Chicago Getaway Hostel

The staff were really friendly, and getting around was easy, with transit nearby and restaurants, bars, and shopping all within walking distance. I stayed here during my study abroad trip and had a great experience. The room was fine for sleeping, and the shared bathrooms were pretty clean. I’d recommend it for people on a budget or families taking a big vacation.

I had a good time and met some great people, so I’d come back. The lounge and kitchen were excellent, with lots of room to relax and cook, although the fridges and freezers got packed. My room was hot, and you have to make your own bed. The co-ed bunks were decent, but they shook when you climbed up, and the wide steps weren’t great for shorter people. The lockers were roomy but need a large lock. They sell one, and even refunded me after an incident. Bathrooms could use more hooks, though hopefully that’s been fixed. Staff were friendly and responsive, especially the supervisor or manager who sorted out an issue quickly.

The only things we really liked were the pool table, table soccer, and the location, which wasn’t bad. Our stay otherwise had a lot of problems. When we arrived, they told us the hot water was out and arranged for us to shower at a gym 15 minutes away on foot. We should have been told sooner, while we still had the option of declining and getting a refund. By check-in it was too late to find somewhere else. Parking cost $34 a night, and there were only a few spaces, so a spot wasn’t guaranteed. Street parking was impossible. There were someone else’s belongings in our first room, so we had to switch. The bed was uncomfortable, we had to put on the sheets ourselves, and the towel wasn’t a body towel. Breakfast the next morning was poor: cereal and milk, toast, frozen waffles, coffee, and apple juice, with no eggs or sausage. We also had to wash our dishes. The food and water machines were empty, except for small water bottles costing $2.50. The elevator was extremely slow. There were only two bathrooms per floor, and from one aisle you had to go all the way to the other side to use the women’s bathroom instead of having unisex bathrooms or one on each side.

We were kicked out in the middle of the night, close to 2 AM, after an employee spent about ten minutes verbally abusing us. They called the police, then played guitar and sang about wanting us to leave. It was bizarre and unbelievable. They mocked one of our disabilities and our relationship, and gaslit us. We had raised several issues and wanted to leave early, but staff insulted us instead of trying to help. Some were combative and dismissive. The manager later got angry on the phone while we were explaining what had happened, said the matter was closed, hung up before we could finish, and told us never to call again. On our way out, another employee apologized for how we’d been treated and said it wasn’t the experience the hostel wanted us to have. He suggested we call the manager the next day. The bathrooms had poor ventilation, with mold and mildew, and there were bugs. A man also walked into the women’s bathroom. We’ve stayed in many hostels and never had this kind of disrespect or trouble. They clearly don’t care. Other negative reviews make it seem like this wasn’t a one-off.