The Hostelz.com Review
The HI - Chicago hostel is in a great location -- just a block away from Grant Park, the lovely new Millennium Park, and the 'L' (elevated train) and the sights of the loop.
It's quite large, with the ping-pong table, foosball, and pool tables seeming drowned by the huge "common space" by the reception desk. But the kitchen and dining room are large and spotless, and the reception and the volunteer-run information desk are well staffed and informed. It is all a bit sterile -- a lot of larger Hostelling International places seem to lose atmosphere and personal style in favor of safety and cleanliness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They recently added free wifi, which is great for travelers with laptops.
The hostel is expensive, but to some degree that can be expected for accommodations in a large city. They do include a nice free breakfast as long as you wake up early enough to catch it. If you're arriving by car, also consider the cost of parking which is expensive in the area (but you can find cheap/free parking if you park in a residential part of Chicago and take the 'L' back to the hostel). After you check-out they also charge $2/bag if you want them to put your luggage in the storage room. Paying $4 to have the hostel hold your bags for a few hours is pretty pricey when you consider that luggage storage after checkout is free at most hostels.
The building shares space with a dormitory for college students from the college across the street, but that doesn't seem to make it into a party house by any means. For visitors to Chicago, the great location makes it's a smart choice. Out the front door, turn left and walk straight to hit the waters of Lake Michigan! Aside from the minor negative points we mentioned, overall this is an excellent hostel.
It's quite large, with the ping-pong table, foosball, and pool tables seeming drowned by the huge "common space" by the reception desk. But the kitchen and dining room are large and spotless, and the reception and the volunteer-run information desk are well staffed and informed. It is all a bit sterile -- a lot of larger Hostelling International places seem to lose atmosphere and personal style in favor of safety and cleanliness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They recently added free wifi, which is great for travelers with laptops.
The hostel is expensive, but to some degree that can be expected for accommodations in a large city. They do include a nice free breakfast as long as you wake up early enough to catch it. If you're arriving by car, also consider the cost of parking which is expensive in the area (but you can find cheap/free parking if you park in a residential part of Chicago and take the 'L' back to the hostel). After you check-out they also charge $2/bag if you want them to put your luggage in the storage room. Paying $4 to have the hostel hold your bags for a few hours is pretty pricey when you consider that luggage storage after checkout is free at most hostels.
The building shares space with a dormitory for college students from the college across the street, but that doesn't seem to make it into a party house by any means. For visitors to Chicago, the great location makes it's a smart choice. Out the front door, turn left and walk straight to hit the waters of Lake Michigan! Aside from the minor negative points we mentioned, overall this is an excellent hostel.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2006
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One (big) problem -- BEDBUGS!! It is such a shame to give this hostel such a poor rating because it is top notch in so many ways -- good location, nice rooms (we stayed in a private room), free breakfast, free wifi -- I really would normally go out of my way to recommend it. But (and it's a big one!) bedbugs are really terribly hard to get past. Luckily we were only there for 2 nights but it just really ruins your experience. Added to that was the staff reaction -- even after admitting that what we had were bedbug bites, they were reluctant to apologize or offer any recompense for discomfort of their guest (we were too polite to ask/demand any!) they instead asked "have you been somewhere before?" ... um yes sure we have but THIS is the place we've got bites from!! Dreadful training of their staff to insinuate it's the fault of the guest. Guys, it's YOU not us!! Kinda soured the experience for us. — Itchy Australians... , Australia (2011-09-26) Good everything is good except the internet is not really stable. — Anonymous , taiwan (2011-07-10) Convenient, safe, clean, and friendly. A wonderful place to stay and very convenient to downtown attractions. Though huge, it was a lot of fun meeting so many students from other countries. The facilities were very good: a recreation room, a computer room ($2 per 20 minutes), a large dining room, clean rooms with lockers available. I got the option with the bathroom in the suite and that was a great choice. I felt very safe the whole time I was there and plan to go back when I have more time to stay. The volunteers and staff were very helpful and gave out great advice. — Jeff (2011-03-18) Good location and nice price BUT rude attitude also a little noisy Good location and nice price. However, the lady in the front desk was unfriendly during my check in. I feel like being laughed at because of my account. The interesting thing is the lady herself has an account. Also, it is easy to hear people talking and the noise in the street. I wondered about where negative voice go. — Kan (2011-03-17) Good location, rooms, and breakfast. Dirty common bathrooms Splurge for en-suite bathrooms. The common girls bathroom on the third floor was stinky, had moldy showers, plugged up toilets (that weren't fixed until sixteen hours after I reported it to the desk), and had random people in it. If you have an extra $5 per night, get the en-suite rooms. Everything else about the hostel was great -- clean rooms, good kitchen, great common space, filling breakfast. If you can't splurge for the en-suite room, make sure you bring some shower shoes. — jill , US (2009-11-19) Can't Be Beat Location is excellent although the bus depot is a bit far. Staff are efficient and they have many volunteers to help with information. People overall in Chicago I found to be helpful with tourists. Library is next door for free internet. There was no charge for storing baggage after checking out. Clean with a large dining room. I totally loved the city. But a warning -- there is an 11% sales tax even for hostelers. — Liz , Canada (2009-08-21) Great Location! Great Times! I stayed here with my friend from Denmark over the Lollapalooza weekend because it was cheap, and about five minutes' walking from Grant Park. I would highly recommend this place to everyone who wants to stay in the heart of beautiful Chicago and is on a budget. The room was tidy and spacious. I am a tall girl and I was assigned a top bunk and I could actually stand up on it and still not hit my head on the ceiling. The lockers were good to store valuable items (just remember a lock) but I always felt at ease with the security of the place and never really had to worry about roommates stealing my stuff. The free breakfast was decent -- toast, great muffins, milk -- but what was a real money-saver was the kitchen. Just wash your own dishes and you are free to cook whatever. My friend and I brought a load of food up with us and used this facility at least once every day. They even have refrigerators to store your food supplies in. The hostel also had free Wi-Fi, a comfy lounge to play ping pong and air hockey in, a helpful info desk, a TV lounge, and many free coupons to area attractions. Because I was there over Lollapalooza weekend, they had a special info packet available with aftershow listings and free drink coupons. This hostel really tries to get guests involved and in-the-know about Chicago. And one more word about the atmosphere about the place -- it was so easy to meet people that we ended up hanging out with later. At one point we were in an elevator filled with a Nigerian soccer team, at another we were eating breakfast with some Korean roommates. It's so great to feel at home in a place filled with people from all over the world. I love HI-Chicago! — tallchica65 , United States (2009-08-13) Very nice and suprisingly friendly for such a big hostel I stayed at this hostel from july 13, 2009 until July 17. I then went to a hostel at Madison for six days. Since the HI Chicago was so nice i then went back to spend six more nights before i went home to Baltimore MD. Great location. Very friendly staff and very sociable. I am not an extrovert by nature. And at age forty i was much older than most guests. But i found myself being invited to go out for pizza by a bunch of very nice people and walking around north Chicago with two very nice others. Overall i would say it's an excellent hostel and very sociable. What was funny is that most of the Europeans were surprised about how great Chicago was. Most were led to believe the New York City was the only good place to visit in America. I actually like Chicago more than New York and so did many of the other guests. My advice -- get a CTA day pass or three-day pass (they sell them at the hostel) and ride the "L" train for a couple of hours. It's a great way to see the city. Also go on the hostel outings. Especially if the volunteer Chuck is leading them. He took us to the Venetian Boat parade and then led us on an architecture tour that lasted until 2 a.m. It was fantastic. He does great tours. To sum up -- It was clean, comfortable, and friendly. There are a lot of school groups during the summer though. So fall or spring might be a better time to go. My time in July was great though. Also, the hostel is in a business district. It's a great central location, but to get good food at night go to another neighborhood. The L train gets you to them quickly. I will return to this hostel. It's a great hostel and Chicago is a great town. — Pete from Baltimore , United States (2009-08-02) Great i liked hi chicago. the staff were nice and very accommodating. they had an information desk that i visited everyday i was there and everyone (except one person) was knowledgeable and helpful. i went on one of the outings and had a really good time. the rooms and (private) bathrooms were clean. — jenny , usa (2008-03-24) Location, location, location! The location is awesome for this place and it's great that you can come and go twenty-four hours a day! The view of the el trains going by in the dining room is awesome. I would go back there in a minute and recommend others to visit. But I was expecting the place to be freakishly clean based on what people commented on and what guidebooks say, but the mens community bathroom had showers that were not super clean. Bring your shower sandals and enjoy Chi town! — anonymous , US (2008-01-13) Excellent All the good things said about this place are completely true. It is the best hostel I've stayed in so far. Best thing about it is the toilet and shower were actually in the dorm room I was in. So it was like a hotel room with eight beds. An excellent hostel in a great location. — JJ , Australian (2007-12-14) Good Place With Some Quirks Our stay at the hostel was good. This was my girlfriend's first stay at a hostel and we are in our forties. I have stayed at HI Chicago before and this trip wasn't quite as good as my other stay but by no means bad at all. This hostel's location is just plain great! It can't be beat. Of the five staff I encountered three were fantastic, one was indifferent, and one was downright rude. Our key cards continuously didn't work, so that got to be the running joke of the weekend. The room next to us was having such a loud time that I had to go tell them to quiet down and report them to the front desk. They finally quieted down after the front desk was called. It was almost 1 a.m. The value here is tops, it is clean, and a perfect fit into a budget-minded person's traveling. I will be back and hope the stay will be a tad better with the employees, and guests themselves. — Bob , USA (2007-10-16) Superb Great hostel, it's in a fantastic location! Easy to find and make your way around the city. it is great value for money that's for sure. Took a while to check in but once it everything you could possibly need was here. Great advice on things to do. The dorm room was spacious and clean. The bathroom was also clean and tidy. Anyone thinking of staying here should do it. — Daniel , New Zealand (2007-08-27) Excellent Location, Knowledgeable/Friendly Staff, Great Value I recently stayed here at the HI-Chicago hostel for one night and had a great time! My girlfriend and I stayed in (when I believe to be) the only dorm room with four other guests. The rooms were in excellent condition WITH a locker for each bed, a shower in the room, and a bathroom. This is a much better situation than the 1-bathroom-per-floor conditions at Arlington House International Hostel. This is a very, very organized hostel and feels like much more than just a bed to sleep in. The breakfast was EXCELLENT which included a banana, cereal with milk, orange juice, toast, and a muffin. The staff seemed very friendly and very knowledgeable about the local area. Speaking of area--this hostel is located in the heart of Chicago with great access to everything via CTA (Chicago Transit Authority--the buses and trains/subway). The hostel is no more than a couple blocks from the water. This hostel is HIGHLY recommended for those traveling to Chicago. The only possible downside is the price; $35.77 to be exact (for non-HI members). This may seem like a lot, but you ARE in Chicago and you really are getting high-class treatment! If you have the option between HI-Chicago and Arlington International Hostel, definitely fork out the extra 6 or 7 bucks and go with HI for many reasons. — John-0 , Detroit, MI, US (2007-08-18) Great value! Awesome location, very clean and safe! I was in Chicago for Lollapalooza (Aug. 2007), and wanted to stay at this hostel, but it was fully booked when I called in May to reserve a spot. Disappointed, I found another hostel that was a huge disappointment! The last day I was in Chicago, the day after Lollapalooza ended, I found out what this HI Chicago hostel was really like. Not quite a palace, though just as big -- it is a great hostel, and far superior to the other place I stayed. At $35/night for a dorm bed (and over $100 for a private room), it is pricey for a hostel. But the location is everything, and this place is literally steps away from Grant Park! There is air-conditioning and lockers in each room. You need to provide your own lock, but they are big enough for a good sized suitcase or backpack. I felt safe, and the atmosphere was friendly but not full of clingy people. Check-in required a ton of patience as the line was very long and not efficient. However, I found the staff to be quite friendly and they have an excellent reference area for Chicago tourist info as well as organized trips throughout the week and discounts available for many local attractions. There are several hotels in the area, and none of them are cheap. Yes, this is still a hostel, but the value and location are really hard to beat! If I could do it all over again, I would have called every day hoping for a reservation availability. — Angi , USA (2007-08-14)