Howard Johnson Downtown

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Exceptional Price

The room (C 2 ) left much to be desired. The toilet was on top of the newly installed, over sized cabinet/wash basin arraignment. You could NOT sit on the toilet without touching the side of the cabinet/basin. The cabinet MUST be smaller. Someone did not measure the bathroom. This pre-made cabinet/stand for the basin is a definite re-do...I don't care if it s new!!! This set up is very,very awkward. The electric plugs ALL need replacing, because they are worn out. Nothing stays plugged in, including one of the room lamps. I guess is this other lamp is for show. It would work if the plug would stay in the socket. The room entry door sticks and had to be bumped to open.....but I considered that a excellent alarm system in the event of a would be intruder. I am serious !! I was good with that !!! The wake up alarm/clock radio did not work.That did not matter, because I left a wake-up call request with the front desk. The call was right on time....thanks. Now for what worked. I took the train in from O'Hare and exited on Superior Stree Stop. Great...short walk. I took the "Shuttle" back to O'Hare for the early morning departure. The diner staff were great, and the menu, adequate, the price reasonable. The hotel staff were very, very helpful and friendly as well as very eager to please. The price was affordable. The area provided eateries of all ethnic based foods. The walk to the river was very short. Great Value....butt fix the commode siituation. Thanks

Great hidden deal

This is the second time I've stayed at the Howard Johnson's on the Near North Side. It's very inexpensive for the heart of Chicago, and to an extent you get what you pay for. The rooms are small and minimal, no refirgerator or microwave, indoor/outdoor carpeting and no attempt at decor. It's clean, though, and the bed was comfortable, and that's all I'm looking for. It's in a terrific location, with lots of great restaurants, a hidden street of little art galleries nearby, and two blocks from the Brown Line, which will get you to the Loop in ten minutes. And an extra surprise: they now have free wi-fi in the rooms. This is a new feature, and they haven't advertised it yet, but my colleagues at the conference I attended all stayed in expensive hotels and still had to pay extra for wi-fi. If you're looking for luxury, or even ambiance, look elsewhere, but if you want a great deal in a great neighborhood, this is the place for you.

left over motel - but very handy

I love this old, rather rundown downtown hotel. Things are old but clean, no charge for parking and your car is always available when you want it. It's within walking distance to the Merchandise Mart & several other downtown destinations. If you like luxury, this is not the place for you. If you like to save some money & have a no hastle stay... this place is great. I've stayed here at least 7 or 8 times in the last 10 years.

Basic room - beats camping

I had to stay in Chicago for a training conference and wasn't planning on staying in the room except to sleep. The room was large enough (King bed), bathroom was clean, though needed some ceiling and fixture updating (but someone would say that about my bathrooms, I'm sure). The room didn't smell bad or stale, but a little odd. The a/c worked as well as the TV. The parking was free and I could keep my car there until 3 pm after checkout. There's a restaurant on-site, but I didn't use it. Staff was friendly. It served it's purpose, I'd stay here again possibly if I was just crashing and needing a place to shower, but I wouldn't stay here with my family.

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good room for the money & great location.

everything about the room was fine, it just smelled really werid. i'll bring a candle next time.

OK room, good location

The hotel is in a good location downtown, but don't expect anything more than minimum necessary.

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Great Hotel for the money

It's a basic hotel that doesn't kill you budget. Convenient location, parking a great asset and a wonderful small breakfast place. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The room was okay, clean but had a bit of a "chemical cleaning solution" smell. I would stay there again!

Dirty and Rundown, Close to Downtown Chicago

Dirty and Rundown, Close to Downtown Chicago

jan

Great room for the money

Needs improvement!

The first room we were checked into had a water leak so the bed was wet. We were moved into another room which was fine, although it only had one chair at the table. Access to Wi-Fi was only in the lobby. The lobby was rather small with only one table. There were 40 parking lots for 70 rooms and it was first come, first serve. I have to say that the lot didn't completely fill up so it wasn't a problem for us, but I could see a potential problem. We had reserved and pre-paid for three nights. When we checked out after one night, due to the condition of the hotel, since we had pre-paid, they were not going to refund the two nights. We did call and they refunded them as a "one time courtesy". Although the staff was friendly and helpful, I would not reccomend this hotel.

HJ - Chicago Downtown

This is a reasonable hotel for the cost. It is cheap and was reasonable. It could be cleaner, though the staff was nice. There is limited parking (actually not enough) and you have to remove your car by checkout time. There is free wireless internet, but only in the lobby. This is not the HJ of years past, but an example of where the chain has gone the past few years. If you are tight on funds, it is a reasonable choice. However, gear your expectations accordingly.