I cannot say enough great things about this place! Friend of mine, Rob, was traveling by train…read morefrom CA to FL when an unexpected storm hit and ALL of the trains were cancelled for 3 days! He was stuck Union Station with 0-degree temperatures and few resources at his disposable. After hous of looking, I was finally able to find a place where he could stay.... HI CHACAGO! I booked this place online and contacted the property. I spoke with Sharrod who was absolutely amazing assisting thru the process! He was super informative, kind, and professional. He explained everything and helped every step of the way. Sharrod is an absolute GEM And Hi Chicago is lucky to have him! The property itself was clean, well maintained and the room Rob stayed in was very nice! Pricing was probably the best you'll find at a place in Downtown Chicago. There is a community space on the second floor equipped with everything one needs while staying - from pots and pans to plates and everything in between! The location has multiple activities - ping pong, pool, tvs, board games, etc. FANTASTIC PROPERTY! And best of all, the greatest team! Thanks, Sharrod! Try this place, you won't regret it!

Never in a million years did I think I'd stay in a hostel, but Chicago hotel prices were absolutely…read moreunhinged for my trip -- like $500 a night unhinged. So here we are. The hostel itself wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. I stayed in a 4-bed female room, and honestly barely saw the other girls, though I knew they were there. The beds have privacy covers, no one snored, no weird smells -- so points for that. We shared a bathroom with another 4-bed suite, which meant one toilet and one shower total. Not ideal, but it wasn't disastrous either. But dorm life ain't for me at this big age. Coming back late at night was a little annoying because you have to be quiet, and the location is slightly off the beaten path. Walking down Ida B. Wells late made me a bit nervous, but you do need to scan your card to get in after certain hours, which helped me feel safer once I made it inside. Breakfast was...there. Nothing to write home about, but at least it's offered. The general common areas are decent -- TVs, couches, game tables -- but they can get noisy. There were also a lot of kids staying while I was there, which made it hard to take work calls during the first couple of days. Overall, it wasn't as terrible as I expected... but the more I write this, the more I'm like: girl, just pay the $500/night next time for peace and sanity. Would I stay again? Only if hotel prices are once again trying to rob me blind.

As a former hostel skeptic (didn't think US hostels would be any good), I've been converted. Front…read moredesk staff is always friendly and has great recommendations. Love that there's communal space to work, hang out, watch TV. They also militantly keep the place clean, the kitchen is always spotless.

Awesome spot! Was in town for a quick trip to see a show at Lincoln Hall and this was a fantastic…read moreoption. We stayed in a private room with our own bathroom which was nice. The mattress was sooo comfy (firm... but that's what I like). The front desk associates were very helpful and breakfast was a nice perk. Loved the vibe and I felt safe walking in the area even at night. Definitely worth it!

The good: great location, incredibly affordable, comfortable beds and powerful, hot showers. The…read morebad: 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.

Usually I have amazoing stays here but this one 23-24 November was subpar for sure…read more 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.

Took our annual pilgrimage to Chicago this spring. The hostel we used before had closed sadly, so…read morewe booked this place. We very narrowly made it to destination before check-in at the front desk closed at 8pm-- whew! Unfortunately they didn't have any parking left, but they gave us a helpful tip to use some sorta "parking hero" app or whatever and that worked out fine for us for the three days we were staying there. The staff we encountered during our stay were all pleasant (though they were also scarce... the place seemed pretty quiet and almost ghostly while we were there!). Exploring the inside of this place was fun and exciting. From the computer room to the community space to the kitchen to the outdoor deck, this felt like a place where you could settle in and relax awhile, moreso than a regular hotel accommodation. I do like the communal nature of hostels. I loved the bright colors inside this hostel, from upbeat lime greens to exciting oranges and pleasant blues. I like something that isn't afraid to have a little spark and style. Unfortunately I can't give five stars though because they discontinued serving continental breakfast (which we didn't know when we booked), so we had to walk to the 7-11 a block away to get a quick crappy morning meal each day (cuz we didn't have the $ to blow on fancier breakfast fare... thus why we were staying in a hostel to begin with, pfft). We did appreciate the food storage situation however; we were able to keep a gallon jug of milk in the fridge to enjoy throughout our stay, and if we'd been there longer, I'm certain we would've also used the kitchen to prep meals. Go ahead and check the cabinets and such for communal leftovers-- another nice thing about this set up is less food waste! My husband enjoyed some peanut butter on toast just using what was left by other folks who'd already checked out. The other issue I'll mention was the wild temperature fluctuations in our room. We were situated in one of the singles in the basement and half the time it was really cold (like you wanted to keep your jacket on) and the other half the time it was hella warm (and you needed ALL of your clothes off, no covers on the bed). I have no idea what was going on with that. Also there was some sound outdoors that sounded like someone far away just holding their car horn all night long (not the hostel's fault, but annoying for a light sleeper like me), and the streetlight coming in from the inadequate blinds at night made it rough to get a solid night's sleep as well. Overall though, the quality we got for the price we paid was A-OK! Bonus points for being a proudly safe space for LGBTQ+ community! There were little pride flags scattered everywhere.

I booked a room, I had the wrong dates. 1 day later tried to cancel and refused to refund. I can't…read moreafford to do something for my husbands birthday due to a mistake on my part. READ ALL THE FINE PRINT. Very sad places won't work with you,

A good place for a cheap trip in Chicago that has a lot to offer for a hostel. It also seems pretty…read moresafe. Parthenon is a hostel so it's not a fancy place but it's also not a dump like others that have bad horror stories and things. Cheap rates and plenty of entertainment and transportation is close. The staff is very friendly and helpful. It has a very good location in Greektown. Lots to do and see around here. The CTA has a station a few blocks away on Halsted at UIC. A lot of places to drink and eat. This is a pretty busy area so there's bad and good things about that. It can get noisy. There's music and traffic. Maybe you'll have trouble sleeping. Take preventive measures if you have to. Bring earplugs. The good thing about this busy location is that it's safe. Cheap rates. It's about $30 a night or so. The rooms have a few bunk beds and you can get lockers as well. Bathrooms are shared but these seem clean. They also have a common area you can use to put food in. Bring soap or things like that because they don't have these for free. It does have things including towels you can purchase. The good thing is the price of the rooms is a very big money saver.

This was a great hostel until the manager overstepped. When someone runs a hotel or hostel, it is…read moretheir job to take the customers' money and move on. The reason I am not leaving such a stellar review is that the "manager" of the establishment overstepped their job title. I have stayed at this hostel for a few weeks now and I was attempting to book another night when i was told that was not a possibility because I am too "aggressive." For context, I am Black American and the manager is White American. If by aggressive they mean I'm a Black American Woman with a set of issues that most people couldn't even fathom, then suuuuuuure. I myself have managed multi-million, and a couple of times, multi-billion dollar, grossing companies. If I were so aggressive, I don't think I would have gotten 100+ employees to follow my lead. I had no problem with the manager up until this point, but it is not fair to a paying customer that spends most of their day outside of the hostel to be labeled as aggressive and then be told they cannot pay to have a roof over their head because people simply can't be adults. Grow up! The world is full of people you don't get along with. I'd also like to mention that I seriously injured myself in the bathroom because no matter what you do, the shower floor(s) always get wet and do not properly drain. I did in fact slip and fall while heading to the shower and seriously injured my back in the process . I brought this incident up to the manager, along with another guest that states the same thing; that the bathroom is dangerous. However, there has been no follow through to ensure this does not happen to guest in the future as the manager PROMISED. I'm young and can recuperate, but there are older guests at this hostel that might end up in the hospital if they took such a tumble. I only stayed at this location so long because of the convenience and what I thought was the reasonableness of the manager, but I have noticed that said manager gets a little bit too personal with guests which is a business red flag.

Halfway through the stay - things may change but, given many negative reviews, I thought I'd offer…read moremy initial take. It's in a cool neighborhood with great food and right next to the blue line. The price is great. Place is older but they are trying and there aren't any real problems. Walls are thin, heat doesn't always make it to the end of the line but it's very safe, very comfortable, clean. It's nicer than, say, most Airbnb's I've stayed at. Not as nice as a hotel but I'm happy with it and don't see the problems some people posted about. It's a specific place for a specific purpose and I'd recommend it for that. I wouldn't recommend it as a cheap hotel alternative. I would recommend it as a solid Airbnb option or upper-end hostile. Staff is fine, they aren't trained four seasons customer service staff so they aren't going to do well with conflict you throw at them but if you're polite and respectful they are right back at you. I am happy to be here.

I'm always surprised whenever my friends are surprised by the fact that I choose to stay at hostels…read morewhen I travel, whether it's within the states or around the world. All the hostels I've ever stayed at have been clean, friendly, accommodating, and very affordable--Urban Holiday Lofts is no exception. My friend booked this place on hostelworld, which contains all the information you need to get to the hostel. For the phone addicts, it's also searchable on Google maps. This place awesomely reimburses you for the cost of your CTA ticket to the hostel (a heads up: it's $5 from the O'Hare International Airport). Also, true to the description, they charge an additional 16.4% tax when you arrive to pay for your stay. Jason, who is very sociable and has a good sense of humor, was at the front desk when I checked in. Whoever checks you in gives you a great list of eateries and bars in the area (along with a list of rules) and a short tour of the hostel. My bed was in the standard 6-room female dorm, which had 3 bunk beds and no A/C (they had a ceiling fan and a heating system). My floor had 4 bathrooms, which can be congested during the evenings when everyone wants to shower. There's washers and dryers on-site that will cost you $1.50 each, and you can purchase detergent from the front desk. Complimentary breakfast is from 8 - 10 AM, and it consists of bagels, cereal (Aldi's version of Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran), bread, milk, coffee, and tea. Breakfast is hosted in the upstairs common space, which also has two computers for general use. Towels are provided, and lockers are available in the shared dorm rooms ($1 lock rental for your entire stay). And I should mention that the location of this hostel is bombdotcom. Though not in the heart of downtown, Wicker Park has great nightlife, and the CRT Blue Line, from which this hostel is 5 minutes away, runs 24/7. 24 frickin' 7. Oh, before you leave, drop by the nearby Aldi grocery store to pick up some awesomely named German chocolate at awesomely affordable prices. Just beware of the weight of all that chocolate in your bag and how that could detrimentally affect your back. Don't say I didn't warn you.

If you are looking for a unique hotel experience this is the place for you…read more Tucked away just west of the heart of the city, it is easily located for the tourist experience. A bit away from the hustle and bustle, you'll get a true neighborhood experience. The rates are lower but the amenities are simple. There is however a super cool lower level area for a bit of fun. A nod to an old school vibe, it appears you go down into a swimming pool and play area. While there is no pool, it looks like you are in it. I know you have to see it to get it. There are also vintage games galore to kills some time. And...there is also a hidden tiny bar unlike anything you've seen before... The lobby area hosts a super cafe. The food is delicious and the coffees are tasty. Service was pleasant and helpful as I wasn't sure what I wanted. No rush, the young barista allowed me to take my time. The front desk guys was just as kind spirited. The rooms are so unique. Spacious and industrial, there are a ton of styles to choose from.This is the kind of hotel families or groups would enjoy. One thing I noted was the super job housekeeping does. I felt so comfortable because of how clean and tidy everything is.

Ah, the FieldHouse Jones. The perfect place for a taste of comfy city living and sporty fun while…read morevisiting Chi Town. For starters, this was my first time visiting Chicago so it was very important for me to find a place in a safe area that was close to nearby landmarks, food and fun. Being that I was traveling alone and also during my birthday, I was looking for someplace affordable while still having character. Not a super swanky hotel in a touristy area. FieldHouse Jones was a great fit. For starters, this is a small hotel. If an AirBnB and hotel could have a lovechild, Fieldhouse Jones would be that. There are two floors of rooms; the first and second floor consists of the actual rooms and the basement has the kitchen, game room and secret speakeasy, the Janitor's Closet. Sports decor is everywhere! On the walls of the hallways, inside your room and even in the lobby. It adds a certain quirkiness you can't really get at other hotels, which makes this place such a gem. I went with "The Trailblazer" room, which consists of one full bed, flat screen TV, desk with chair and a little nightstand. This is the perfect room for the lone traveler but a little tight for two, in my opinion. I enjoyed that the room wasn't huge and being able to see the train pass by was pretty cool. Not sure which rooms other reviewers stayed in who said they could not hear the train, but I most definitely could. It wasn't really annoying, but something you should keep in mind. The bathroom was my favorite part of the room, super cute and I loved the walk-in shower. The large rectangle mirror has great selfie lighting. (There is also a full-body mirror in the actual room) They provide you with a few little bath products daily and also fresh towels. Despite what the reviews said on Yelp, they in fact do make up your bed everyday. (unless you place the card on your doorknob opting out) There is no closet, but there are a few hooks made on the wall which are convenient for holding coats, scarves, etc. Also, there is a huge block near the window for placing shoes or other stuff on top of it. I found it convenient because it keeps your junk out of the area near the bedroom. As for munchies and sips, Fieldhouse Jones has a coffee shop on the first floor with a few bites on the menu. There is a cool seating/work area, which seems to tickle the fancy of many a freelancer and work-from-home employee as it was a busy space for nearly 4 out of 5 of the days I stayed here. Televisions are also in this area and draw in many people as well; a Super Bowl watch party of sorts was going on during my stay. One thing I will say, this area brings in many people who aren't necessarily checked into the hotel. No biggie to me, but you can tell it poses an issue with folks roaming around as signs in the kitchen had to be put up saying "this area is for guests only" by the second day I was there. Oh yeah, the kitchen! Since my room, for example, had no kitchen area or microwave, there is a community kitchen inside the basement with fridges, microwaves, stoves, an ice/water machine and cabinets full of plates, cups and utensils for community usage. Super convenient! One night I bought a bottle of wine and having wine glasses handy inside my hotel felt much better than drinking wine out of a plastic cup at 11PM like a hoodrat inside my bed. Wouldn't you agree? Unless you 'like' to do hoodrat things, this is a no judgement zone... Next to the kitchen are cool games you can play to pass the time, but my favorite part of Fieldhouse Jones is the Janitor's Closet. Yes, the one with mops. But also boozy drinks. The Janitor's Closet is one of the most creative concepts for a bar I have ever seen and the fact that it is a speakeasy is even better! Beware, this spot only has 15 seats, so reserve your spot on Resy before popping on in. Aside from the themed space, the drink menu has sips that are inspired by janitorial work and the city itself. So much thought has been put into this place and I love the vintage feel of it. Lights are dim, drinks are strong and the decor is so chic you'll want to snap a photo of every Pine-Sol box and broom you see. The cocktails are crafted perfectly with quality spirits. I just loved this place all around! I give the Fieldhouse Jones five stars for safety, creativity and a nice and clean stay. If you're looking for a spot to lay your head while visiting Chicago for work or play, you may have just found it here.

Old dirty rooms, no running water in the morning. If I could give zero stars o would.read more

The Chinatown Hotel is about 20 years past "shabby." First, be aware it's a walk-up, with narrow…read morestairs. Our room had a rickety bed with a thin blanket on top that didn't fully cover my 6-foot husband. There were stains all over walls, a shower with zero pressure and a used bandaid on the floor. No washcloths, just hand and bath towels. The staff members were lovely, but this place needs ... a lot. We cheaped out by staying here -- and definitely paid the price.

A solid place to stay when in Chicago! We were fortunate to have a garage spot, but there's lots of…read morefree parking surrounding the place. Very friendly staff and a quirky vibe - perfect for people who want something more relaxed. Breakfast is included and you order off a menu they give you. Very good! They also have free snacks! We were in the Skylight Room which I liked - access to the roof deck, felt pretty private. You do hear the kitchen though I. The morning, but there is an additional door to close if needed. It's sort of like staying at a friend's house great for those who want to be in a classic Chicago neighborhood instead of downtown. Would recommend!

This place is fantastic. I always felt comfortable and welcomed the entire time here. Both Kay and…read moreAshlee made sure we felt important and went out of their way on several occasions to provide top notch hospitality. I had a garage spot, which was great, although there was always a spot on the street to park. The neighborhood is nice and we felt comfortable walking even into the evening. They provided a custom breakfast with daily specials. The omelets are fantastic - FYI. There really isn't anything that i would change. I will definitely be back and will recommend this spot to anyone visiting that doesn't want to maybe deal with downtown, but yet are super close if that's your end goal. Thank you, Ashlee and Kat! You two make the experience what it is for the guests! 5 stars

We enjoyed our stay at House 5863 this past weekend. We were in town from Milwaukee for a quick…read morevisit to Chicago and this establishment met all of your needs. Checking in was a breeze. Check in times were clearly communicated and we were able to arrive on our schedule as all of the details we needed to gain entrance to the building and our room had been communicated to us prior to our arrival. The building itself is clean and cozy. Everything is on the 2nd floor. There is no elevator, but the stairs are wide and not at all hard to climb. If you do have trouble with stairs this might be something to consider, however. The 2nd floor has the guestrooms, a comfortable common area, and a kitchen area. We did not have time to hang out in the common area, but it looked like a nice space to relax: a comfy couch and some chairs, television, board games, writing desk. The kitchen was great. They have everything you need to cover the start of your day: cereal, oatmeal, pastries, coffee, juice, soda, fruit, and more. It's a help yourself kind of thing (you even load your own dishes in the dishwasher), but that makes it super convenient. You can just amble into the kitchen when you wake up and grab anything you want. This was a really nice feature. The room itself (we were in room 2) was clean and well appointed. It was not fancy, but it had everything we needed: bed, a place to hang up clothing and jackets, a television, a few chairs. The bed was comfortable. The room was a little warm and we could not figure out if we could adjust the heat, but adjusting the ceiling fan was all we eventually needed to make the room the right temperature. We had a private bathroom, but it was not attached to our room. We had to leave our room and cross the hallway. This was not a big deal for us, but something to think about if that kind of thing might make you uncomfortable. It looks like some of the rooms might contain a bathroom that is en suite, so if that is important to you maybe it is something you can request when you book your stay. The bathroom itself was clean. The shower was awesome, by the way. I really recommend staying here. It was comfy and cozy. The building itself was quiet. We could occasionally hear someone cough in another room, but it was not at all noisy. The neighborhood was also quiet. It's close to the L and within walking distance of some great restaurants and bars. We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and walked quite a bit Saturday night. There is quite a bit of street parking, but I recommend grabbing a spot before it gets too late. We parked around 4:30 and did not have trouble finding a spot, but when we came back for the night there did not appear to be many (if any) open spots. I'd say get a spot early and then use something like Lyft or public transportation to get around the city. We would definitely come back the next time we're looking for a place to stay in the city. It more than covered our needs and we really enjoyed our stay.

Owner is extremely rude and will attack you if you say anything bad about his business and or if…read moreyou need help with your booking wouldn't recommend this place to anyone Update: actually I was replying with Todd idk about this situation with those other people but you have a good one sir