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.

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.

The Guesthouse hotel is fantastic. A home away from home! Perfect for families. Excellent customer…read moreservice. If you need accommodations in Chicago, book the Guesthouse. You won't be disappointed!

Bedroom door is squeaky with a deep need for WD-40 and I am in deep need of sleep…read more The tot fell asleep at bedtime but the creaking of escaping parent woke him up and now four hours later we are still not achieving bedtime because he's playing the squeaky door as an instrument. This hotel isn't family friendly. Aside from the ridiculous door, the dressers are not properly secured for children. I guess the menu of complimentary request able goods is great but maybe the basics?

A great place for a weekend stay in the city. Clean, comfy and convenient…read more The owner is nice and accommodating and it's more like you're staying at a good friends house than some big dirty hotel. You get a section of the house all to yourself. Includes a living room, bathroom and bedroom. I stayed here with my mom when she came to visit. The bed was SO comfortable. Theres also a fridge with free water bottles and snacks in the room. Free wifi. My only complaint about this was the bedroom and bathroom locks are old and don't actually lock. You have a section of the house to yourself but I'd still like a bathroom door that locks since its in the hallway. I'd stay here again. Close to the L train, shops and food. And is clean and comfy!

I loved staying here with my husband. It was private and we got a room with a beautiful view of…read morethe new DePaul music building. We used the guest house as a staycation in our own city, and it felt like we were in a whole new city. Amazing service and beautiful home!

We spent the long July 4th weekend visiting Chicago, and stayed in #3. The space worked very well…read morefor two couples. The unit was very clean and very quiet. The beds were comfortable and the linens nice. The kitchen and bath were tastefully done with granite and nice fixtures. All was in working order. The location was perfect. A short walk to the Brown Line, easy on street parking, lots of fun places to eat nearby. West Roscoe had an upscale family neighborhood vibe. We ate at the Turkish place and the Vietnamese place - both very good. A note to anyone who books #3. Make sure that you are comfortable with 2 flights of steep stairs. Make sure you know how to reboot a WIFI. And, ask about the A/C which must be on some sort of preprogrammed setting. We happened to be there when it was quite hot, so we had to often set the A/C to manual to cool off. This condo was a great home base for our 4 day weekend. It's always fun to be able to come "home" after a long day of sightseeing and relax and enjoy each others company in a comfortable space.

Five of us came to town for 5 days for our son's wedding, and stayed in one of the guesthouses…read more The location was convenient to all of our activities. The guesthouse was our "base of operations". The place was immaculate and had everything we seemed to need in the well appointed kitchen. I even put the backyard grill to good use one night. The beds were comfortable, bathrooms had plenty of hot water, parking was convenient, and lots of interesting restaurants within walking distance. The neighborhood was full of happy children, and we enjoyed a game of Frisbee in a nearby park. We go well acquainted with the #50 bus to get us anywhere in the city.The neighborhood was full of happy children, and we enjoyed a game of Frisbee in a nearby park. We go well acquainted with the #50 bus to get us anywhere in the city. Our "wired" set took full advantage of the fast wi-fi connection. I had wanted to stay in a hotel, but my wife thought this would be more "homey" and see was right, it was a great decision. The only downside to us was that the toaster seemed to be hard-wired to the smoke alarm, but once we figured out to turn the exhaust fan one before we did any cooking all was well.

Excellent! I may be finished with hotels in Chicago. We were traveling with small children. This…read moreplace was perfect. Two bed rooms, fully furnished, wonderfully decorated, and in a great location. It feels like you are tucked away in a quite neighborhood yet, you're only 0.3 miles to the subway. Kim, the owner, lived on the third floor and is very helpful. We walked through the neighborhood and was able to walk to quaint Roscoe Village, talk to neighbors, enjoy the tree line streets and relax. Kids or not - you'll love this place! Kim keeps it nice!

Upon recommendations from family members my husband and I choose the Roscoe Village Inn for our…read morelong weekend in Chicago. We couldn't have been more impressed. The apt. was spacious, well equipped and immaculate. We loved being able to walk to local shopping and restaurants, we felt completely safe. The security on the apt. is great, access to front, back and garage space was very secure. We hope to visit the Inn again soon.

We had the absolute best time touring Chicago neighborhoods! And our stay at Wicker Park Inn was…read morethe perfect place to lay our heads! Loved the friendly staff, great location, you could walk to many great spots and easily jump on the train! The breakfast every morning was an added perk and loved that it was homemade and healthy!

Absolutely lovely place to stay - perfect location and really awesome hosts. We stayed in the…read moregarden apartment/room (it's actually the basement apartment in the Wicker Inn's owner's townhouse.). It's a huge space with a very comfy bed. Full kitchen and a dining area, large living room/work space. Totally great experience and would go again

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.

Travels a lot both for business and pleasure and normally don't stay in B'n'B's but this time my…read moreusual hotels where fully booked and I luckily decided to try The Sono. Turned out to be one of my best stays ever in Chicago (and there have been plenty...)! Perfect location with free street parking (!!!!), big, beautiful clean rooms, fantastic roof top, great breakfast, fun and helpful host!! I'll be back! Best regards/Oslo

Boy did I luck out! Booked this beautiful place based only on rating, price and its closeness to…read moreSteppenwolf. And because the Lincoln Hotel, where I've stayed previously, didn't have anything under $1000 (don't know why; maybe cause it was last minute.). Found it to be a beautiful B&B, rebuilt within the shell of a townhouse, on a quiet street near Old Town. Got the best room 301 in front with a balcony. Great view of the city toward Willis Tower. There are also decks in back and on the roof. It was so quiet I thought we must be the only ones there till we went down to the free continental breakfast and saw it was fully booked. Staff was friendly and helpful. Would definitely stay there again.

My dad thinks I'm Wonder Woman…read more No, really. I'm not joking...here's the request I got from him a few weeks ago: "We'd like a hotel room in Chicago, over the weekend, with a nice view for about $125 a night. I am sure you can figure it out since you are so resourceful." Riiiiight. Ok then. I almost spat back "well, you can stay at the Red Roof Inn O'Hare with a lovely view of the Cumberland el stop for about $150." But no. I am a dutiful daughter. So, I went to work. I scoured the internet...as I often do when I don't know what I am doing. I stumbled upon At Home Inn Chicago, a service that rents out private residences in a variety of neighborhoods in Chicago. We booked him a room in an Edgewater high-rise, he compromised with me and we got it for $185. FAR CHEAPER than anything downtown, IF we could even find anything... This option requires a bit more legwork than a hotel booking. First of all, DON'T plan on canceling. I mean really, this isn't for the faint at heart or those with a propensity to bail last minute. If you cancel within 10 days you pay TWICE the nightly rate...be forewarned! Ok, besides that. You make the reservation after selecting the property and then within a day or so they let you know that it's A-OK and booked for you. (pay with credit card, it's charged 2 days before arrival). They email you a guest lease and you must sign and fax/email back to them within 24 hours (i told ya, legwork...but worth it, trust me). Then you contact the private owner to make check in/out arrangements... The owner I had the pleasure of working with was lovely, friendly and hospitable. It could not have been any smoother...I'm sure this varies by owner, but they are pre-screened... Ok, so moment of judgment: is this place going to be a hellhole? No. It was actually on a very high floor in the Park Tower on Sheridan Road with a 360 degree view of downtown and the lake. Beautiful one bedroom condo with full kitchen, dining area, LCD plasma TV, AC ...my GOD, the view. I almost made them stay at my house and took the thing for myself for the weekend! A steal for $185 on a summer weekend. I will be using them again and again as I have people coming through. I highly recommend. I only docked one star for the strict cancellation policy, though I understand the need for it... Seriously, screw the overpriced downtown hotels and rent a private condo in some of Chicago's nicest 'hoods. (downtown, Old Town, LP, LV, etc etc) Visit web site for properties...

I cannot say enough good things about At Home Inn Chicago. They saved our vacation! Thursday…read morenight of Memorial Day weekend our previous rental fell through and I suddenly needed to find a space to accommodate seven adults (five beds) for five nights. We started looking at 6pm, and needed to be in an apartment that night. When we called At Home Inn Chicago their offices were closed, but I took a chance and called their emergency number. The woman couldn't have been more helpful. She found us two apartments in the same building, in our desired location (Lincoln Park), with two parking spaces for our vehicles. We were able to book and get the access information for the building immediately. When we had questions, she was incredibly responsive. The apartments were wonderful - newly renovated, we were the first people to stay in them post renovation. There were plenty of towels, blankets, and pillows for our large group and the kitchen was well appointed. The neighborhood was fabulous, we were within walking distance of a number of great restaurants, bars, and shops, and public transportation to downtown was easy. I would definitely use them again.