Howard Johnson Downtown - Chicago

We stayed here for a shopping trip. We knew that it was a little walk to Michigan Ave. but it was not bad at all. We felt it was very convienient to downtown and everything we wanted to do. We took the free trolley to Navy Pier from downtown. Great price! Loved the fact that it had free parking. They even let us stay a few hours after we checked out. We were not expecting a luxury hotel since we were not paying for a luxury hotel. We just needed a place to sleep. Front desk help was extremely nice! We will definately stay here again.

smelly room. floor in shower buckled. very unclean. we moved to another room for the second night and it was tolerable. had we not pre-paid the second night we would have left after the first, we won't return.

I had never stayed at a HOJO's before and am not sure I will again if this is any indication of what I can expect. I don't mind staying in hotels with limited amenities or even a place where the fixtures are older. What I do mind is a room that is filthy and a bed that was unbelievably lumpy and hard. The grout in the bathroom was filled with dirt, the wallpaper and paint was peeling and the sink was cracked everywhere. The staff at the desk was helpful but couldn't accomodate a simple request to change from traveling clothes to wedding clothes in "any" room and sent us to a lounge restroom with ho air in the middle of the summer. We were suprised at the condition of this hotel in downtown Chicago

This is the second time I've stayed at the Howard Johnson's on the Near North Side. It's very inexpensive for the heart of Chicago, and to an extent you get what you pay for. The rooms are small and minimal, no refirgerator or microwave, indoor/outdoor carpeting and no attempt at decor. It's clean, though, and the bed was comfortable, and that's all I'm looking for. It's in a terrific location, with lots of great restaurants, a hidden street of little art galleries nearby, and two blocks from the Brown Line, which will get you to the Loop in ten minutes. And an extra surprise: they now have free wi-fi in the rooms. This is a new feature, and they haven't advertised it yet, but my colleagues at the conference I attended all stayed in expensive hotels and still had to pay extra for wi-fi. If you're looking for luxury, or even ambiance, look elsewhere, but if you want a great deal in a great neighborhood, this is the place for you.

We were looking for a location in the middle of Chicago and not far from Wrigley with an affordable price. This hotel fit the bill. Yes it is a bit tired looking more like 1980 then 2009. But it was clean, affordable and the location, within walking distance to Oak Street, Rush Street and Michigan Avenue was great. Arrive early to get one of a limited number of "free" parking spaces. Doing so makes this hotel and excellent bargain.

Needs improvement. This HoJo is definitely in a time warp--took us back to the 1980's!

The room was generally clean but the carpet really should be replaced. Most of the lamps were almost falling apart, the parts were very loose. The room was fresh and clean, though, as were the sheets and towels. Just the carpet was loose in areas and a bit dingy. Otherwise, OK for the price and location.

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I love this old, rather rundown downtown hotel. Things are old but clean, no charge for parking and your car is always available when you want it. It's within walking distance to the Merchandise Mart & several other downtown destinations. If you like luxury, this is not the place for you. If you like to save some money & have a no hastle stay... this place is great. I've stayed here at least 7 or 8 times in the last 10 years.

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My fiance and I stayed here while we were visiting Chicago. We picked this location because it was very inexpensive. It is a little outdated but the staff is wonderful. We went to see the city, not sit in our room so the fact that it was outdated did not bother us. It is a great location. We could walk every where we wanted to go.

I had to stay in Chicago for a training conference and wasn't planning on staying in the room except to sleep. The room was large enough (King bed), bathroom was clean, though needed some ceiling and fixture updating (but someone would say that about my bathrooms, I'm sure). The room didn't smell bad or stale, but a little odd. The a/c worked as well as the TV. The parking was free and I could keep my car there until 3 pm after checkout. There's a restaurant on-site, but I didn't use it. Staff was friendly. It served it's purpose, I'd stay here again possibly if I was just crashing and needing a place to shower, but I wouldn't stay here with my family.

sweet hotel

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I was very happy with although it was set up very much like a motel (pay the clerk outside, walk to your room)that the rooms were inside and assessable by a key card.

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Room was not cleaned very well. We found hair on the side table and the shower curtain was not clean. BUT, location was relatively close to Chicago Downtown/Mag Mile area and parking was free.

everything about the room was fine, it just smelled really werid. i'll bring a candle next time.

The hotel is in a good location downtown, but don't expect anything more than minimum necessary.

Right outside our window across the street there was a night club with dance floors on floors of the building. The music finally stopped at 4:45 a.m.

This hotel is all about location. The rooms are modest, but clean, and the staff was very helpful and pleasant. There is a nice cafe attached to the building which is open from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Good breakfast for a fair price. The surrounding area is fantastic, plenty of places to get a drink, or bite to eat. Close to the river, and Close to downtown. Depends on your need, if you are looking for a swank room you'll probably want to keep searching, but if you are in town to see the City, check out a game or a show and are looking for accomodations at a price, this is the place.

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It's a basic hotel that doesn't kill you budget. Convenient location, parking a great asset and a wonderful small breakfast place. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The room was okay, clean but had a bit of a "chemical cleaning solution" smell. I would stay there again!

Dirty and Rundown, Close to Downtown Chicago

Location was great! Staff was friendly. Hotel is old and needs updating. Cafe that was attached was wonderful!

Great room for the money

The first room we were checked into had a water leak so the bed was wet. We were moved into another room which was fine, although it only had one chair at the table. Access to Wi-Fi was only in the lobby. The lobby was rather small with only one table. There were 40 parking lots for 70 rooms and it was first come, first serve. I have to say that the lot didn't completely fill up so it wasn't a problem for us, but I could see a potential problem. We had reserved and pre-paid for three nights. When we checked out after one night, due to the condition of the hotel, since we had pre-paid, they were not going to refund the two nights. We did call and they refunded them as a "one time courtesy". Although the staff was friendly and helpful, I would not reccomend this hotel.

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not to many amenities. no swimming pool or gym. ice machine did not work. had to walk to other building for ice.

The room smelled like urine. A/C didn't work properly. Would never stay again. Very very disappointed.

WASN'T THE GREATEST ROOM BUT THE HOTEL WAS CLOSE TO EVERYTHING DOWNTOWN INCLUDING THE SUBWAY SYSTEM. AND FREE PARKING WAS A PLUS. THE STAFF THERE WERE VERY FRIENDLY.

The price is low for a hip neighborhood in central Chicago, and so are the amenities and service. Our first room was small and had a ceiling leak. We were moved to a much larger room across the hall with no leak. No style, no extras, but clean and comfortable as all we did was use the room to sleep. And importantly, the air conditioner worked.

The toilet was only about 2 inches from the sink cabinet, which meant that when I sat on it, my body touched the sink cabinet. I found this to be disgusting. I am not larger than the average American. I also noticed mold on the air conditioning unit and in the bathroom. The location was reasonably convienient to all of the things that we wanted to do.

This is a reasonable hotel for the cost. It is cheap and was reasonable. It could be cleaner, though the staff was nice. There is limited parking (actually not enough) and you have to remove your car by checkout time. There is free wireless internet, but only in the lobby. This is not the HJ of years past, but an example of where the chain has gone the past few years. If you are tight on funds, it is a reasonable choice. However, gear your expectations accordingly.

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The hotel was definitely an old hotel but the staff kept it clean and were extremely friendly. The restaurant on site has excellent breakfast for the money. The parking is free and there is a bus stop just a block away. There is also a money exchange that sells visitor bus passes a block away, near the stop. I personally have stayed at newer hotels that were nasty. Our room was clean, they allowed us to check in early, and the air conditioner worked very well. I will definitely stay here again.

I would not recommend...the floor in our room was slanted...the resteraunt closed at check in time...we could feel the box springs..hallway floors were filthy...it is in a great location but just needs to be worked on alot!!!!!!!!

good enough for the price and location

Although it isn't the nicest hotel available it is cheap and has free parking. Only one car per room though. It was a place to stay and wasn't a long walk to any of our destinations.

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The hotel was a reasonable and convenient place to sleep at a better price than available elsewhere in downtown Chicago. I would recommend it on that basis. However, it was not exceptional beyond this basic service. The cafe closed at 5:00 PM. Wireless was available only in the lobby and the lobby was not accessible later at night. It was a good basic place to sleep.

The location of this hotel is ideal, but aside from that (and the great breakfasts and fresh o.j. at the adjoining cafe), this hotel is the pits. The matresses and box springs all had horrible stains (and no covers...yuck!), the windows were so filthy we could hardly see through them, and the hallways were very dirty. The staff was helpful and nice, and the free parking is definitely a plus, but this hotel is in SERIOUS need of updating! For a few dollars extra...i'd recommend staying somewhere else.

The only good thing about the HoJo on LaSalle is the awesome location and the diner onsite. Free parking is also a great plus, as most downtown hotels charge exhorbitant fees for parking. Howerver, the hotel itself is in deplorable condition. The beds are terrible, the bathrooms outdated, the carpets are nasty, and I haven't been in a room yet that doesn't smell funky (and we stay there 2-3 times a year). The cost is terrible, but the location is the best-2 blocks from the red line to Wrigley Field. Excellent restaurants nearby. Overall, they need to charge substantialy less than they do.

I liked that parking was included. Room was spacious. Staff was friendly and helpful. Rooms, hallways and lobby were dated.

The location is great, however the amenities are lacking, for instance they provide WIFI, however it's only available in the lobby, which is quite small. The located could undergo renovations, move from the 70's to the 90's at least. Based on your travel hotel history and experience, will determine weather your standards are met. More suited for inexperienced travelers, and or college students on a budget.

We stayed at Howard Johnsons because it was the only place we could find for one night. Staff is very good and the parking is free. After that there was little value for the money. The place needs a major updating. Our room was across the street from a nightclub. The constant music thumping into our room was horrible.

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