The Hoxton Chicago

The location and look of The Hoxton, Chicago are nice, but the stay didn’t justify the price or the hotel’s rating. For what it costs and the reputation, I expected more. It felt like the restaurants and bars were a bigger priority than the people staying at the hotel. As a guest, I couldn’t get a rooftop restaurant reservation within three hours, and I expected some priority at a property pitching itself as upscale. I booked through the American Express Hotel Collection, but they didn’t honor either the complimentary room upgrade or late checkout benefits commonly associated with those bookings. Compared with other Hotel Collection properties, service, guest experience, and value all fell short. If you’re after a social hotel at a similar price with more of a luxury feel, I’d honestly recommend SoHo House.

We’ve spent every Christmas Eve and Christmas day here, and it never disappoints. We always book a “Cozy” room, which is spacious. The lively lobby still feels cozy, the restaurant serves amazing food and stays open on Christmas day, and the front desk staff are always polite. Highly recommend!

Good points first: the staff were attentive, and our room was bright with open views. The West Loop location is great, with a nice lobby, coffee bar, and several restaurants. We also had free real milk in the room fridge, plus coffee pods and a kettle. But the street-facing rooms get vibrations from the nearby subway tracks. The AC and heat controls were difficult to adjust and felt broken, and the blower was noisy. There was a strong air freshener smell. The bathroom door shuts automatically, and we could hear neighbors closing their room and bathroom doors. Noise from the corridor came through without being blocked.

The location is great, but the room was miserable. The air conditioning was extremely loud and still didn’t cool things down. The bed sagged in the middle and was so uncomfortable I couldn’t sleep, which is why I’m writing this. Staff weren’t very helpful, though I assume they couldn’t do much about the old bed or broken AC. They no longer leave water bottles in the room, so you have to refill one in the hallway. The room fridge was warm, so there was no way to keep water cold. Please reconsider staying here. I wish I had; I could’ve been just as uncomfortable for a quarter of the price. The only impressive thing is that this Chicago hotel’s rooms are somehow smaller than in NYC.