Best Western River North Hotel

My stay here was great! The staff was very friendly and helpful! They even helped me switch rooms with no hesitation after checking in because I had security concerns about the guy whose room was next to mine. This location is fantastic! Right in River North near plenty of restaurants and fun things to do. It’s about a 6-minute walk to the red line train and lots of buses are around. The restaurant inside the hotel was great! The food was really, really good and their service did not disappoint!

Location was great! Close to several places we wanted to see/eat at. Our room was clean, and the staff was friendly, helpful and patient in answering any questions. We were very happy with our stay!

We stayed here for 3 nights, and it was literally the cheapest hotel in the downtown vicinity. It cost around $450 from their website, but it seems their prices fluctuate on any given day, in which I actually planned my trip around their cheaper nights. It’s about a 30-minute walk from the train station and is close to several bus stations and the Red Line. The rooms were typical and nothing too special; the hotel has an awkward design where it seems easy to get lost in the corridors. Housekeeping is by request only, and by time we returned within the hour, our room was in near brand new condition. The pool was very clean and warm with a nice view of the city from the patio. My only complaints are that the Wi-Fi was very unreliable, and there was a construction crew using jackhammers on their parking lot in the early morning just beneath our room. I can overlook those concerns, as the price, cleanliness, service, and location of the hotel was very good. This hotel will definitely be on my search list should I revisit Chicago again in the future.

Stayed at this hotel for 4 days. Booked because the area it's in was convenient and had many places in a close distance. I also liked the photos of the terrace and the view. When I got here the staff was pretty nice. The terrace and the pool was also pretty good. However the room was tiny, I booked a king size bed and that is definitely not what I got in the room. I own a king size bed and the one in the room was nowhere near the size, the mattress was also very hard so I barely slept the entire stay I was here and got up with my entire body aching each morning. Tried to see if maybe another room had a better mattress but the nightshift front desk lady didn't seem to care or want to deal with anything and just gave more pillows to try to "make it better". The room was also very stuffy and dry even with the air running all night, that it made my sinuses act up. The description of the room also stated that there would be a fridge in the room but in reality there was no fridge or microwave. Later found out that you could request for a mini fridge and a microwave to be put in your room free of charge but I only received a mini fridge because all the microwaves were already in use. For someone on vacation these two things are essential to have in the room and the description on the website even says that they are included in the room so to not have either when you arrive and to have to request them to be brought to your room is pretty ridiculous. If you are looking for a comfortable place to stay then the only comfort you will get here is that the hotel is in a good location. Other than that, be prepared to have sleepless nights due to the rock hard beds that they have.

After driving 8 hours with 2 young boys my husband and I were so excited to get to our room, which was a 2 double bed room. During check in, we were told that on a mistake on their part, we were upgraded to the "presidential suite" for no extra charge! Wow, that was probably the best thing that could have happened to us. While I'm sure the room we had paid for would have been amazing as well, we were in awe at the suite! Kids are kids, so they had so much room to run around, and everyone wasn't cramped in one room together! This made our 4 day stay perfect. We really went to Chicago not a festival, and a Cubs game, but the highlight of our trip was our rooms! We spent a lot of time relaxing and swimming! This is our second stay with this particular Best Western hotel, and have never been disappointed. Great customer service, great good at the restaurant attached, clean and nice rooms! Thank you so much for such a great experience.

This hotel is a little older but overall my co-worker & I’s stay was amazing! Armando at the front desk was super friendly & made sure we had a great experience also recommended some places to explore while visiting. If you need a go to guy for anything, he’s your man! Dear Manager of this Best Western, Give this man a raise, he deserves it!!!

The room could use a deep clean. There’s a lot of surface dirt on phones, tables, etc. The heater doesn’t work very well, leaving the room cold. Hallways smell very musty. The location is decent with a bp nearby. The site I seen and booked through listed free parking and microwave and fridge. Upon arrival it was $50 daily parking even though after reviewing past reviews it stated $25. Also microwave and fridge are $10 each and that’s if they have any to rent out. So for paying $435 for 3 nights plus $150 in parking we were pretty upset. The view from our room is dumpsters which I know they can’t do anything about. Beds you get two top sheets no comforter and we tried to connect WiFi on 5 devices and only one connected after several minutes.pillow has black questionable stains on it and shower doesn’t get warm water. One block away parking on weekends $30. Also room service came in when we were in the room. The sign said room service would only come in if you asked. Can’t help but wonder if they were there to look at our items as the hotel has many signs around stating they are not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

We stayed here for a total of 4 days and my sister and I couldn't be more happy! We were able to check in early for a certain fee and our deposit was waived. The location is close to almost everything and can walk to different places easily. Also we are so glad there's a Portillo's AND McDonald's in front of the hotel. All of the staff were super accommodating and kind. We will definitely stay here again if given the chance to visit Chicago in the future. Just wanted to say a big plus to Carlos who works for maintenance. He was super speedy in helping us with our request of fixing our AC/heater issue in our room.

Really disappointed with the terribly expensive place We arrived at 2AM to enter the room and waited in the front desk 20 minutes for someone to give us a ticket to the room The sink was clogged And they charge $50 for parking for less than 24 hours

10 stars for the staff, seriously! Everyone from the front desk to the cleaning crew to the restaurant manager was amazing! We really enjoyed our interactions. Rooms were great. They were clean and spacious. Location was perfect for our needs. Parking lot was safe and secure through the night, even with a car full of a college kid's stuff.

Five stars for the Housekeeping Staff and the room size . The rooms are really quite big I'm pleasantly surprised. This place isn't new and definitely has signs of age . But for the price the location is great. You're very close to good restaurants, public transportation and not far from the river. Housekeeping is really good too - rooms are clean. They also have a pool which I tried in November and it was definitely warm enough. There's parking too . Pretty good spot . Try Bar Cargo up the street for Roman style pizza.

We stayed here for a total of 4 days and my sister and I couldn't be more happy! We were able to check in early for a certain fee and our deposit was waived. The location is close to almost everything and can walk to different places easily. Also we are so glad there's a Portillo's AND McDonald's in front of the hotel. All of the staff were super accommodating and kind. We will definitely stay here again if given the chance to visit Chicago in the future. Just wanted to say a big plus to Carlos who works for maintenance. He was super speedy in helping us with our request of fixing our AC/heater issue in our room.

Everything here is fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine. It's a weirdly laid out old building but front desk staff was friendly and quick. Room is fine, bed is firm which I like but everything is loud. They even left me ear plugs on the night stand. Convenient location to most things in Loop and a few blocks walk to transit. Best thing so far is the very tall shower head. I'm 6'6" and didn't have to duck or scrunch down at all.

I stayed at the one bymillennium Park. It was a dump and I thought it was a shelter. It was during Covid they had all sort of unusual looking people hanging outside the building. went to the one in River North. The manager by the name of Jordan was very rude. People were running above my, stomping! The bed was lumpy! By the time they decided to give me another room, it was time for me to leave! I called to complain and no one could do anything about it. I called corporate and they couldn't do anything about it . Best western should never exist in Chicago. and again the customer service sucks especially the one in Rivernorth. The managerial team was grossly unprofessional.

Good hotel option if looking for a more affordable rate right in the heart of downtown Chicago. One night in June was about $270 including taxes/fees - about $200 less than any others we could find. For the price, this place does it's job. I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking to really use the hotel amenities - we liked it just as a nice crash pad while visiting friends who didn't have guest rooms for us to stay in. The room was average and nice - you can tell this property is a bit old but no problem. The staff were all helpful and kind. Loved that they were able to hold our bag for us during the day.

My favorite hotel on the east coast. I can't wait to return to the beautiful city of Chicago and come back to this beautiful hotel someday soon. I'll be bringing a big bouquet of flowers and a big thanks for the kindhearted hotel staff and management who were so nice to me when I needed it. Enter the big glass doors into a swank lounge area furnished with comfortable chairs and couches with teal and turquoise touches. Large groups can be easily accommodated at this hotel, parking is available for large vehicles and the lounge can comfortably seat about a dozen guests while your host checks in. Dear hotel manager, I am the girl who was delivered by a Chicago police officer a few years ago and attacked by an angry mob seconds after I arrived. Thank you so much for going above and beyond to keep me and your hotel guests safe. I arrived at your hotel while carrying an important letter written in the interest of civil rights and social justice. My letter and I made it home safely and my misinformed friends who followed me into your hotel and I have since made up and resolved a big misunderstanding. It's not every day I get caught in the crossfire of world conflicts while running for my life, but it's my life's goal to help be a part of making it better. Thanks for working so hard to keep me and everyone who comes to your hotel safe during the pandemic! I can't wait to see you guys again. With gratitude, Mary Five. Million. Stars. ****"******"

The staff are warm and personable, and very strict about turning off their coffee machine at 9am. They provide daily room cleaning, which is nice past pandemic, but there is no refrigerator in the room. The hotel and the rooms are spotless, but perhaps in need of some TLC. You can see a little wear and tear in the lobby carpet and furniture, the elevator walls, etc. The hotel is well situated, but maybe not for a lone woman traveler. During the day is fine, but at night there are a few people doing their thing so it's probably best to take Uber home instead of walking home. The hotel is well lit, and there is security, but between the touristy bits and the hotel, you may be a little uncomfortable. There is a pool, but no sauna. If you need a place to sleep, this is great, and it's reasonably priced for the area.

The rooms are large, and very spacious. The staff greets guests with gracious hospitality. I definitely recommend this hotel if you're staying in the river north area. It's a convenient 2 block walk to all the shops on Michigan Avenue, with amazing restaurants surrounding the hotel.

DO NOT BOOK UNLESS YOU LIKE BEING SCAMMED. When you get to the hotel the charge you an additional $200 then what they said it was gonna cost plus a $250 smoking charge that is supposed to be refunded after check out, it has been 2 weeks and we still haven't received our refund. Checked my bank account and they charged another extra $100 after check out. Then people were in our room when we were gone even with the privacy sign on it. I will never return to this hotel again. If i could give 0 stars i would.

My daughter and I has reservations for a week she had a procedure done it's midnight and the noise in this hotel is horrible called front desk several times about the guests above me even went up there myself and it was two rooms doors wide open music just loud front desk says they can only offer another room it's horrible I will never stay here again.

Me and my brother traveled from Oakland CA to Chicago during the weekend of the raiders vs bears game, we decided to stay here because we got a good deal, but found out they had roaches. Saw roaches coming from walls. We were not comfortable at night with the lights off all we can think of is having roaches on the bed while we slept. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE .. Never booking here again..

I generally stay at a way nicer hotel by standard however based on the photos I decided to give this hotel a try. I walk in to check in and the front desk area is nice and I notice some guest coming out In a happy mood from the right side of the front desk. I was trying to confirm with myself that I made a good decision by being overly observant. The front desk lady was really nice and kind. She checks me in and hands me my key card and I say to her....this is a decent hotel right and she says....I mean we are not a 4 start hotel but we have nice amenities and a pizzeria. I said ok cool. She said ok your hotel is back out the front door and head over to door number 2. Instantly when I entered the door I feared for my security because it was easy for anyone to access the rooms and not have to go past the front desk because building 2 was not connected to the building with the front desk. I noticed how muggy the air was as soon as I entered door two...I get up to the 5th floor and the walls are dirty and the halls are very warm. I get into my room and it is cool but damp, the room is small and cramped. You can tell the cool air in the room was fighting with the warm air entering the room through the door and the room had a weird smell. The air conditioning unit made a loud and weird noise when he cut off. My husband arrives later and he can tell by my commentary that I was not pleased. I said that we will make a decision to move or not after we go get food. We leave to get food and waited for 10 minutes for the elevator to make it up 5 floors which was my breaking point. At that point I was like....yes we are leaving. My husband was sweeting profusely while we stand and wait for the elevator due to the hot halls. We finally decided to take the stairs for 5 flight of stairs down so we can go eat. We get back and pack our bags to head to the next hotel. As I am checking out 3 hours later, I told her I didn't care for the conditions and that it was very muggy and hot to the point where my husband and I have started sweating at random times. She said that their building is old.....I said that's fine but we are leaving. I asked if I for a refund and she said "no". I said ok. Take care. A nice gesture would have been to not charge me for the entire day. However, I imagine and based on reviews many people chose to cut their stay short here. I imagine that the people who have voted this place 5/5 are those who get to stay in the facility/building of where the front desk is located....not those who have to exit the front door and go to door number 2. Best Western will never see me again!!!!

The actual hotel is an older building and a little run down. But, for the price you pay it is somewhat expected. What made this hotel so great was the front desk manager Jordan Tippens! He was absolutely amazing, extremely kind and very very helpful! He by far gave the best customer service we received during our time in Chicago and made our entire experience at the hotel go very smoothly! He deserves a raise, he was so great!

We came from Ohio for a concert. Heard this was a nice hotel. They charged $49. A night for parking..we knew that, but our car was broken into in their lot !! $49. A night and not secured!?? This ruined our trip. I feel our parking fee should be refunded ! We told the front desk and are still waiting to hear from someone. Very disappointed in our choice.

For my first stay in Chicago this place really did a good job. Our rooms were clean the staff was super friendly. The restaurant inside was good as well

Stayed for 6 days, the room is nice, small bathroom. There's breakfast available (food is nothing to write home about) but it is a separate fee. Several places are within walking distance.

I have mixed rating on this hotel. This is an old property. The hall carpets are old, the elevators are old, there is a slight "old" smell to this place. The units themselves are good size, and ambiance is slightly better and the beds are comfortable. I love that there is onsite parking. The HVAC works great. It was hot when we stayed but the hotel and the rooms were quite pleasant. The restaurant is a separate business and isn't great. Bute there some great restaurants close by. So we didn't miss it. We're 2 blocks from many excellent breakfast places and bars. The staff are absolutely wonderful. The garage staff are friendly and helpful. We could go from the garage to our floor in one elevator. The front desk staff are also really helpful and friendly. The staff makes this place.

This is the perfect location if you have plans to visit the Navy Pier, or want to visit the Rainforest Cafe or Hard Rock Cafe across the street. The parking area is safe and monitored, and the front staff is pleasant and efficient. William checked us in, recognizing our elite status with a goodie bag or 500 Best Western points. We chose the latter. He also gave us drink coupons (50% off) at the restaurant that is part of the hotel, and told us to come back for complimentary ice cream sandwiches for dessert. We did, and they were good. Our room was on the 5th floor around the corner from the elevator. It had a view of the parking area, and the restaurants across the street. It was not a large room, but it was adequate The bed was big and comfortable for a pleasant slumber. The bathroom was big enough for what we wanted to do. The toilet flushed loudly and incompletely, but it got the job done. It was 92° outside, and even though the air conditioner made loud clunking sounds, it kept us cool. We saw a note about providing earplugs if Chicago traffic was too loud. The AC was louder. We liked the Chicago photos on the walk, & enjoyed watching the flat screen TV. This is an older hotel, and has an odd configuration. It has three areas and elevators. The price is not outrageous for the area, but it wasn't inexpensive. It was what we needed for a one night stay with excellent staff to check us in and out. No breakfast was included in the price, but coffee and tea were in the lobby with a few apples.

Pros: -really nice staff. They are welcoming and helpful. -pretty good location to some good restaurants (Beatrix, Emma). -rooftop is small but nice. Cons: -biggest con is our room keys kept not working. They told us not to have the key near our phones, which we didnt. My key would go into my wallet covered and my phone in my purse, and we had to get new keys 4 times. Thankfully it never stopped working late at night but it definitely wasn't safe. -very outdated. There's a reason the hallways aren't shown in these pictures, and it's because they're super old and don't smell good. -room locks felt loose and need to be replaced soon. -instead of a main lobby, there's different "towers" essentially to walk into so it didn't feel super safe as a woman. -you can smell the pool from miles away, it reeks the hallways. Overall I wouldn't stay here again and it felt overpriced compared to other hotels I've stayed at in the area. If you just have a quick trip this is fine, but they need to do some serious remodeling to keep up with the other hotels.

Great location, super average room. Overall happy with the access to the city. A couple problems- broken pool, broken coffee maker, broken elevator during our stay so definitely don't come expecting any of the minimal advertised amenities or conveniences. Loud outside on the weekends and windows aren't great so you hear EVERYTHING outside. But the bed is comfortable, easy walk to everything, and price is good.

I'm gonna go 4 stars because we had a free night with our rewards. Some good things was the pool. They had towels for swimming as well. Front desk was super nice. They did have ice machine and vending on our floor. Had a inside restaurant. As far as the room went the bathroom was ok as well with a higher shower head for taller people. Ample soap and shampoo and sufficient towels. Tv was basic 22 inch with the usual stations. The heater and AC was very loud and difficult to adjust. No black out shades and bed was very uncomfortable and worn in. Needed to be replaced. For the amount they would normally charge I might repeat because we were there to swim and is in a great location with east Uber pick up drop off. Parking also not included and is $49 for overnight but you get unlimited in and outs.

This place was ok for a 1-night stay, given that we weren't in the room much, but I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time here. First off: the good stuff. The staff are wonderful! Really friendly and helpful. And the location is great. You're right in the heart of things and within easy walking distance of transportation and things to do. But the hotel is showing it's age. The carpet is worn and stained. The floors sag in places. The walls are stained and/or chipped. The narrow hallways with industrial lighting evoke an institution more than a hotel. The bathroom is small, badly lit and worn. Our bed was squeaky and rock hard, so it was tough to get a good night's sleep. I guess I would stay here again if I was desperate, but it certainly would not be a top choice.

I wasn't excited when I found out that we were staying at a Best Western during our stop over in Chicago. The price was great, location was amazing in downtown, but I had known BW's to be kind of run down and not always well-managed. But my preconceptions were totally off. This hotel was well-run. The rooms, halls and lobby were spotless, modern, and looked recently refurbished. With budget-priced parking on-site and a phenomenal location, this turned out to be an amazing value and I would absolutely consider it again!

5 stars because I loved the location. The room was a tad small but housekeeping kept room nice and clean. I would definitely stay again!

The rooms were clean. It's close to everything. The hotel staff was very helpful and polite. They had good recommendations! We locked our keys in the car and the employees went above and beyond to help get us in! Good people! The restaurant was good and room service was convenient and quick. Will be back soon and hands down staying here again!

Staff doesn't recognize a paying customer. Bum rushed by parking attendant while dropping a friend and patron off. We barely stopped the car and said goodbye with no cars behind us or around. Parking attendant could have approached in a hospitable way, but instead wanted to treat us like we were the opposing in a gang war, and without so much as a hello, wanted us to move the car. It was evening and empty, and no fires as far as I could see. An attempt to be welcoming, helpful, or to redirect us with kindness completely nonexistent. Instead he caused a vile scene resulting in this review. I rarely review and felt I needed to as I'd never pay staff that made my patrons feel insulted, on the defense, and even unsafe with this aggressor. There's no reason, he couldn't have introduced himself, and offered solutions without hostility. Would never come here again. Monday 10pm 8/23

Landed and arrived at hotel at 2 AM. We were the only people at the front desk waiting for the attendant to provide our room key. We had already paid for two rooms. We did not receive a key until 3 AM when we resigned to pay for a third room and go back to the front desk the following day. Unacceptable and indifferent service.

I am no spring chicken to travelling and have stayed at plenty of Chicago hotels before. I have also stayed at other Best Westerns around the nation. That being said, I have never experienced the headache I had here at check-in. The night before I checked in I was charged the full room rate for my visit. ($300.00 with tax) Room should be under a hundred. The Hardrock this is not. I used hotels.com and chose the pay at the hotel option. I am thinking "Ok I'm paid up..." We get to the hotel and they want to charge me for the one night stay again. I show them the charge. They say it will fall off. I look again today the day I check out, and there us a new charge. So when I check out am I going to be charged a third time? (We were charged again the next day) The front desk staff is really young and needs some training on customer service. The young attendant proceeded to argue with me about how he couldn't put the whole room on a credit card I expressly told him was incidentals as we had already paid. After going back and forth for about 15 minutes he finally gave us room keys. By that time the steam was coming out of my ears. I am thinking do we really look like a bunch of partiers? My 13 year old, my hubby and I? We also requested a fridge and had to call down twice to get it delivered. The floor is warped so it was hard to.open. We were able to check our luggage as we came at 10am but couldn't get the room until little before 3 which was ok. The hotel itself is on Ohio right by Rainforest cafe. Check in wasn't pleasant so I was thinking it was going to be a dump. You have to exit the main building and enter another building to get to room405. The elevator is tiny and a bit stinky. The hallways have flooring issues. I booked for my husband my daughter and I.(second daughter stayed home thank goodness) You open the door and the bed is literally right there. They are not standard queens but more like full beds. My daughter's bunk bed is bigger. She had to sleep in the chair with automan. There is no way this room is for 4 people! My other daughter would have to sleep on the floor. They said the next moring they could have given us a roll away bed. Where would we put it? There literally wasn't any room. When you exit the bathroom there is a real dip in the floor. There must have been water damage. The computer chair is broken, the desk really knocked up. The only saving grace is the cleaning Staff, the room is clean. The room is really tiny though. Good enough for sleeping but not for a family for an extended stay. I am done booking with hotels.com and would not stay here again. We were in town for the Panic concert. For the price I could have stayed at a better hotel. I wouldn't expect to pay more than a hundred for this room. Upon checkout I called the front desk to tell them I was express checking out and told them about condition issues with the room. The tub was backed up when I was taking a shower and the computer chair seems broke. She asked if I called down and reported it when I said no. I had a bad experience with check-in. I sure hope they don't try to charge me for that too!

I used booking.com to find a price range for under $100 with a pool and sheer luck lead my to this hotel! For an extra $25, there was in and out hotel parking. Complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, & hot tea. Free wifi for guests in the computer room. A staycation inside a hotel for us. I booked 2 double beds, one for my dauggter and the other for myself. The pool was open until 10pm which had a sun deck we couldn't use because it was a chilly day. Near the lobby was a pizza place. To have it delivered to your room was an extra $3. My dauggter and i are social creatures so we ate in the restaurant and used that $3 meant for room service as part of the tip. We swam, ate pizza, and watched tv then dozed off early. Although our room was a bit small, it was clean and quiet.

Parking is $25 and they didn't tell me that until checking in. Every time I needed to park I had to wait or get out in the cold and go grab someone to open the gate.. my truck is too big for for the parking garage. The tub in my room didn't drain.. so If you shower you're in 3 inches of water. The window was broken and overall wasn't very clean. Also you can't dine in, swim without vaccination due to the laws in Illinois. They should tell everyone that prior to booking!

Beware of hidden fees! They charge $25 for parking per night, plus there is a 17% tax with your stay. Originally my room was $109 but it turned out to be $153 for one night! We would have probably looked for a better hotel if we knew that's what we'd end up paying. Otherwise, the room was clean, and staff was friendly, location is good.

G R E A T S T A F F T H R O U G H O U T H O T E L This is an older hotel, but well maintained. Everything seems to be freshly painted, and in working order. As per usual, the elevators are tiny weenie. Since it is old, you can hear the drunk ladies coming in thru the hallway after the bars close. :-) The first night (in June) we turned the loud venting system off. It was uncomfortably hot and outside noise was awful. So the next 2 nights we put the air on and it canceled out the other noise, and sleeping was cooler. Our room was smaller, but clean, and the bathroom was updated nicely. Let's talk about the wonderful underground parking: $25 a day BINGO. With a parking attendant too. Shazam. So many interesting places are within walking distance: Rainforest Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, Walgreens, Portillos, and that is just within 2 blocks, You could easily walk to Navy Pier and not deal with parking down there. Also, walk 2 blocks and grab a city bus. It is $2.25 cash a trip, or go to the Bus Station or Walgreens and get an unlimited 3 day pass. Don't fight traffic, just taxi or bus it. So, the LOCATION of this hotel is PRIMO. Our pool experience was not the best. The pool water was slightly cloudy, but then there had been SO MANY children in there previously. A little scummy on the tile too, but that happens with a lot of use. We were so disappointed that the rooftop deck was unavailable. The website did not mention that fact. We so wanted to have cocktails up there after dark. The front desk crew were quite accommodating. They rounded us up a mini fridge, and adjusted our room rate to reflect the current going rate. Thank you so much. One of the gals printed up a local map so I could plan my route. I still got confused but then, I usually am. The bar and restaurant are pretty small, but you can eat and drink there just fine. Loved the "selfie station" too. Food was just ok, not spectacular. Great bartender, but I thought the food servers should be wearing some sort of uniforms. Just my taste. I did get some conflicting info on busses and the Free Trolley, so do your own research. L O C A T I O N L O C A T I O N

Sufficed. Needed a quick, cheap, centrally located one-nighter and while customer service does vary among different staff members and departments, it works fine. Got there too late to try for any upgrade deal. My floor was a bit loud at times. And in the morning I was entertained by the alley I was facing. An open garage business with guys moving stuff in and out struck me as kind of funny. Enough for me to whip out my camera. I'd return under similar circumstances.

I've mentioned how important location can be for a business and once again it proves true with Best Western River North Hotel. The hotel is blocks from the Red Line, the Brown Line, Merchandise Mart and plenty of stores, restaurants and bars. It's also a quick cab or Uber ride from proper downtown, Millennium Park and Grant Park, the Navy Pier, Lincoln Park and other trendy parts of town. The hotel itself, as of when I stayed in September of 2016, is just at the tail end of a renovation and truthfully, they've done a good job. The rooms were nice and super clean with modern amenities including cable tv and wifi and plenty of plug ins for your devices. The bed itself was quite comfortable. There is a pool on the top floor if you have some time or if you want the kids to burn off some energy. The staff was excellent and I think went above and beyond to make my stay comfortable. I arrived a little early and my room wasn't ready, but they allowed me to check my bag and gave me some advice about the neighborhood and where to grab a good meal.

This is bullshit. They made me and my rickshaw leave the sheltered area in the rain for no reason. I was waiting for guests of their hotel to come down. I will never stay at this place because of the way they treated my beautiful rickshaw driver.

We booked 3 or 4 weeks ahead and had hesitations about our experience. But we are having a great experience so far. We didn't rent a car, but if we did the cost for parking is much cheaper than most any other place. You can't beat $25/night when you pretty much in the middle of the "Loop". I posted 10 pics of our large spaced room with a queen sized "king" with living space. We called in advance to request a over sized room to fit a roll away bed (extra $10/night) and the front desk staff were very accommodating. Many eateries are within close walking distance such as the Rock & Roll McDonalds, world famous Portillo's hot dogs, Rain Forest Cafe. In the building is Pizzeria Ora which is known for their pizza. We had garlic pizza, 2 orders bruchetta, triangle mac n cheese, 2 orders chicken wings, an individual supreme pizza, and a White Goose IPA for $59. The staff have been very nice and courteous. They have rolling luggage carts to move your stuff but the elevator is VERY small. So, it's your cat and 1-2 people max in the elevator. The top floor swimming pool is a good size but when there's a lot of people, not so much. Lap swimmers come early a.m. and take up the pool. I've seen only more portly older folk here in the a.m. It's about 8' at its deepest though. So my girl and her Mermaid swim tail had a blast after the whaling was done.. The workout room has a treadmill, a universal weight station and an elliptical machine with a water dispenser and towel rack for hydration and hygiene. There's a full mirror in there for you to flex your abs and glutes and stare at yourself too! The CONS for us have been: (1) dragging up or luggage from curbside drop off up the 5-6 stairs to the lobby. There are 5 in our party with carry ons and personals beside our main luggage. A total of 9 pieces to carry up. Yeh, drag-ola. But there was a nice gentleman bellhop who happened to be there to help me out. * There is an elevator from the parking level to the lobby buuut... (2) A *very small elevator is the hotels MAIN elevator to take you to the lobby or floors. But in order to go up to the pool on the 7th floor, patrons on the lobby-6 floors MUST go down in order to go up! Yeh. Seriously. #renovatethat. #theyaredoingrenovationstothehotel #butnottheelevator. Now imagine what the wait was for us to get our luggage up to the 4th floor?! We waited what seemed like 15 mins for 3 attempts for space enough for us to fit. Grrrr! Oh look! A half filled elevstor! I took my son with 3 luggage in the elevator with 3 other people in there who came down to go up. Another older lady crammed herself in there cuz she was tired of waiting and couldn't take the stairs because they are somewhat steep. I felt like we were in a Paris elevator it was so cramped. And (3) the noise level was pretty loud. There were loud motorcycles into late Tuesday night! I said Tuesday!! Whaaaaaaaaaaat?? [breathe] This location is ideal. However you are in the middle of the loop where the is action until late night. So expect to have a long night if that is troubling. I'm going to get some earplugs for us to fix that. Overall we're having a great time with prefect weather in late-June 2015. So I give this place a 4 star rating withholding 1 star for the elevator and it's quirks; the noise level because we are a family and my wife and I are not big party animals so much with our kids; and the silly stairs at the front. I would definitely recommend to stay here with some mild preparations. Have a great time in"The Windy City"! (It's not windy here now. 76'F and prefect)

Everything I loved about this hotel: - On-site parking - Amazing view on the roof of the hotel - Awesome location - very close to downtown and walking distance to many bars and restaurants. We even were able to walk to the Navy Pier from the hotel - Free ice cream from the front desk 24/7 - Hotel room was very clean - 2 coupons for hotel bar Things I did not love: - No free breakfast - Parking was $25 per night - No mini fridge or microwave in the room - Only one working elevator on my side of the hotel (other elevator was broken) All in all, for the price I paid, this was a good hotel. I loved the River North area.

My 4 day experience here was lovely! This hotel was the cheapest I could find that was located on downtown. I can't deny I was a bit hesitant but to be honest I have no complaints and it turned out to be perfect. I spent most of my day how adventuring Chicago but the first day I got there around 11 since my flight was so early and check in was not till 3 but they were kind enough to give me a room right away. The room was clean, bed was comfortable and I had all the basic things I needed (hair dryer, iron etc) they had free coffee in the main entrance which was actually pretty good. They have a indoor pool and a cute small outdoor patio overlooking the city. They also have a very small gym that does the job if you just need to get your sweat on. I highly recommend it, the location was great and again the price was the cheapest I found in downtown.

All in all, not good. I stayed here for one night this week. Pros: ...Really lacking. I'm having a hard time thinking of a single one. I got a pretty good parking spot, I guess? My room looked clean, but there was a fecal odor in the bathroom. :( Ew. Cons: check-in was a mess. I had requested double beds and a quiet room. The fellow checking me in said that I was originally booked for a double room on the fifth floor, then for some reason, he changed me to a king bed on the second floor. After reading the other reviews, I had specifically requested a quiet room. Check in took 10-15 minutes, which was unusually long. William at the front desk kept calling housekeeping to ask if the room on the fifth floor had been cleaned yet, and he never got a response. Meanwhile, the other girl at the front desk kept trying to call maintenance to ask for a refrigerator to be sent to a room, and couldn't reach them, either. She said "Oh my god," in frustration, which wasn't a big deal but also wasn't professional. I had to go back to the parking garage to take the elevator to my room. My room was the tiniest room ever (door almost bumped the bed when I walked in, and I had a lovely view of a brick wall, power cords, and dumpsters. The remote only worked if I pointed it at the corner of the room. The halls like others have said are dated (grey everything everywhere) and it does have an odd smell. I had friends staying on the third floor and it took forever to find them. I ended up having to take my elevator up to the fourth floor and the find another elevator to take me to the third floor so I could access them. The restaurant was pretty dumpy when we went there for drinks later. The bartender was courteous but didn't know how to make a white wine spritzer. When I got back to my room for sleep, my next door neighbors kept slamming their door after midnight and sirens and loud engines from the road one story below made it hard to go to sleep. In the morning, after waking up to noise at 6:15, I ordered room service. No one answered room service and it rang and rang. I had to call the front desk to get them to flag down room service. I was finally connected to someone who sounded really frazzled and who was hard to understand. When I got my breakfast, the bacon was really light and chewy (seemed undercooked) and the whole meal had a really weird flavor. I became sick after eating it and had to cancel my morning plans. All in all, I am bummed that I spent over two hundred dollars for such a poor experience. Wouldn't recommend, will stay somewhere else next time.

Great hotel. The staff, especially the young woman who checked us in--Savanna--were so friendly and accommodating. We brought back leftovers from one of the many convenient and delicious restaurants nearby not realizing there was no fridge. Savanna arranged to have one sent to the room and our leftovers were saved. The hotel restaurant was also very good. There is lots to do nearby and transportation is quite nearby. Room was immaculate and the housekeeping staff was great. Would definitely return.

Good hotel in a GREAT location. Super close to many bars and restaurants (5-10 minute walk). Very easy walk to all the subway lines. Rooms have some wear but none the less they were still nice and very spacious, at least the rooms with the king size beds were. The staff members were all friendly. The price of a weekend stay at this hotel is the best I've seen for Chicago, especially for the location.

My main complaint is something Best Western can't control...street noise. Constant horn honking, vroom vroom, music played loudly, sirens several times a day. Even at 3 am. This was worse than when I lived in NYC. There's even a sign in the room for free ear plugs. I carry my own. There are 2 separate buildings and would have been nice if a person at the front desk, and parking attendant told us we could only get to our room via a certain elevator...I'm ok with that, but having arms full of stuff and trying the other 2 elevators to no avail...that tidbit of info would have been nice to know. Wifi was excellent. Best I've ever had at a hotel. Maybe even better than at home. Excellent coffee in the lobby. Room coffee, as expected, was lame. Everyone at the front desk was very nice, but didn't know what the temp that day would be, what the advertised tickets were (flyer on front desk), told me to talk to parking attendant in white booth across the street for a friend to park (there is NO attendant, there is a white empty booth), and as mentioned didn't tell us about the 1 elevator. Bartender needs a vacation...he seems tired and unfriendly. Great location.

First time in Chicago and I booked this place last minute!!! It was a wonderful experience from beginning to the end. We were greeted by ROGELIO and he made our booking process a breeze. His energy and positive attitude was a plus asked if we were AAA members and got us a discount! The room was clean and spacious. I got the king bed room and it was great. WALLACE POPE!!! Thank you tons for the guidance my first time in Chicago! You made our experience that much better!! From what to do to what to eat he's the man! He greeted us every morning and was ready to help us everyday. The rooms were great, clean, spacious. If you're worried about the color of the walls and that one paint chip behind the toilet maybe you shouldn't be traveling. Stay home. Great place overall

Worst hotel stay ever. Could only rent pool for one time slot during the day and only for one hour at a time. Would not let us rent for more than one time slot. Didn't tell this to us upon renting so our kids were very upset. Then pool was closed for maintenance on Sunday so couldn't swim at all. Lady at the desk had worked all day Saturday and then back at the hotel 4 hours later. She was in a bad mood all weekend and Very short whenever talking to her. Hotel accommodations were ok but our room didn't smell very good, there was a party during the night so we didn't sleep, and the parking was atrocious. Have stayed here once before but this visit was more disappointing.

After being suckered in by some highly effective "Choose Chicago" TV commercials, my wife and I did just that and decided to take a five day, mini-vacation there. The first thing we noticed while planning our trip? Hotels in Chicago are bloody expensive, even for ones that aren't five stars in the best neighborhoods. We didn't want to break the bank and would rather spend more on food and sightseeing and having stayed at several Best Westerns in the past, we gave it a shot and we're glad we did. First off, the location? It's excellent. Short of staying somewhere on the Magnificent Mile, this is probably your best bet for a great, central location. Super easy to get to if you're driving and it's only minutes from the Mile, not to mention lots of other shopping, sights and dining. Plus it's right across the street from a very friendly Walgreens and the famous Rock n' Roll MacDonald's. Can't go wrong. We left the car in the private parking lot, walked pretty much everywhere other than two trips on the train and two cab rides. Oh and as you've no doubt read somewhere by now, said parking is free. In Chicago. This is a big plus. The lot was clean and spacious enough, seconds from our room and saved us at least fifteen bucks a night. Again, we didn't need our car but if we did it seemed like parking was ample enough that we could have gone in and out with little issue. The hotel itself is perfectly pleasant so long as your expectations are even remotely realistic. Remember that you're paying a LOT less than you would for a fancy place on Michigan Avenue. With that in mind, the beds are comfy, the décor is pleasant enough and the bathroom perfectly adequate. If you're spending most of your time out and about and mostly just there to sleep, it's perfect. If you're spending more time in your room, you're probably going to want to stay someplace else but then again, you're also wasting a trip to a fantastic city. A few random but crucial notes: 1. Like I said the bathroom is adequate, not fantastic. Only the shower / tub is separate (or at least was the case in our room) so if you need more privacy, it may be an issue. Still, it's nice and clean and not at all dingy. 2. There is no fridge in the room, although you let them know at the front desk, you can rent one for $10 a night...the awesome front desk staff (more on them in a minute) saw that we were staying five nights and immediately said "oh, don't worry. We'll have one sent up for you, no charge". Very nice of them. 3. The TV is sort of dinky and no HD but you shouldn't be spending your whole trip watching anyways. We did pay $17.99 to watch Guardians of the Galaxy on demand one night which was a huge waste of money...the movie was good, but not watching it for that much and such poor quality. 4. The curtains are just fine and I'm someone who needs my darkness to sleep. Another review mentioned no blackout blinds but they must not have been able to find them. I had no problem and little light got in. 5. The temperature was usually fine and when it was, at quick adjustment was all that was needed. No real issue. 6. The WiFi wasn't great. This was my only real major quibble. My wife would be thrilled to get me unplugged more, but there were times I needed to look some things up, could barely get a signal and didn't want to use expensive roaming data on my phone. This does need to be improved. As for the rest of the hotel, yeah the elevator isn't the best but it works. I'm impatient so I took the stairs most of the time but if you can't wait and have major mobility issues, it may be an issue. Shouldn't be for anyone even remotely healthy. The pool and fitness room is nice to have but looks better in the pictures and isn't really essential. I went once, never went back. It's fine and a nice add-on if you really care, but I didn't. The hallways aren't the fanciest (though I do love the old posters scattered throughout, so much so that I sought one out and bought it) but who cares? Are you sleeping in the hall? If so, you have bigger problems and should probably apologize to your wife. Finally there's a pizza place (Pizzaria Ora, read my separate review) attached to the hotel, though not affiliated. It's much better than I thought it would be and great to have close at hand Finally, the staff were great all around and didn't have a single complaint there. Made a phone call to ask a few things before I arrived, they were great. Check in was a breeze, they offered us a free fridge, awesome. Parking attendants were some of the nicest I've experienced, front desk staff was great with suggestions and the cleaning staff was just awesome...don't forget to tip! So I'd definitely recommend if you're on anything of a budget. If I could afford to, would I stay elsewhere? Of course. But for what we paid, we really had little to complain about. A totally fine place to rest your head in one of the best cities in the world.

I have mixed feelings about this place. The free parking is great, as is the convenient location. The on site restaurant is above average and the staff are impeccable. The layout is a little confusing and it isn't well marked. Everything looks the same and there's no real decoration or attempt to make the hallways inviting. It actually made me think I was in a horror film as I navigated the creaky, drab hallways and making continued wrong turns to find my room. In my mind, the psychological thriller had me wandering these halls for the rest of my life. The rooms were okay. My double room was small and cramped, but I was flying solo and made it work. After walking around all day, I made my first real stop at my room (other than to drop off of my luggage) and I stepped near the television cabinet and the floor was soaking wet. It was late and I was naked and tired, so after confirming that there was no leak from above or anywhere else, I left it. I tried to close my curtains, but couldn't locate the black out shades anywhere. I just assumed that I didn't have any and decided the sunlight would help my early morning. I crawled in bed to relax with some television and it wouldn't turn on. I tried everything I could, but I couldn't reach the plug. I was able to see that there was a lifetime of small toys and doodads behind the cabinet. No TV wasn't a huge deal because I was exhausted, so I got into bed with my Kindle and read a bit. Before going to bed, I plugged my phone charger in only to have it fall right back out of the wall. I had to get up and go over to my wet spot and plug it in at the desk. Upon leaving for the day, I left them know about the television and it was repaired upon my return. They were very apologetic. The wet spot had dried by the time I returned and I found my blackout curtains in time for my second night's sleep. The bathroom was clean. The toilet flushed. I had plenty of hot water. The bed was pretty comfortable and I was able to steal pillows from my bonus bed. I'm not sure I'd stay here again, but I'm also not sure I wouldn't. Well, I will be staying here because it is the preferred hotel of my employer. However, if I'm paying the bill I don't know if I'd select this location. Having said that, if I'm paying the bill the free parking and affordable rates make it seem a little better.

It's a well-located hotel that's really convenient as a base for a Chicago visit. Though the hotel itself is showing its age, I did appreciate the little details that made the stay feel more 'Chicago' like the art-deco fan look of the face towels. While the hallways had a strong cleaning-product odour, our room was fine. The king sized bed was good and comfy - nothing to complain about. The staff was friendly and efficient. We stayed over New Year's and had a really entertaining super late-night view of the busy going-ons on the street below. Really shows you how close this hotel is to the action of the city! Tips: free parking! A large McDonald's across the street if you suddenly felt like chicken nuggets in the middle of the night. A US postal office is around the corner for all the tourists (like me!) who are looking for stamps to mail out those postcards.