I’ve read most of the reviews about the Inn of Chicago/Best Western and I think a lot of them have lost perspective. The bottom line is that this hotel is a great choice if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. In fact between valet parking and the room itself, I paid about $100 for this place which is remarkable given its location. If I would’ve spent $50-$60 more, I would’ve chosen another hotel.
There certainly are cons about this hotel:
•Tiny bathrooms, rooms, elevators: The bathroom might be the smallest I’ve ever seen. The room itself was small as well, but I’ve seen smaller rooms in Chicago (e.g., Days Inn Lincoln Park) and world-wide. The elevator was small and could barely fit 3 people, especially if one had suitcases, but you make do.
•Cheapness factor: This isn’t the Swissotel or the Hyatt. The hangers are the kind that you can’t move from the bar. They have plastic cups instead of glass. The towels aren’t wildly absorbent. The remote control for the TV was beat up and obviously hadn’t been replaced when the place was renovated recently.
•Noise: We had a room facing the Ohio Street side. They had a construction site across the street. The noise from that wasn’t too bad for the night we stayed, but the traffic noise easily seeped into the room (sirens, horns, etc.). This is different than my experience in other more modern hotels in downtown Chicago which seal out noise better (e.g, Intercontinental, Swissotel, etc.). Also the hall noise was a bit of a problem at times, I can tell that the doors don’t do a great job of sealing out noise (even though a lot of people are just plan rude and talk too loud).
Pros:
•Cleanliness: Since I stayed only one night and quite literally spent about 8 of the 10 hours in the room sleeping, my biggest priority in a room is cleanliness. For a 2/2.5 star hotel (the 3.5 star rating on Hotwire is a bit off), this place was very clean. I think it was newly remodeled and the rooms had blankets with duvets and also clean bathrooms. Again for the price I paid, this place had the cleanliness of a 3.5/4 star hotel. This included the uniquely decorated lobby.
•Customer Service: They seemed understaffed at times, but rush periods happen. What’s important is that they keep their cool and remain friendly. All staff at this hotel were friendly.
•Location: 4 blocks from CTA red line and a block from the Magnificent Mile, this hotel is centrally located. And again for the price I paid (under $100 for the hotel stay), this is quite remarkable.
Bottom line: This is an old hotel that’s been recently remodeled. The hotel is a great 2.5 star hotel, so remember this level of service when you are paying and you’ll be very happy with the results.
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