Chicago River Hotel

We stayed here just one night but the place was perfect for our needs. The service was helpful and to the point, and the valet fella outside guided us to a parking lot which the hotel would partially validate. This worked out very well because the hotel is so well located that you really do not want to be driving around, so we parked the car and walked around enjoying the architecture and shopping.
There are empty bottles on your floor with a water dispenser right near the elevator. You can fill as many bottles as you want, keep them in your room, or take them with you. This proved to be very convenient. The room is equipped with a small keurig coffee machine which we did use and enjoyed. The bath products in the bathroom are nice, the quality of the towels and linens is good, and generally the room is well appointed.
This place definitely has some neat old school and art deco features. It would qualify as a more boutique hotel, and I enjoyed the feel of it. I would definitely stay at this hotel again!

We arrived early in the morning around 9:30 not expecting to check in, but just wanted to store our bags while we went to the Bears game. Storing the bags was not a problem, but this was the first of two upsell attempts.
We booked our room through Hotwire, so I knew a basic room was in order. I was not expecting a nice view, or any extra perks that are reserved for a more premium room. The gentleman at the check-​in desk began to tell us how small our room would be, and without much of a view, but he would be able to upgrade us to a larger room with a view for $ 25.00. I declined. He then offered to upgrade the room, and waive any sort of early check-​in fee for $ 20.00. I declined. The final offer was for $ 15.00, to which I declined again. It is not a good first impression when hotel staff immediately begins to disparage the rooms that are promoted through Hotwire.
After the game we went back to the hotel, checked in, had our bags sent up to the room, and walked into our room on the 17^th floor. The size of the room was tiny, which was expected, and the view was of another side of a building, which wasn’t surprising. The bags arrived promptly, and we got ready to enjoy our night on the town.
After a few stops throughout downtown, and a few libations, we returned to our room, and went to sleep. I did not have any complaints on the comfortableness of the bed, or the flat panel TV that can swing out to be viewed straight on from the bed. What I did not like was waking up to a 75 degree room even though the thermostat was set at 66. The temperature would not go down anymore than one degree. Even when the temperature was set at the lowest setting possible, 50 something I believe, the actual temperature never lowered past 74 degrees. With a room the size of my home closet, it should not take long to cool or heat the room. More than two hours elapsed with no relief to the temperature.
As we laid in bed debating on calling the front desk, or just getting ready to leave, we heard a noise coming from our door. Without warning the door opens, and I yelled at the person walking in. He apologized, and left. At this point I was kicking myself for not setting the extra lock when we returned the night prior. I looked at the door, and I see now why an extra lock was not set… no inside room lock existed! What this means is that anyone with a valid key card can come into your room as you sleep! Not exactly comforting on any sort of return trip.
At this point we just packed up and left. We should have spoken with someone about the heat or the intrusion, but we really just wanted to leave this experience behind. As I returned the key to the front desk, I was expecting a ‘How was your stay’ type of question, to which some of my concerns would have been shared. This did not happen, just told me I had no additional charges, and that I was all set.
Would I return to this hotel again? No. If it comes up for me as a Hotwire hotel, I would consider biting the $ 80 bullet and booking elsewhere.
One bright spot: Location was great.

Well I suppose I’m not too aware of what is a reasonable price for a hotel in the center of Chicago but I would rate a bill of 230 $ bill per night with no breakfast included rather as «$$$» than the average «$$» given for this hotel. In addition the rooms — that are pretty small for a US hotel — would need some refreshing even though they were clean. The absolute top quality of this hotel is its location, right in the center in a walking distance from about everything there is to visit in Chicago. Ideal if you stay there only for a limited period of time: no time lost in transportation!
This being said this review is to complain about the absolutely appalling attitude of the people at the reception at this hotel, that painfully contrasted with the generally very friendly and pleasant demeanor of the Chicagoans. I was there on a professional trip with a colleague (we are both law professors), accompanying students «en route» to the University of Illinois. We stayed there for two nights. Already on our arrival and even if the bill had been taken care of directly by our European University, I was asked to present a credit card as a «guarantee», they said, not to be debited. On the day of our leaving I found myself stuck on my 22^nd floor as the magnetic card opening my room AND operating the elevator stopped to work. You can imagine the situation: couldn’t get in my room and couldn’t use the elevator. If my colleague had not been on the 17^th floor and willing to lend me her card, I would have found myself in the situation of having to go down 22 floors on a steep staircase and this with a knee in a very bad condition (it was end of the morning so no one in sight that could have helped me). So I went down with my colleague’s card. I was a bit appalled with that situation, imagining not to have been the first one to face it, especially that I was quite in a hurry as we had to leave the hotel to go get our rented car. So I explained my situation downstairs to a grumpy receptionnist who immediately started to treat me like if I was some kind of hysterical and stupid woman. Obviously in his view I was not able to use a magnetic card properly and this even though it immediately appeared when he reluctantly accompanied me to the elevator and then to my room that my card, indeed, did not work. At that point he felt allowed to tell me, again treating me like if he had been a psychiatric nurse with some difficultu patient, that I seemed «upset» with this situation and that I should calm down. Do you think he felt like apologizing for the inconvenience he caused me? Of course not… But that is not all… So after this little adventure I found myself downstairs with colleague and students to check out. But there was a little problem: apparently the bill had not been paid by our University, according to the same grumpy receptionnist who obviously was having a good time taking his «revenge» on me. He had already debited my colleague’s card for her two nights without asking for her consent and was about to do the same with me. He and the other person at the reception were looking at us as if we had been tramps unable to pay and attempting to flee with an unpaid bill, making loud comments in front of other customers… Me and my colleague really had to hold on, saying that we absolutely refused to pay this bill that was pre-​paid by the University. That lasted for quite a while during which we felt that they were on the verge to call the police. Then on our insistance «that» guy made a few phone calls from which it appeared that, indeed, our bill had been taken care of by a third party. I have been traveling a whole lot in my life and I do not recall of such an unpleasant memory in dealing with a hotel receptionnist. Bravo!

The hotel is located across the river from the Trump tower. It’s about a 15 – 20 minute walk to the lake and about a 5 minute walk to «the bean.» It’s also less than 5 minutes away from the main shopping area on the magnificent mile. It’s also right on the river way so if you like to run/​bike, I would highly recommend running towards the lake and on the lake. It’s a one mile run just to the lake. The room is small but it has everything you would need. Since we were here to visit friends and explore the city it didn’t really bother us since we weren’t there much. What I loved about this place is that it offered free water bottles on every floor. It was basically empty plastic bottles that you can take and fill up on water with the water fountain they provide.
One negative is that the hotel staff told us there would be free snacks on the second floor but we checked twice on separate days and there were no snacks put out. Just coffee and tea.

I just checked in today. This is my third stay in Chicago and first time back in about ten years. This is my first stay at the Chicago River Hotel. This hotel is close to everything downtown. I read some of the reviews regarding the size of the rooms, but I can honestly say that the room is a very nice size. My room has a microwave, stove, and refrigerator. The only negative is that I was expecting a room with a much nicer view, and the view from my room is less than adequate compared to the photos that I have seen. Other than that, I would highly recommend this hotel, mainly for the location. I give it four stars, mainly because I’m disappointed about the view.

Stayed here with my boyfriend during Lollapalooza 2015 weekend. When we checked in, they gave us the saddest, smallest room which was around 300 square feet and NO window. It just felt very claustrophobic being so small. I called the front desk and they quickly apologized as they said I was given this room by mistake. They re-​located us to a much bigger room on the 32^nd floor with a nice view of the city. Overall, this hotel was great. The location was nearby everything. The only con I can think of was the lack of elevators. I believe there was only 2 or 3 elevators for the entire tower. Being on the 32^nd floor, it sometimes took 10 minutes to reach the lobby since we kept stopping on every floor.

Pros/​Cons:
There was no iron in the room so we had to wait for someone to bring one. They were prompt so I give them kudos for this.
The water bottle station is nice for guests to grab water on the way to the hotel.
Convenient location
Good wifi
Beautiful décor in main hotel, modern décor in rooms.
The bar in the hotel closes around 10 or whenever it’s slow. It isn’t affiliated with the hotel though.
I was extremely disappointed with the room and the service I received. When I checked in they had checked someone else in under my name and card on file. Yes, we have the same last name but I’m a female and he’s a male with different names. I was told they had one room for me and would move me in the morning. I didn’t mind because I was going to be given an upgrade.
I got to my standard room and it was perfect for one person but a double bed and two adults didn’t work too well. I called in the morning to be moved and was given attitude about it and told I didn’t have any notes on my account. I explained the credit card situation and finally was moved. I was given a room on the other side of the hotel and this was a standard hotel room for any hotel except the River Hotel (they think its a luxury).
The second floor has snacks (when they feel like it) but I was disappointed after the first night when they had different trail mixes available and the next two nights there was nothing but soda.

I stayed here last year during December on my annual trip to the Christkindlmarkt. The hotel is old but well-​kept and updated. The elevator made me feel very safe and the water machines were a welcomed surprise. The room was small, but clean, comfortable and with a great view.

Horrible hotel. There was a leak in the toilet which disturbed us all night, not only that but there was an issue with the toilet that made the whole room smell like sewerage… There was a drip coming from the ceiling in the bathroom, there was very little water coming out of the shower, literally just a few drops at a time! And then they had no ironing boards or iron the room! They told us to go outside the room to some cabinet to find the iron and when I got there, there was no iron, so basically everybody on a floor shares one iron and board, how ridiculous! The guy who checked us out didn’t even ask how was our stay, I guess he already knew so just didn’t bother! Don’t waste your time with this hotel!

I very much enjoyed my stay here at the end of March, taking advantage of a Groupon rate that cut down the price of my stay by about 20 bucks. The Standard Room was on the small side, yes, but the design of the room really maximized the space and made it incredibly enjoyable. The bathroom had a sliding pocket door, which really made a difference in the available floor space. The view of the river from our room couldn’t be beat, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. It was great being so centrally-​located, too. The boyfriend and I had an easy 8 – 10 minute walk to Millennium Park for dinner and 15 minutes back from the Bank of America Theatre after a show. I’d stay here again in a heartbeat.

Old school hotel (marble lobby, gilt around the elevators, tiny rooms) reappointed with modern décor. Our room WAS tiny (and with an uncomfortable double bed), which was fine as it was nicely decorated and clean. However, the view was directly onto construction of a building next door — so close there’s permanent dried concrete splatters all over the window. Whatever, not every hotel room can have a nice view, it is what it is. But if you stay in 1109 keep your curtains shut!
The chilled water dispensers on the floors are nice but I would have preferred ice and ice buckets in-​room, or a mini fridge to keep our drinks cold. The Keurig was a good touch. Noise was minimal: didn’t really hear the neighbors unlike at some other places.
The River Hotel is extremely centrally located and a good hopping-​off point for city activities. After price shopping it’s one of the most «affordable» that isn’t a dive.

Great place to stay. I was very pleased with the overall hotel and the service. You cannot beat the location and the view from my room was fantastic. Security is very good as you need your room key to operate the elevator and of course a door man is there ²⁴⁄₇. Great Italian restuarant right next door with a Corner bakery just steps away as well. 7-​Eleven is just across the street on the side.
As far as the room goes, it is on the small size, but agree should not be there long if you are enjoying the great city. You can walk to almost anywhere in the downtown area, or catch the L train. They have done a great job in using the space and the furniture was very up to date and stylish. Bed was comfortable, pillows nice, room temp. to your likeing, Keurig and free filtered water by the eleveator when you need it, they even give you a plastic bottle.
TV on the small size whould be my only gripe. Customer service at check in and out was quick and easy. I would stay here again for sure.

Impressive! Great hotel for first time visitors to Chicago. Hubby and I were in town for our daughter’s graduation & this was our very first visit to the Windy City. I was so pleased to get a room with a view of the river, the view overall was spectacular! The location is right in the heart of the Loop, thus walking distance to many tours, attractions & shopping. The amenities were unique, water purifier near the elevator with free 16oz bottles to fill your own, free coffee, a laundry room, free Wi-​Fi, etc. The bed was very comfortable as was the pull out sofa. Per our request our towels were refreshed everyday and the bathroom cleaned. We were very happy with out visit and will stay again on our next visit to Chicago!

Ramon at the front desk is amazing!!! He was very professional and extra helpful with recommendations for our stay. The beds and pillows were comfy, clean room, and bottle water station was pretty cool. I gave 4 stars because the rooms are a tad bit small. The bathroom toilet and sink were too close together. My only other small compliant is about the door. Rooms are so close together and doors are heavy, every time a door opened or closed it made tons of noise which was very distracting.

Nice hotel. Good for a short-​term stay. As others say, the room isn’t huge but that doesn’t matter… unless you came to Chicago strictly to stay in your hotel room ²⁴⁄₇. The bed wasn’t that comfortable (the pillows are) but you’ll be okay as long as you keep that in mind. Love the location! The complimentary bottles of water were lovely as well! We had a couple drinks at the restaurant attached and it was expensive. $ 53 for 4 drinks.
The parking situation was the only thing that was frustrating. The garage they refer you to doesn’t have many spots open, and if your car is blocking another, you have to leave you key with a parking attendant. Luckily we found a single spot because I really did not trust leaving my key for 24 hours.

Amazing hotel with amazing views! Was perfect for St. Patty’s Day! Great amenities. Extra pillows. I loved having easy access to all the fun things to do in Chicago. I definitely recommend this place to stay while visiting the Windy City!

For my first time venturing in Chicago, alone with my boyfriend (without my parents), this place was perfect!
To start, the rooms aren’t giant, but they are definitely livable. We only stayed a weekend so for the time being we didn’t need anything excessive. Don’t expect anything too lavish; however, the bed was very comfortable along with the pillows. As far as the view from our hotel window goes… WOW! It was amazing. One night during our stay there was a show on the river and crowds of people surrounded the Chicago River Walk and we could see exactly what they could only 16 floors up! It was great for just a couple of days considering we didn’t stay in the room that often.
As a security measure, in order to use the elevator, it is necessary to insert your room key to get the the floor you would like.
The whole time I was here I raved about how great the location was. It was in walking distance to the shopping malls and stores on Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, and even Navy Pier.
The only downfall I would say was the price of overnight parking. We stayed two nights and it costed me $ 90… Yikes! If there were half stars I would give this place a 4 ½ just for that reason but for the expectations I had going in it was great.
Other than that my weekend experience staying here was wonderful and I don’t doubt that I will stay here again.

The staff was amazing — friendly & helpful, with even sometimes talking too much to the point that it was awkward and you wanted it to end 5 minutes ago. The rooms are on the smaller side, but I wouldn’t consider them too small especially because you are in Chicago. I will say, I do sort of like the fact that they have a «guest services» closet on each floor full of extras — blankets, irons & ironing boards, tea, coffee, etc. This not only saved space in the room, but you also didn’t need to bug the staff. I also like the filtered water system/​fountain with bottles available on each floor.
Three things I do wish were different — (1) the TVs are extremely small. I understand you are not in Chicago to watch TV, but they are very small for when you are in the room. (2) The shower heads are in the middle of the rectangle shower vs. one end of the shower. This is very awkward and uncomfortable. Because the shower head is in the middle of the rectangle, you have very little room to move while staying under the water and you are staring at a shower curtain. (3) Our room keys never seemed to work! They would always work perfect in the elevator, but it literally would take 10, and sometimes even 30 times, for us to have to swipe our key for us to be able to get into our room. One time housekeeping even had to help us and it took her a handful of times to have to swipe it before our room key actually worked.
Additionally, we stayed in room 913, which I was at first excited about because I thought we would have an amazing view being on the ninth floor, but we were not facing the river. We ended up being right at roof level of whatever was next to us — not very pretty on the eyes. Also, there was a fan of some sort constantly running on that roof that sounded like an obnoxious fan belt going bad — not fun to hear all of the time, so we constantly had our fan running in our room to try & drown out the obnoxious noise. Oh — also, the one time I did try and call the front desk, I needed to call three different times because no one was answering, which was a little frustrating.
The location of the hotel is perfect! Right on the river and by Michigan Ave and everything you want in Downtown Chicago. You need a room key to utilize the elevators, which makes it safe and to keep unwanted «guests» out. We didn’t utilize, or even see, the work out room, so I can’t comment on it. There was a charging station on the night stand, which was definitely helpful. I dislike when I have to unplug a lamp to plug in my phone charger when I’m at a hotel, so the charging station was beneficial.
As everyone knows, parking is ridiculous in Chicago. I do feel that $ 45 for valet parking is outrageous. I know I haven’t stayed in Chicago for a couple years, but I have never paid more than $ 30 for valet parking before. We ended up parking in the self-​parking, not even a block away, for $ 24 a night — definitely worth it but make sure the hotel stamps your parking ticket.
Looking at everything — the location was perfect, but I do think the room was a little bit overpriced, but I think it had to do with the weekend we picked because the Chicago Gourmet (food festival thingy) was going on the same weekend, so I feel they hiked the prices because of that, even though I reserved the room 7 months in advance. Overall, I would recommend this hotel, especially if you can get it for a good price.

Scrappy underdog wins the day!
— — — –/​— — — —
What do you do if you own a rather small property surrounded by big names like Wyndham /​various Kimpton hotels? You innovate, renovate, and decorate (with a smart interior designer, of course).
They definitely know they need to try harder to earn our business, and they do. From free boarding pass printing, to complimentary wifi throughout the hotel, to purified water dispensers using plastic bottles with caps that can be locked upon closing (like a commercial bottle of soda), to a decent fitness room with towels and flat screen TV, this place does not disappoint.
The initial room had a terrible view of the back alleyway, but this was switched to a larger, rectangular room — with a pull out sofa, and an awesome view of Wacker drive.
The interior designer did a very good job at packing room amenities with a minimum of space. For example, the bathroom had a sliding frosted glass door. The shower was very modern, and used a heavy duty curtain rather than a bulky enclosure. Thought small, the room did not feel cramped by any means. Plus there was a mini fridge as well.
Definitely will consider coming back to this property the next time I’m in Chicago.

This hotel has one of the quintessential views of Chicago from its front doors — on the right is the Chicago Tribune building and right in front of you are the corncob-​like Marina Towers.
So if you want to go to Chicago and soak it up for all its worth, I would recommend the River Hotel.
You can easily get to many places by way of El lines and bus routes that are nearby. And the staff is generally friendly.
The only minuses I saw were that they had told my friend that the suites had two queen beds plus a pull-​out bed, but they really had just a bed and pull-​out. But I will say they upgraded our group’s second room.
And it took us a bit to get our luggage out of the check room because they were either short staffed or some employee wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
But overall, I would happily stay there again.