We booked our room through Hotwire, so I knew a basic room was in order. I was not expecting a nice view, or any extra perks that are reserved for a more premium room. The gentleman at the check-in desk began to tell us how small our room would be, and without much of a view, but he would be able to upgrade us to a larger room with a view for $25.00. I declined. He then offered to upgrade the room, and waive any sort of early check-in fee for $20.00. I declined. The final offer was for $15.00, to which I declined again. It is not a good first impression when hotel staff immediately begins to disparage the rooms that are promoted through Hotwire. After the game we went back to the hotel, checked in, had our bags sent up to the room, and walked into our room on the 17th floor. The size of the room was tiny, which was expected, and the view was of another side of a building, which wasn't surprising. The bags arrived promptly, and we got ready to enjoy our night on the town. After a few stops throughout downtown, and a few libations, we returned to our room, and went to sleep. I did not have any complaints on the comfortableness of the bed, or the flat panel TV that can swing out to be viewed straight on from the bed. What I did not like was waking up to a 75 degree room even though the thermostat was set at 66. The temperature would not go down anymore than one degree. Even when the temperature was set at the lowest setting possible, 50 something I believe, the actual temperature never lowered past 74 degrees. With a room the size of my home closet, it should not take long to cool or heat the room. More than two hours elapsed with no relief to the temperature. As we laid in bed debating on calling the front desk, or just getting ready to leave, we heard a noise coming from our door. Without warning the door opens, and I yelled at the person walking in. He apologized, and left. At this point I was kicking myself for not setting the extra lock when we returned the night prior. I looked at the door, and I see now why an extra lock was not set...no inside room lock existed! What this means is that anyone with a valid key card can come into your room as you sleep! Not exactly comforting on any sort of return trip. At this point we just packed up and left. We should have spoken with someone about the heat or the intrusion, but we really just wanted to leave this experience behind. As I returned the key to the front desk, I was expecting a 'How was your stay' type of question, to which some of my concerns would have been shared. This did not happen, just told me I had no additional charges, and that I was all set. Would I return to this hotel again? No. If it comes up for me as a Hotwire hotel, I would consider biting the $80 bullet and booking elsewhere. One bright spot: Location was great. read more

The staff is about the only thing I can say that's good about the hotel. The cleanliness and size of the rooms are super poor. I didn't have an iron in my room and when I asked for one they sent me on adventure to find one at one of their closets, which mind you, was empty. I appreciate the free water bottles with fill up stations. Now, if they could just clean up the water dispenser up a little bit it would of been more inviting to actually use. I only used the water dispenser once and the water came out room temperature. I didn't get that. I also just want to talk about the comforters. Which felt like they got from the dollar general on sale. I will never be staying at this place. read more

Nice hotel. Good for a short-term stay. As others say, the room isn't huge but that doesn't matter...unless you came to Chicago strictly to stay in your hotel room 24/7. The bed wasn't that comfortable (the pillows are) but you'll be okay as long as you keep that in mind. Love the location! The complimentary bottles of water were lovely as well! We had a couple drinks at the restaurant attached and it was expensive. $53 for 4 drinks. The parking situation was the only thing that was frustrating. The garage they refer you to doesn't have many spots open, and if your car is blocking another, you have to leave you key with a parking attendant. Luckily we found a single spot because I really did not trust leaving my key for 24 hours. read more

We had a few family members in Chicago for the weekend, so we booked a room at the River Hotel because of the location. It's close to Wacker Drive and the room was contemporary albeit on the small side. Went out to meet a few people for dinner and we came back finding out that the AC was not working. We alerted the staff at the lobby and realized that the maintenance guy had left for the day. How can the hotel not have a maintenance person 24 hours a day? Needless to say, we were shocked to hear about it. We did not pay more than $150 and get a room that is as warm as an oven. When the staff learnt about our story, they unempathetically asked us to open the windows instead!!! Mind you, that does not make any sense considering the weather outside was about 90 F. They then offered to move us to another location away from the river but we refused because we chose the location for a reason and it is an unnecessary inconvenience to us at our expense. It was not our fault to begin with. After that they offered us a crappy fan which finally worked when we gave it a few knocks. It was a warm and miserable night for our family who came all the way to Chicago expecting something wonderful from this hotel. The next morning, we mentioned about it at the front desk again and all they could do was apologized. Not a single time did they compensate us in a form of a lower rate for putting us through this. After all, we did not sign up for a room which has AC problems. After much complains, the staff finally offer us a free upgrade if we come back the next time. That is not acceptable. What is the use of a free upgrade if the AC is not going to work?? Well, we won't be coming back anyways. He can keep his offer. You shouldn't come here either. read more

We stayed four nights at the River Hotel while vacationing in Chicago! We were greeted upon arrival by a very welcoming staff. Our bags were carried in and our car was parked for us. We were checked in by a very friendly concierge. Our room was nice, clean and stocked with everything we needed. The hotel is centrally located so everything we wanted to see was in walking distance. After each day of sightseeing we came back to a freshen room! The bed was comfy and clean! We would recommend this hotel to anyone and would definitely stay there again! read more

I had to bail outta the burbs for some alone time with my wife and daughter and was pleased to find the River Hotel. The location and price can't be beat. We upgraded from the smallest to the medium sized room and was really glad we did for only $20 more. I'm not a fan of bottled water, but each floor has free, refillable bottled water which came in handy in the summer heat. The rooms are still a bit tight, but we were able to sneak in a roll-away bed for my daughter. The beds were comfortable and the view was awesome. The room had a flat screen, nice desk with some local books and a wonderfully designed bath room. Our room was on the 9th floor with a view of the Chicago river, Trump building and the two corn-cobb towers. While peering out of the window I felt like I was living in Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album cover. The River is right in the heart of Chi-town with fast access to the "L", Millinuem Park, the Art Institute, etc. It has free wi-fi and access to a PC and printer in the lobby. I'll gladly stay there again. read more

Friendly staff, accommodations are full service. Clean rooms, a little small. Beware of the $53 valet parking per day :( read more

Our stay here went perfectly! The hotel was fairly easy to locate and we were able to walk or take public transportation anywhere that we wanted to go in Chicago. Our room had a beautiful view of the river and the staff was very friendly. Definitely recommend the Chicago CityPass if you plan on doing more than 2 of the attractions as it will save you a ton of time and money! Overall, this was a great hotel to stay at and my husband and I both give it a thumbs up! read more

River Hotel - The view from our hotel room! - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So it wasn't perfect but the strategic location was great! The hotel sits right on the river, north of the loop. We initially took the "Blue Line" from O'Hare to Clark/Lake. From there it was an easy 10 minute walk to this hotel granted the weather was a perfect 55. If this area looks familiar it's because this was where the finale to Transformer 3 was filmed. Checking in was pretty easy considering there was a short line. It's definitely a boutique style hotel, similar to the ones you would find in Union Square, San Francisco. The layouts of the rooms are like studios. Don't expect a Las Vegas mega suite or you'll surely be disappointed. The single bedroom fits two cozy people comfortably so if you're planning to split a room with a few of your bro-mances, it may not be the greatest idea unless you're that comfortable with each other. Pros: - Location, location, location! It was a centralized spot for us. Giordano's Pizzeria was around the corner. Wendella Sightseeing Boat tour was across the river. Millennium Park is less than a 10 minute walk away. I'd stay in this area again for sure. - Free wi-fi and it was very simple to sign into with my netbook although 99.99% sure it's on an unsecure network so don't log into anything important! - Free empty bottles and filtered drinking water machine. Load up before you head out for the day. No need to purchase any water for the rooms because of this. It was something I've never seen in a hotel before. AWESOME. - Second floor offers free coffee, tea, and granny green apples. The apples vanish quickly but the coffee and tea is available almost throughout the entire day. - Free computer/internet downstairs for your discretion. Again, don't log into anything with great significance but just use it for simple browsing. - Staff was fair. We honestly weren't in the hotel much except to shower, poop, and sleep so interaction with them was minimal. Cons: - Seemed like the AC was busted. When we first got in, I lowered the room temperature because it was warm. After that, the thermostat kept resetting to 75 degrees. I like my room temperature around 70 when I sleep. Considering it's a small room too, it got quite stuffy. We couldn't even turn the darn thing off. Luckily outside weather was 55-60 all weekend or it could've been a major buzz kill. It did get chilly at night when I had the window open. - Key cards stopped working for the elevator. It worked for the room door just fine but if I got into one of the elevator, it would not budge (room key needed to go your floor). Once I got into the other elevator, it worked fine but I found that kind of annoying. - Rooms/bathrooms are a bit small but we were fine with it. As I said, we knew it was going to be tiny so it didn't bother us much. Luckily our neighbors weren't loud or else I think it could've gotten pretty whack status. Would I come back? Possibly. Loved the location but now I'm curious about some of the other surrounding hotels within the vicinity. Overall: satisfied. read more

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Stayed at the River Hotel Thursday night for a quick two trip to enjoy some Chicago fun with the wife. This is a great little boutique hotel on the Chicago River, just a block off Michigan Ave. Clean, modern decor room - all interior was pretty new with "step up" quality. Shower only, but I like not having to step into a bathtub. Pretty decent room size, too. Fantastic access for the price, right off the Magnificant Mile, and only a couple short blocks from the El. Surrounded by other pricier places wanting your money. Nice touches - elevator only allowed access to the floors with your room key; filtered water dispenser on every floor with new bottles for you to fill and go, great for us summer tourists. Front desk personnel very pleasant and helpful. During checkout, manager directed me to self-checkout machine, and guided me through entire process. Not necessarily more efficient, but showed their willingness to make the process easy. Price was incredible. $112 ($130 with taxes) through Hotwire, for a summer night right in the heart of the action. Past stay at similar time cost $150 + taxes at a tiny, tiny Red Roof Inn off Michigan Ave. Or you go you big and drop a few hundred at the name hotels. read more

Amazing hotel with amazing views! Was perfect for St. Patty's Day! Great amenities. Extra pillows. I loved having easy access to all the fun things to do in Chicago. I definitely recommend this place to stay while visiting the Windy City! read more

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I very much enjoyed my stay here at the end of March, taking advantage of a Groupon rate that cut down the price of my stay by about 20 bucks. The Standard Room was on the small side, yes, but the design of the room really maximized the space and made it incredibly enjoyable. The bathroom had a sliding pocket door, which really made a difference in the available floor space. The view of the river from our room couldn't be beat, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. It was great being so centrally-located, too. The boyfriend and I had an easy 8-10 minute walk to Millennium Park for dinner and 15 minutes back from the Bank of America Theatre after a show. I'd stay here again in a heartbeat. read more

River Hotel - View from our room, which was on the 8th floor. - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have visited Chicago often in the past and always have booked a different hotel. I am glad I changed this time and booked The River Hotel in Chicago. I was pleasantly greeted by a clean crisp modern room that offered plenty of space. I must also add that this is a green Hotel with lots of Green features built in. Some of the details of our stay included: Security system that only allows guests of that floor to enter that floor. Purified water provided at each floor. A coffee pot in the main room.... Not in the bathroom. A refrigerator and microwave. Luxury comforter. Comfortable chair that folds out into single bed. A greeting welcoming us on the voice mail system. A greeting giving us details about Sunday and late checkout. Available Ipads for guest use. The toiletries/ shampoo / lotion is high quality. The staff was friendly on checkout and there were no extra charges. This hotel provides a great room at a good price. Give this hotel a try! read more

The staff was amazing - friendly & helpful, with even sometimes talking too much to the point that it was awkward and you wanted it to end 5 minutes ago. The rooms are on the smaller side, but I wouldn't consider them too small especially because you are in Chicago. I will say, I do sort of like the fact that they have a "guest services" closet on each floor full of extras - blankets, irons & ironing boards, tea, coffee, etc. This not only saved space in the room, but you also didn't need to bug the staff. I also like the filtered water system/fountain with bottles available on each floor. Three things I do wish were different - (1) the TVs are extremely small. I understand you are not in Chicago to watch TV, but they are very small for when you are in the room. (2) The shower heads are in the middle of the rectangle shower vs. one end of the shower. This is very awkward and uncomfortable. Because the shower head is in the middle of the rectangle, you have very little room to move while staying under the water and you are staring at a shower curtain. (3) Our room keys never seemed to work! They would always work perfect in the elevator, but it literally would take 10, and sometimes even 30 times, for us to have to swipe our key for us to be able to get into our room. One time housekeeping even had to help us and it took her a handful of times to have to swipe it before our room key actually worked. Additionally, we stayed in room 913, which I was at first excited about because I thought we would have an amazing view being on the ninth floor, but we were not facing the river. We ended up being right at roof level of whatever was next to us - not very pretty on the eyes. Also, there was a fan of some sort constantly running on that roof that sounded like an obnoxious fan belt going bad - not fun to hear all of the time, so we constantly had our fan running in our room to try & drown out the obnoxious noise. Oh - also, the one time I did try and call the front desk, I needed to call three different times because no one was answering, which was a little frustrating. The location of the hotel is perfect! Right on the river and by Michigan Ave and everything you want in Downtown Chicago. You need a room key to utilize the elevators, which makes it safe and to keep unwanted "guests" out. We didn't utilize, or even see, the work out room, so I can't comment on it. There was a charging station on the night stand, which was definitely helpful. I dislike when I have to unplug a lamp to plug in my phone charger when I'm at a hotel, so the charging station was beneficial. As everyone knows, parking is ridiculous in Chicago. I do feel that $45 for valet parking is outrageous. I know I haven't stayed in Chicago for a couple years, but I have never paid more than $30 for valet parking before. We ended up parking in the self-parking, not even a block away, for $24 a night - definitely worth it but make sure the hotel stamps your parking ticket. Looking at everything - the location was perfect, but I do think the room was a little bit overpriced, but I think it had to do with the weekend we picked because the Chicago Gourmet (food festival thingy) was going on the same weekend, so I feel they hiked the prices because of that, even though I reserved the room 7 months in advance. Overall, I would recommend this hotel, especially if you can get it for a good price. read more

great hotel, good price, and awesome location! unfortunately (it may be due to covid, but it was still very inconvenient and we were not made aware of the issue before our stay) the parking garage was closed and we were required to park in a garage that was about a 5-7 min walk by foot and it was $25 daily to park at this location. the room was very nice and had a great view of the water, but the accommodations seemed very outdated and the bathroom set up was quite small. overall, great stay! read more

Great location, pleasant front desk staff, OK room rates, good self-park deal nearby. Clean, modern, modest. Reservations for 3 adults but not enough towels or bedding provided. Smoke alarm started tweeting at 5:45 a.m. Nothing on house phone was labeled. Tried calling "0" but nothing happened. Had to call main outside number on my cell to have reservations connect me to front desk. $10 for 4 oz glass of OK California Chardonnay. Pricey but well prepared menu. One hour to get a pasta dish, chicken entree and dessert (we had been in the restaurant- it wasn't half full). It's OK room service arrives in take away containers but the cutlery was so cheap it bent from the heat of the food. I have had a long and happy relationship with the Midtown Manhattan Club Quarters, which made this first time stay in the Chicago location disappointing in comparison. read more

In Chicago for a wedding...we needed a hotel that was in a good location and priced right. We ended up getting a nice deal through Hotwire at the Chicago River Hotel. Pros - *Convenient location to everything. *Nice cafe/restaurant right next door. *The staff was very friendly and prompt with service requests. *Bonus with free wifi and self-serve water bottles in the hallway. *Comfy bed and pillows. I would have preferred a king bed, but all they could offer was a queen. Still comfortable though. Cons - *The shower was very tiny. We referred to it as "European" all weekend. There was also no tub, which wasn't a big deal to us...just though it was worth a mention. Water pressure also wasn't that great. *Our view...which was at an alley on one side and a dumpster on the other. That wouldn't be too bad, BUT on Friday morning at 7a...construction workers were jack hammering on this side of the hotel. It didn't happen on Saturday or Sunday (since typically people work Monday0Friday), but man, of man...it was loud. *The only TV in the room was next to the desk on the opposite side of the room where the bed was and it was approximately 24 inches. With that being said...we didn't watch any TV in bed while we were there. Overall...tis was a nice hotel in the heart of Chicago. read more

When I'm Chicago I usually try to stay on the river. It's central to pretty much everything. For some reason I couldn't get an affordable room at my usual favorite, so I tried the River. They found their gimmick with health and fitness--yoga mats and resistance bands in the rooms with a streaming yoga channel, hydration stations throughout the hotel, a 24 hour fitness room with one Peloton bike (which someone is always on because who doesn't want to try a 2K spin bike--they don't have the live subscription). There are also free snacks (fruit, nuts, soda) on the second floor and free wine at five in the lobby. I also stumbled on a free guest laundry in the basement, which came in handy after getting caught in the rain. The staff is super friendly and accommodating, which in Chicago isn't all that common. So here are the downsides, want to chill out and watch TV after a long day of work--too bad. The fancy streaming TV is going to freeze in the first two minutes, turning it off doesn't reset it, and you can't unplug it because the cord is in the wall. If you do get it to work, the sound will be slightly out of synch and drive you insane. The attached restaurant (I'll be kind) is not good. When it's pouring and 40 out, it's nice to have better food available. I'm all about the environment. High efficiency toilets are great--if they actually flush. Enough said. The rooms are relatively well insulated. There's some street noise from Wacker but it's not bad. Unfortunately, the doors are not thick enough to cancel noise, so when the jerkfaces in the room next to you decide to come and go a dozen times between 3:30-6:30 AM every single morning, ruining your one week to get actual sleep away from your kids, you will wake up every single time their door slams. On the upside, they will also hear you when you start screaming obscenities at them from bed. Later, when you run into them in lobby, you'll discover they weren't clubbing Europeans as you guessed but 80 year old jerkfaces who argue with the desk staff over charges NOT PUT ON THEIR BILL. So my stay was not relaxing. There are much nicer boutique hotels a few steps away, but for the money, The River Hotel is a good option. read more

I just checked in today. This is my third stay in Chicago and first time back in about ten years. This is my first stay at the Chicago River Hotel. This hotel is close to everything downtown. I read some of the reviews regarding the size of the rooms, but I can honestly say that the room is a very nice size. My room has a microwave, stove, and refrigerator. The only negative is that I was expecting a room with a much nicer view, and the view from my room is less than adequate compared to the photos that I have seen. Other than that, I would highly recommend this hotel, mainly for the location. I give it four stars, mainly because I'm disappointed about the view. read more

My stay at the Chicago River hotel was very pleasant. Besides its convenient location to everything I could possibly look for in the city, the staff were all friendly and prompt with service requests. The free wifi and self-serve water bottles in the hallway are added bonus. I stayed at the Intercontinental down the street during the latter part of my visit and they did not have the same perks. The guestroom I was in is set up for business stays-with reading lights and a decent size desk. The bathroom is adequately equipped with magnifying makeup mirror and large shower stall (not bathtub). I deducted a star for the tiny TV monitor mounted on the wall that is barely visible if you were to watch TV from your bed. Also, we requested a queen bed + pull out sofa bed guestroom, but got a queen + roll away bed. read more

AMAZING!! My boyfriend and I went for the weekend to Chicago. He had never been and was looking to stay at a hotel ten miles away and renting a car for our trip...I said NO! Did a little research online and came upon this GEM The Chicago River Hotel!! Price wise was only $25 more a night when compared to the hotel miles away. I told the concierge that we were in town for our anniversary so they made sure that we had a great room overlooking the river and straight ahead was the Trump Hotel. The location is seriously unreal for the price. The neighborhood hotels are The Hardrock, Trump Towers, etc (all high end hotels). Restaurants and entertainment is all walking distance. Overall we had an amazing stay at the hotel and are so happy about the price and location :) (Rooms are SO clean, and the size is appropriate because you should be OUT on the town!) read more

Came here for a quick weekend getaway. Hotel is great location. We booked the smallest room to save some money. Great value for the money. Cons: shower was Luke warm. Cleanliness. Pros: free bottles of water. Location. Customer service. I would stay again for a quick trip. You definitely get what you pay for here. read more