Chicago Hostels

I came to Chicago in the peak of its expensive summer travel in June for an education/ business trip. As work didn’t pay for my stay, I didn’t want to shell out the costs for a hotel and opted for this hostel as a way to also experience some authenticity in my travels. I don’t regret my stay here, but there are a few things would have been helpful to know and/or would have made my day better. I booked a private king room, which was on the seventh floor. It offered a reasonable balance of comfort, privacy and value, which is what I was going for. It had the feeling of a college dorm room. There are a lot of complaints on here about the train noise and I do concur that it was quite prevalent and I am someone who used to sleep near train tracks and could normally sleep through trains coming nearby. I would recommend bringing some earplugs or a sound machine for your stay. I would also recommend some type of rag towel or extra curtain over the window as there is a train junction behind the building where very bright sparks occur and shine a lot of light at night. However, the windowsill was very deep and awesome to lean on or sit on and watch life in the city go by. Management: it would really improve your guest stay if you took a few steps to better soundproof your windows, such as sealing them better. Some heavy duty curtains on top of the flimsy blind would be very helpful as well in blocking both noise and light out. The bedroom had enough room for me to comfortably spread out and have a little workspace/desk to work at as well. The overall apartment had a somewhat functioning kitchenette, and simple living area that was shared with three bedrooms in the apartment unit/suite. The hostel had some nice shared areas – lounges where it seemed like a lot of social interaction took place, especially in the later hours of the evening. One of these is the café – dining hall, and it had some old world charm, and interesting architecture to it. As would be expected with a shared type of lodging, some extra time and uncertainty should be planned around your day. There is someone taking up the bathroom/shower the whole morning one more day and I couldn’t get in there before I had to leave. I ended up doing the bare minimum in the share lounge bathroom on a different floor. It is located in the loop, which is close to a lot of colleges and businesses. It is a short walk to the more high-end and tourist area of river north. There is also residential to the south. The block on which the hostel itself is located had some homeless tents set up including near the front door. Obviously, there can be some issues associated with a large city however, I did find it to be especially prevalent in the exact location where the hostel was located. In fact, one night there was a dumpster fire in front of the property because of all the trash that was collecting. Lake Michigan is located to the east and there is a large lakefront park that extends all the way no

I was pleasantly surprised when arriving at the hostel. It's in a beautiful street. Lincoln Park is such a lovely area, I wish I had more time to explore it. Tree-lined streets, great shopping and food options on Clark Street and close proximity to Lincoln Park and the beach. Also close to the subway to head into downtown Chicago. It's the nicest hostel I have stayed in. Spotlessly clean, large reception area and sitting room. Huge kitchen and fridges and free laundry which I took advantage of. If you're looking for a social hostel to meet people it didn't give me that sort of vibe, which was fine for me because I was out most of the day. There didn't seem to be any events on and everyone in the common area just seemed to be on their phone and keeping themselves to themselves, which again was totally fine for me. I stayed in a private room with a shared bathroom. The room was a great size with air-con, a table and chair and a bunk bed (single on top, double on bottom). The mattress was ok. The bunk beds were not great, a bit wobbly ( I wouldn't like to have had to climb to the top bunk), but it was fine and I had good sleep each night. The room was fresh and clean. I stayed 6 nights and it wasn't cleaned whilst I was there. With it being a hostel I'm not sure how this works? I emptied my own trash, asked for new towels and bedding which was fine but I would have liked it to be cleaned during my stay, not a big deal though considering the price, the fact its a hostel and generally how lovely it was. The shared bathrooms were spotlessly clean. There were four showers in the one closest to me. The staff were mostly friendly. One staff member was a bit rude when I queried the wifi, turned his back away and clearly did not want to engage (maybe he was having a bad day?) I just felt a bit awkward and like I was troubling him.. And the wifi was the only real negative. I struggled to get connected in my room throughout my stay and had to purchase data add ons which was an extra expense. Overall though, I would return. Brilliant set up and a gorgeous area.

This hostel is a gem. I came up for a long (four-day) weekend, went to see Penn & Teller at the Chicago Theater Friday night, ran the 2023 Chicago Marathon on Sunday morning. All of the guests were friendly and I met some new friends. The staff were likewise friendly, courteous, and helpful. The hostel was clean, particularly the bathrooms. There are plenty of lockers for storing your gear; kitchen has all the amenities. The hostel is two blocks from the L and it's a 20-minute ride to downtown on the Red Line. Convenience stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bars are within one to three blocks. The neighborhood appeared to be safe and the streets are well-lighted. Great place to stay!

The room is clean and comfortable, suitable for backpackers. Not bad, thumbs up!