Found Chicago Powered By Sonder

The hotel and bar service was phenomenal, and as a woman under 30 I felt very safe. The rooms were really nice for how affordable they were. Mine was very small, but well decorated and space-efficient rather than cheap-looking. There are some cute, cool speakeasy-style bars in the hotel, plus a community kitchen. The setup seems like a good way to meet people if you’re on your own or looking to make a few friends. It also works well if you’ll mostly be out and just need somewhere to crash. Check-in was easy enough. I urgently needed the bathroom, and the manager kindly paused the whole process to help me get there right away. My two very small complaints: the bar closed at 11PM on Friday, and the rain on the roof above the fourth floor was SUPER loud, enough to wake me up, lol. Other than that, it was spectacular. I don’t get why people rate it low or why it’s only a 3.8.

Check-in itself was smooth and easy, but the rest of this place ruined my birthday trip to Chicago. When I arrived around 5 o’clock for the 3 o’clock check-in, the staff didn’t know whether my assigned room was clean. Housekeeping was just leaving the room at 5 PM, and we met at the door. The room was tiny, basically a bed, a TV mounted above it, a small clothing rack with a few hangers, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower, sink, and toilet. There was almost no space for clothes or belongings, and the window looked onto bricks and other rooms. The bathroom and shower were nice, but that was about it. There was no proper way to refrigerate or heat up food. The only community kitchen was downstairs on the main floor, so I couldn’t keep the drinks or snacks I brought cold. After a night out, I hoped to park, shower, and nap, but I couldn’t get into the building at night. The room code they gave me didn’t work on the main entrance, and repeated attempts to reach customer service went unanswered. I ended up paying extra parking fees too.

The bar beside the hotel is cute, clubs are within walking distance, and Dave’s Hot Chicken is right on the corner. Those were the appealing parts. My friends and I were in town for a night, and the photos looked nice, so we tried somewhere different from the well-known hotels I usually choose. I regret it. Eww. The room didn’t look like the photo and was a little dirty. The toilet hadn’t been cleaned, there was hair on the pillow, and the sheets had stains. I know stains happen, so that part wasn’t a huge deal. The bathroom and shower are big, but there’s no counter space to get ready. At 8:30am, someone was knocking on doors and yelling “housekeeping!” Ridiculous. The elevator made noises that didn’t sound right. I’m pretty sure these need inspection more often, though the last one was eight years ago. I’m no expert on elevator inspections, but they may need to update that.

The hotel is stylish and clean, and our small room didn’t bother me since the bathroom was spacious and well kept. It’s also about a 15-minute walk to downtown Chicago and Millennium Park, with good food nearby. Zarella next door had a great atmosphere and really good pizza. What made the stay uncomfortable was the lack of working AC in the section where our room was. Nobody mentioned it at check-in. When the room got hot and stuffy, I called the front desk to ask about the AC. Instead of explaining the problem, they sent a maintenance worker with a box fan. The front desk never directly acknowledged the issue, apologized, or offered an accommodation or discount. The room was humid and uncomfortable, and that took away from an otherwise nice stay. Better communication and service could have made this a great experience, but it was handled very poorly.