HI Chicago, The J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel

Loved the spacious rooms and view (could see subway cars passing on the l). Was quiet loud at times, however. It was great that i could check in at 3 am. Loved the breakfast (minimal, but always nice to have at a hostel. There was also a large lounge area with a ping pong table!

Fantastic Hostel in the Heart of Chicago This hostel is a gem for travelers looking to explore Chicago without breaking the bank. Located right in the heart of the city, everything you need is within walking distance—famous landmarks, shops, restaurants, and entertainment are just steps away. The service here is outstanding. The staff is friendly, helpful, and always ready to make your stay as comfortable as possible. The rooms are spacious, clean, and thoughtfully arranged, providing a perfect retreat after a day of exploring. One of the best perks is the included breakfast—a great way to start your day without extra cost. And for the price, the value is unbeatable. It’s rare to find such a well-located place with excellent amenities at such reasonable rates. If you’re visiting Chicago and want a central, budget-friendly place to stay with great service and clean accommodations, this hostel is a fantastic choice. Highly recommended.

😊: - Very convenient location, near subway stations. - Store luggage before check-in free. - Room is spacious and clean. Bed is comfortable and there is a curtain. - Affordable price and good quality. - Everyone is respectful and follows the quiet hours. 😑: - Too few toilets and bathrooms on a floor. Two of the toilets on my floor were out of order, so there's only one left, and there's always someone waiting, even at 3 am. There's only a shower on my floor. - Blanket is very thin and is not warm enough. Thankfully I brought my small blanket and by adding that and my jacket, it's finally warm enough. - There are several microwaves in the kitchen, but the communal plates, bowls, and cups in the kitchen are not microwave-able. I don't know where to put my food to microwave. - They offer free breakfast at 7-10am, but I wish breakfast can start earlier, like at 6:30.

Have stayed here repeatedly while traveling via Amtrak; the hostel is close enough to Union Station to be an easy walk even with some baggage. The location is super convenient to the rest of the Loop generally, never personally felt unsafe even late at night by myself (am also a 6'4 man, mileage may vary), lots of food around which is nice because the hostel breakfast is free but somewhat lacking (only reason it's not 5 straight stars across the board). Staff are always a very normal and pleasant level of friendly and very attentive. Prices are reasonable even on busy nights, especially if you book a prepaid rate. Dragging a group of friends to visit Chicago for the first time this summer for Pride, and we've already booked here! Couldn't imagine staying anywhere else.

I had such a lovely experience at HI Chicago. They made it very easy to check-in (I asked that morning if I could just leave a bag here for a bit and they got me into the room and everything, totally free of charge!), and get a move on my visit. The staff are all kind and helpful. I had an issue with my swipe card but they made me feel very comfortable and were very kind and resolved the issue quickly and easily. The rooms were VERY clean- arguably sterile. The lockers have seen better days. I only had one other roommate in the 4 beds in the room. The beds as well as the lockers made a squeaking noise with every slight movement. It didn’t bother me, but I was holding my breath every time I did something and my roommate was there as well. I had to walk at least 30-45 minutes or take the subway to get somewhere that was open and not entirely outdoor as it was snowing- but that is not anyone’s fault. Overall a wonderful stay and will definitely stay here again!

My friend and I had an amazing stay at HI Chicago Hostel! It was his first visit to the city, and we couldn’t have picked a better place. We stayed in a 4-person dorm, which was incredibly clean, neat, and spacious - everything felt so well-kept. They provided towels and lockers (just remember to bring your own lock or buy one nearby), which made things super convenient. The free breakfast was a nice bonus to start the day, and we loved the variety of free weekly events. Their recreation area is also a huge highlight, with so many board games, table tennis, and even two pool tables! The hostel felt completely safe, and the location couldn’t be better. We were within walking distance of all the major tourist spots, public transport stops, souvenirs and convenience stores, and fantastic restaurants. Overall, this place exceeded our expectations in every way. Highly recommend it for anyone visiting the Windy City!

One of the best hostel than I stayed! Friendly staff, kitchen with everything than you need, free breakfast, lots of activities if you interested ( city guided tours, quizzes, karaoke and much more). Location is AMAZING, you can walk or use public transportation. Also it’s easy to go to airport and from ( O’Hare), you need around 1 hours, blue line. *Only one complaint, at 4th floor was only one shower (some rooms have their own bathroom) and only ONE working toilet, sometimes it was easier to go to second floor to use it. And one elevator also was out off service but for me it was not a problem because I like to walk. Everything else was great! Definitely I’ll come back.

One of the best hostels I have stayed at. The facilities, free breakfast and events the hostel puts on really does provide excellent value for what you are paying. Location wise this was excellent being in the heart of Chicago close to many tourist locations and subway stations.||I stayed in a 4 bed dorm room which had a very good set up. The room had plenty of space and the beds were very comfortable with privacy curtains. You had your own large locker in the room too. For the 4 bed dorms you also had a separate living room which was shared with another 4 bed dorm. The shower and toilet was shared between 8 people however there were also showers and toilets available outside the room and on other floors. All showers provided shampoo and bodywash.||On the 2nd floor is the common area and its fantastic here. Its a very large space with sofas, tables, televisions, ping pong table and board games. They held some of the events here like the free hot dog making event where they also give free drinks. The free tours they put on are also worth going on as they are proper tours run by devoted volunteers. The bar crawl was especially fun. Free breakfast was available everyday and it was a decent spread. Drinking water fountains are also provided.||Check in staff are very cheerful and happy to help.||Would definitely recommend as a good place to stay while in Chicago.