DO NOT STAY THERE!!! Customer service is horrible. My aunt needed to stay one night, but she does not have a credit card, so i paid for her stay. I was directed to pay online, the hotel does not take cash. When she arrived at the hotel she needed a credit for the incidentals. She called me. The hotel told me they could not take my card over the phone and they could not take my aunts debit card. So she left the hotel. In the meantime i go to cancel her reaervation. I can not get a full, nor a partial refund. I am unable to get back a $1. This is the hotels policy. So, BEWARE!! read more

I did some research before planning a place to stay in Chicago for the night and Freehand had come up with decent reviews and was a fair price for the location and what was included. Positives include their own bar and coffee shop in the hotel. Nice comfortable bedding with nice big walk in showers! Negatives include a slow elevator (I heard multiple complaints about this one), the view was of a parking lot, way too many car alarms from the parking lot going off at night, couldn't change the temp up from 68. Overall I did enjoy my stay at Freehand and the staff were lovely! I might look at other places but I won't take Freehand off my list completely. read more

I am going to compare this stay to the other hostel I stayed at in Lincoln Park a bit North as a female traveling alone. First of all, this place is a hostel and I used to run a co-op that was similarly maintained. This place is habitable, but know that it is a ZOO. They have to be a bit stricter here because people are constantly taking advantage of this place/ not checking out on time/ not following the rules. They re-did the carpets on my floor starting at 8 am each day I was there and it was very loud . I'm not sure why they did this in summer! The Chicago getaway hostel didn't smell, had a nicer, larger lobby, offered free breakfast and seemed safer. The neighborhood is adorable, although further from grocery and downtown. The chcicago getaway also had no curtains around the beds, so the pod like feeling of the bunks in the freehand didn't carry over to the Chicago getaway hostel. Overall, I enjoyed my stay in both I just could not stand the smell in the freehand hostel, they need to get that under control. My other complaint is that it costs $53 to stay in a male or mixed dorm, but $123 to stay in a female dorm. This should not be the case, safety shouldn't cost 3x the price of a mixed bedroom. The good: -in house paid bar and coffee in the morning -back house tiki bar at night -relatively good WiFi -Trader Joe's and CVS down the street -bathrooms in the quad bedrooms -cute tiki decor, low lighting -cleaning seems to be relatively thorough, no lack of fresh towels, tp, etc. -staff is friendly The bad: -terrible smells everywhere. Musty, mildewy in the rooms and a persistent rotting broccoli smell coming from the basement/ gym/ laundry. -laundry costs money, but not too much. Doesn't work great tho -no microwave or fridge. Makes affordability hard -must pay more for all female bedroom but not all male. Gender safety shouldn't come with a pink tax. -absolute characters coming in and out of the building -loud ass music 24/7 so u can't take calls there Overall, I'd probably stay here again. If you don't have anything stopping you from traveling around, the Chicago getaway hostel is cleaner and smells better for the same rates, but is less centrally located. Beautiful neighborhood tho! read more

The room I was given has such a bad mold and dust problem I had to see a doctor. Tiny room, absolutely filthy, beside lamp didn't work, sliding door to bathroom was detached and couldn't be used. Worst hotel experience I have ever had by a significant margin. read more

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Customer service was awful. Checked in with my girlfriend and my mother (mom waited downstairs as I went to take a Power Nap). Front desk told my mother that I could get a bigger bed considering I was tall and won't fit in the frame and to "come down whenever you are ready". I came downstairs after 45 minutes and when asked to switch keys, they declined the request and said we slept in it and so we can no longer change out rooms. Despite the misinformation they stated, the front desk lady said, in front of my mom, "yall already did the deed so we can't get yall a different room". Mind you, I was gone for 45 minutes tops taking a nap. She was inappropriate and rude, and the manager was not accommodating. We all felt incredibly uncomfortable by her inappropriate commentary. read more

The view was so ugly it almost ruined my stay. Anyone in the garage outside the window can see directly into the room if you leave the blinds open, and at one point I saw a man urinate in full view. There was also a large clump of hair on the side of the tub when I checked in. The only good thing I can say about it is the bed was comfy. But even then the thermostat in the room didn't work. I complained and the maintenance man came up to replace the batteries in the remote. That didn't work so he tried another one which didn't work. Then he admitted that the entire hotel is centrally set to 69 degrees. The hallways were also like a meat locker. The lounge downstairs was lovely but you do not have to stay in this dump to hang out there. read more

Freehand Chicago - The awful view from the south side rooms (not depicted is the man I saw urinate on one of those columns). - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I booked this hotel guessing it might be a gamble, but hoping the photos would be true. Alas, I was disappointed. Let me just say, if you're over the age of 30, don't book this. My husband and I agreed this place did not meet expectations of a big city hotel. It gave hostile vibes more than trendy. Could have once been a brothel. There was no place to set your things other than the floor and yet there was space in the room. The bed was on the floor, maybe on a platform 3" off the floor. The room was tiny and yet the bathroom was huge. Plenty of space for a chair & table by the bed, but no furniture. It was as if someone stole these items or we received the last room available. The bathroom had no place to set your toiletries bag except this narrow shelf that looked like half of a boat oar (in width). The ceiling paint was peeling, the curtain didn't open and upon further investigation it was likely due to trying to cover up a nasty window and sill. I didn't feel overly safe in the common areas without my husband. The gym was small and didn't appear to be cleaned regularly. There was a sign to wipe down your equipment but no towels, wipes r spray to clean with. Checkout was interesting, in that there were people behind the desk, but they didn't check us in till they were done chatting, laughing and joking with one another. The room was very clean and hotel was conveniently located. If you're looking for a lesser expensive place and don't care about these standard amenities then this is for you. Not our style. read more

Freehand Chicago - Gym - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I would give them zero stars if I could. When I went to get into bed tonight (at 11pm) there were around a dozen short dark hairs on the bottom sheet along with four or five things like crumbs. My hair is long and red. I called the front desk and they said they'd bring me some new sheets for me to change because they have no staff to change it for me. I said OK and waited 20 minutes. They dropped off the sheets and left and then I realized they brought the wrong size sheets. So I went down to the front desk. It's now 11:30 and they tell me they have no more clean sheets at the hotel and I need to wait for the laundry truck which should come sometime early this morning! What? I am in town on work and have a morning appointment! I asked for a new room and they refused to help me. I asked for a manager and was given a card. When I called the card I got a message that the inbox is full. DO NOT STAY AT FREEHAND CHICAGO--they are terrible. Selina Hostel is much better. I've thrown the twin top sheet on top of the mattress pad and am hoping for the best. Hope I don't get bed bugs. A nasty place and terrible service. Stay away. UPDATE: the woman at the front desk did finally help me get into a new room. She even helped me get my bags moved after I repacked. The new room is nice and clean. Maybe there's hope for Freehand. It's almost 2 hours since I found the hairs but I'm glad to go to bed now. read more

Freehand Chicago - More nasty hairs - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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PISS BLANKETS AND HOLEY SHEETS!!! Got this room for my anniversary because we wanted something unique. I will never return or recommend read more

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I've been here three times and each time it was for the Bed Head tigi hair products event before Lollapalooza. This is an older Hotel and the Elegance of the Furnishings in the lobby and bar area suggest some of the old style Hollywood glamour. Centrally located, it is the perfect place to stay if you are visiting Chicago or to even stop in for a drink. read more

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Quirky, hipster vibes here, and I love it! The hotel is close to Navy Pier and Millennium Park. We took nice walks out in those directions when we stayed here. We were able to park our rental a block away. Parking was $49 a night when you book your spot with Freehand, with in and out privileges. The hotel was decorated artistically. They seem to have a nautical theme, and the elevator featured a squid/octopus. We stayed in room 705. It was tight quarters, but it included a bathroom with a standing shower and a queen bed. The view was of the alley and there were sculptures of a trapeze troupe. I also noticed that they have a bar and coffee shop on the first floor and they do happy hours and host djs on certain nights. read more

This hostel was definitely interesting to stay at. I am rating highly because of Amanda, the incredible front desk worker who helped me after a long and toiling day of travel. The hostel itself is dark, and warmly lit, with an interesting maximalist aesthetic to it. The tables in the lounge were sticky. I wanted to polish my shears before my work interview, and make sure I had everything properly ready to work on this dog I had to groom, but I didn't want to even touch the tables after feeling the stickiness and the thick residue. The bar is cramped and the bartender seems to have his head in the clouds. The lounge was strange. On one hand, I liked having a social common area where I could relax, but the insufferably inconsiderate and loud others in the lounge made it hard to enjoy. One part of the lounge was calm and the other end of the couch sounded like Patrick Bateman and associates on steroids, but that is no fault of Freehand--it is that of the clientele. The second night I was there they only played Drake. It got on my nerves heavily. No variety at all. Just Drake. I get it, you like him, but please. God. The downstairs bathrooms smelled like ammonia and piss. So did the gym. The rooms were...comfortable. To a point. Again perhaps this is caused by the clientele, but it felt strange, and one of my roommates crossed a border I did not think possible, despite speaking for maybe 10 minutes. If I had a different situation perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. All in all I would stay here again if I needed somewhere to crash. read more

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worst experience ive had in a hotel ever! i only came here because im 18 and this is one of the omly hotels with 18+ check in. had to room change last night because the only socket next to the bed was broken and there was only one other socket in the room at rhe desk. changed room and the ac takes forever to adjust who knows if thats broken too, the corner lamp in the room needed a lightbulb change, but it wasnt a big deal so i didnt want to move rooms again. i left for the day and turned the big light off ans when i came back to my room, the big light's switch was jammed and wouldnt let me turn it on and it is nighttime so i had no sunlight just the bathroom light. spent 5 mins trying to figure it out and i did but it still gets jammed at times. went down to the reception and spoke with Amanda and she was very understanding and accommodating offered me another room change but i politely declined because at this point im tired of changing rooms because who knows what might be broken in the next one! its 1 am and the manager is not in right now will speak to him in the morning for a refund. maintenance needs to do better! read more

One of the better hostels I've ever been to. Everything was clean and, dare I say it, classy.

The receptionist who handles the checkout at the front desk was incredibly rude, impatient, aggressive, and disrespectful. She insisted that I hadn't pay for the hotel and throughout the entire interaction even though I am showing my bank account transaction that I have paid through booking.com. Her tone was cold, ignorant and unprofessional, despite providing transactions history that I had paid for the hotel through a screenshot, she still didn't get satisfied. She asked me in a very adamant tone saying that I should call the third party booking app cuz they didn't get the money, she says it like a law and order but the entire process is like a joke. I said "you should call them, cuz I have done what I can do". During the process, she kept saying impatient stuff entire time and talks very quick, and my friend was trying to help by saying "could you give her some time to let her check her back account?", she responded to my friend aggressively:" I'm not even talking to you." In order to be TRULY heard without being cut off, I had to raise my voice, mirroring her rudeness and ignorance. When I asked that she should call the third-party booking app for verification instead of asking me to call, she immidienttly blow up: "You shouldn't be such disrespectful!" This is what she said after I asked her to call the third party booking agent. Wait what? During the entire checkout time, she responded with each statement in a condescending manner, resembling a very rude and uneducated person. I only tried one sentence using "her tone". Strangely, when my tone not even close enough to match hers, she quickly expressed being offended, and her face changed like an actress. She got mad like a joker and said "DISRESPECT IS NOT TOLERATED". We were so surprised she knew the rules about disrespect. But it seems so ironic that she initiated disrespect towards me by keep saying I didn't pay, being impatient the entire process to us, and she refused to acknowledge or even didn't realize how rude and ridiculous she looked. Finally, she refused to store my friends' luggage and said again "DISRESPECT IS NOT TOLERATED." I responded "you disrespected first". She insisted she did not at all. Wow! Holy. Must say I RESPECT SUCH EPIC ATTITUDE, and super appreciated this double standard drama-queen. If kindness is not mutual, then please teach me the "double-standard" on how to be more appreciative and respectful at Freehand. Otherwise, this person does not deserve customers respect, or simply don't care about her job. Is this the standard training for Freehand hotel staff? If so, it reflects extremely poorly on your establishment, and there should be reconsideration of your training processes and overall ridiculous system. Thanks so much for your time and RESPECT to your customer. This is a shameful service and this person deserves to be fired. -------- ( P.S. You can keep saying "I never disrespect you" in the threads cuz I don't give a s just like you said ignorantly in front of everyone this morning. But if you have any, any tiny empathy left, maybe learn to be less mean in the future for others or at least know attitudes are mutual??? Don't you know you talk before the customer? ) read more

I hate to leave bad reviews. But I honestly had the worst experience at the Freehand Chicago. I've stayed at the Freehand New York and Freehand Los Angeles locations and apparently those locations set the bar way higher than Freehand Chicago when it comes to providing the best experience possible for their customers. I called the front desk multiple times upon touching down in Chicago. No one answered the phone nor the email I sent about no answering the phone. When I arrived in my taxi around Midnight there was no one at the front desk and an employee from the hotel just hanging out outside. He didn't offer to open the door to let me in or anything. I was checked in by Amanda, who walked over to the front desk after she realized I wanted to check in. When I asked how come no one is answering the phone, she replied it's a busy weekend. I'm guessing because lollapalooza is this week/weekend, which is why I came to Chicago, that is reason for no one to answer the phone, emails, or be at the front desk. The check in process was smooth. I then go to my room and realize it's freezing. I go to turn off the A/C and find mold in the vents. At this point, I'm extremely uncomfortable but because it's so late and I'm exhausted I decided to stay. Wifi: the wifi was very slow and I kept getting a poor connection on my phone when using it. The next day, I called the front desk to request a complimentary late check out. Most hotels and even freehand New York extended a complimentary late check out no problem. The phone was answered by Hillary. She was very rude and disrespectful. When I asked for a complimentary checkout she mentioned checking my reservation for notes and then declined and said I needed to check out by 12. I called right back and was greeted by male instead who I believe was the manager. He granted me a 30 minute complimentary late check out instantly. After my experience, when it comes to Freehand Chicago I wouldn't recommend it. Freehand New York and Los Angeles however, I highly recommend. read more

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Wow. What an awful experience. From the staff at check in - unhelpful, unaccommodating, and unpleasant (not as important as the first two, but doesn't add anything to the experience). The room is about 8x10, ok. The layout means the only place to put your suitcase is on the floor, in front of the door and the bathroom door, so you're climbing over your stuff because there's nowhere to put it. The lighting is so dim and crappy you can't see anything, couldn't read unless it's a lit screen. The bathroom light fixture is missing a bulb, the main one in the room is FILTHY, buzzes, and flickers. There's yellow stuff along the baseboards, the carpet is frayed at the edges. The curtains have *multiple* stains and burns, the ceiling has a waiter stain with a huge chunk of peeling paint. The fan in the bathroom doesn't work, so when two folks take a shower, the room is full of steam for an hour - the fan issue probably contributes to all of the MOLD in the shower window! So, OF COURSE they make you pay in full in advance with a no exceptions no-refund policy. There's no way people would stay more than one night in a row if that was an option. The front desk person straight up said I couldn't have an extra pillow?!? And the other guests ran up and down the hall giggling and yelling at 6am. Real classy establishment. One positive: there was a different front desk person the next morning, and he gave me an extra pillow. Zero stars. read more

I was looking for a place near my business training site and saw this a few weeks back. Great prices for a nice boutique hotel. They gave me an upgrade to King and allowed me to check in early, which was great considering the heat today. The staff at the front desk were kind, the elevators are key card accessible, and the decor is cute, though not like the pictures online. If you want to go hostel style, they have great options here. I'm glad I found this place. LGBTQ friendly for those inquiring. Nice art inside as well as a trendy bar (broken shaker) attached. The place is dimly lit if you like that. My only gripe is the shower. The faucet part is separating from the wall in room 810 and I think there was supposed to be a knob to adjust from tub to shower but a piece was missing, so I had to take a bath, which at over 6 foot tall and 300+ pounds was very uncomfortable. Also, not sure if this is an issue to the staff but the housekeeper smelled like weed to a point it lingered on the elevator. Some places are cool with that but I personally don't like the smell and saw it was a smoke free place, so not liking the weed smell on a staff member I shared an elevator with. The cold brew at the broken shaker cafe was good as well. read more

Omg- this place is SO dark. Lights are dim and I can't see. The room smells musty. The pics online are not what you actually get. Disappointing. No fridge, no microwave, no ice, no luggage stand, and had to go to the fitness room for water which is the hostile. That's weird too. The good thing is location. That's it! Update- our room was never cleaned during our stay. That was not clear until I asked. You have to schedule it. We paid $120 a night, we were next to a parking structure and heard the car alarms all night. Did I say the only good thing was location?!?!. read more

The room itself was probably the nicest hostel I've ever stayed in. Sure it might be a bit small but you're in downtown Chicago. Bed was comfortable, clean (and nice looking) ensuite bathroom/shower. Your view may vary but my 14th floor view north was good. That said, you won't really get a standard hostel experience like at HI in the Loop. While there is a lounge area downstairs, it's part of the bar and closes when the bar does (which I guess is by 11pm on Sunday). You may find it difficult to meet other people who aren't in your room. Small gym is a nice perk. read more

Not bad at all for a Hostel. Rooms, bathrooms and bar are in very good condition and the common room is pretty nice as well, also,I definitely loved the hip hop music blasting 24/7. read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wish I would have stayed here for my entire trip in Chicago not just one night. We checked in early and luckily our room was ready, however when resting a staff member knocked on the door asking if we wanted anything from the mini-bar we said no then she asked to come inside and check the mini bar (In my mind this should have been done by the housekeeper and maybe before saying our room was ready). This didn't seem to be an issue though. There's a cute coffee bar and lounge area on the main floor, along with a fully stocked bar that opens at 4PM. I saw there was also a gym, kitchen and laundry area for guests, we didn't utilize these though. The bar however we did have a drink there before dinner, I got one of there speciality cocktails and my husband got a drink martini. They were priced similar to other bars in the area. As for the room it was exactly what you need in a standard room a bed, desk, chair, closet and bathroom. The bed was very comfortable but a little too close to the walls and too low, barely any room to walk around it. The decor of the room and bathroom was very unique. There were interesting books on the shelves there to read (Maybe a book share thing). read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stayed here with my partner and her best friend for a weekend trip to Chicago. I mean it's a hostel so if you don't have a fourth, you may end up rooming with a stranger. We did room with a stranger, but none of us were ever there so contact was minimal. It was $25 a night so I mean, you can't beat it at that price read more

This hotel was dirty and unsafe. It was very noisy and had a bad odor in the hotel. Stay away from this hotel. So many beautiful hotels in Chicago. Pass on this one freehand. read more

My husband and I stayed here for a week to celebrate our anniversary. We thought it would be a good place to stay being that it was in the middle of downtown Chicago with close proximity to everything in the downtown area. The room is MUCH smaller in person than images that are advertised online. We had no room to put any of our clothes up so we had to live out of our suitcases for a week. No room to walk around comfortably. It was also freezing in the room the entire time. My husband kept trying to figure out the heater situation and finally we went to let the front desk know about it. They sent an engineer up to take a look and then it was concluded that the building was just old and their only solution was to provide us with a baby portable heater. What?? It was hard to sleep at night because the light was coming in so bright through the blinds. Find another hotel. This one is not it, but the cafe and the bar they have downstairs is cool and the staff is friendly there. read more

I'm just finishing up my stay here and I absolutely adore this place. I am in an all female quad dorm with an en suite bathroom and I was nervous about being in one of the dorms, but I shouldn't have been. My whole experience has been so lovely and relaxing. From the front desk staff to the comfort of the beds, you're working with the best here at Freehand. The building does have some quirks like finicky key cards and a slow elevator, but as far as hotel inconveniences can go--they're really nothing. I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for an inexpensive way to enjoy chicago and even make a friend or two! read more

Freehand Chicago - View from a top bunk in a quad dorm - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Jesus.... this place sucks! So many crying emojis. We stayed 1 night at this place during the height of Covid for an important event, and it was the worst stay ever at any lodge we've tried. Things were dirty and dusty, so I had to sanitize everything in the room. The rooms are SO tiny for the price. The windows have a prison bar outside of them. I don't know the crowd that stays here, but it is so loud, we kept hearing a woman scream the entire night. Even with the windows closed, you can hear everything going on outside. Our cooler -sized fridge wasn't working. There's no microwave. The beds were so uncomfortable, and the orientation of the room was like being packed in a sardine-can. The TV was literally at the foot of the bed without distance between our mattress and the TV, so watching the TV killed our eyes with the brightness it was set to. We sent our complaints, but they didn't care. First and last time visit. We were so tired next day. read more

Having read five years of reviews and seen so many pictures, I cancelled my reservation and lost money. Given mold, bed bugs, rude service, stained and unclean bedding... I couldn't risk it. The few reviews on Air BnB were good. The hundreds on Yelp and other places had pictures and were consistently awful over years. read more

Really could've been better, especially the food from the breakfast, i got sick the first day after ate the breakfast there. The room was run down and really old, and a bit dirty. The location I cannot complain. read more

It's very cute. They store your bags before or after your check-in in case you have stuff to do before getting to your room. They offer alot of amenities. This is a place for either extroverts or someone that's jot really going to be in their room much. The only negative is the walls are super thin so i recommend ear plugs or headphones. read more

I produced an event in Chicago in September and arranged for press to stay at this hotel. I paid for the room in full - in advance - through hotels.com. The writer's flight was delayed, and he checked in late. Without any notice, the hotel gave his room away -despite being fully paid for in advance. I had to scramble to find another room at a different hotel. The person I spoke w at the front desk was rude and not helpful, and acted like I was putting her out. I was not automatically refunded. When I contested the charges, they refunded me all but the first night - charging me a cancellation charge - even though THEY were the ones who cancelled the room - not the other way around. I can't get anyone on the phone - and hotels.com has not been able to get anyone on the phone either. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! LOW CLASS SERVICE. read more

Was visiting for St. Pattys weekend. Was received with an attitude from the lady at the front desk, if you hate your job go find a new one. Hotel is located in an ideal area close to many activities that's the only reason it gets 3 stars. Rooms are outdated and a lot of things are broken or not functioning properly, doesn't help the lady at the front desk is miserable. read more

We stayed one night in a private room at the Freehand. For this being a budget hotel/hostel, I thought it was quite a lovely stay. The room we stayed in was small, but clean and well kept. I love older buildings so I appreciate the aesthetic of the freehand. There was a good sized TV in the room, a Bluetooth speaker that you can use to play your own music, and a Roman shade to block out most of the light. The bathroom was small but also nice. I didn't think it was a noisy hotel at all and we had our privacy the entire time. I did not stop into the lounge because I am not drinking and also I did not plan to stay up late, but I've heard it's pretty nice as well. I believe they also have live music/DJs at night, as well. I thought the Freehand is a perfectly nice stay if you are looking for an affordable option to rest your head. Definitely would not be opposed to staying here again. read more

My partner and I got a queen bedroom for 1 night. We were content with the room and enjoyed the hotel itself. It was a very convenient location. We liked that it was more of a trendy boutique vibe but still affordable. All of the staff we interacted with were very friendly and helpful! The room itself is exactly what you see in others' pictures of the queen rooms. It's a simple bed and small bathroom. The bed was very low to the ground and not the most comfortable. It was very dark. We could not get the air unit to cooperate so I'm glad we were able to crack the window for some air flow. Most notably, the smoke detector was hanging from the wall by the cords. Our favorite part of this hotel was the bar and lounge - Broken Shaker. It was a nice treat to begin our evening with before dinner. There's an open area with couches, chairs, and a bar, and a reservation area as well. We just found two stools at the bar of the non-reservation area and each had a cocktail. The drinks were delicious! read more

I was in town visiting for a wedding! This place was in the heart of the city which was helpful for a tourist when navigating around the street of Chicago. The staff was very friendly; for the couple days that I was there, the staff made me feel like home. I have to definitely recommend getting the drunken mule as a drink from the bar which open at night. I was fond of the coffee spot by the entrance in the morning for my breakfast meals. read more

Freehand Chicago - Small room but convenient - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I guess you'll have a free hand, since you won't be holding too many amenities provided by this hotel. The location of this hotel is fantastic. Right in the heart of everything in River North. It's got a coffee shop on premises and a bar in the lobby. It's right next to Eataly, so I don't see why anyone in their right mind would get their coffee here. The room prices are cheap, especially for the area, but don't expect much. They provided sheets and towels, but that's about it. I wish they could have invested a dollar or two of our room stay in disposable cups, a little bar of soap, some shampoo, a wash cloth, a door stop. The rooms didn't have much in them- we rented a bunk bed room, and that was about it. No chairs, no TV, no radio, no hangars. The room was dark- it had one light in it, so it was difficult to see anything. The room was kinda noisy. The whole hotel was rocking on a Friday night. They have signs that say, "No drinking in the restroom." Instead, we found a rye whiskey bottle in the hallway in front of the elevator the next morning. Speaking of the restroom- we got a handicapped accessible room, which had one of the slickest, slipperiest floors for an ADA floor I'd ever seen. They could use some sticky grip tape on the floor or something to keep it from getting so slippery. The bathroom was in poor repair- the shower was messed up with a broken faucet, the supports for an ADA compliant sink were broken, just waiting to be used as support, before it'll smash to the floor for some unlucky person. The wall boards were broken and one fell off when the door shut. The staff was gracious and nice. They were most helpful in all matters. I really appreciated their patience and understanding with us getting through the hotel with a wheelchair. read more

Totally unacceptable. AC unit was broken. Reported it at 10pm when I checked in. Supposedly was going to be fixed by the engineer at 11pm. Problem never fixed. Went down to the desk for a third time at 2am and complained. They said all they could do was provide us with a fan. It was a tiny 1ft fan. That did nothing for a room of four people in separate bunks! It was very warm and humid all night and I barely got any sleep!!! The staff wouldn't even move me to another room or do anything else to help. Don't think I'll be returning as this did not seem like an urgent issue to the staff despite me talking to three different employees. read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Freehand hotels/hostels have a reputation for being a little bit pricer but believe me when I say, "You get what you pay for!" This place did not disappoint, despite the hiccups. As a solo traveler, security is pretty important on my list. Freehand Chicago is in the heart of the city, however, I never felt insecure during my stay. During the day, the lobby and café was open to the public, and at night, when the bar (Broken Shaker) was open there would be a bouncer at bar door. A key card is not required to get into the hotel, but is required to take the elevators to your floor, and is only valid for your floor. After the bar is closed, there is a security guard that posts up by the lobby, which is open 24 hours. Freehand Chicago is located for an ideal first-time visitor to Chicago. Close to all the tourists spots like Miracle Mile, Navy Pier, Millenium Park and more. Everything is within walking distance, in my opinion, but you can easily hail a cab or share ride if you needed to. I don't suggest ridding a bike. The hostel/hotel itself is next door to a CVS and close to many restaurants. It is about an hour ride from the airport, however. It was a $45+ Lyft Ride for me, but the metro is available and so much cheaper if you know how to navigate. Originally, I had stayed in a female dorm, shared bed for four. The room is a little tight but perfect for a solo traveler who doesn't need too much room. I was pretty lucky to get a bottom bunk because I was able to slide my backpack (45L) under my bed. The lockers that are provided would not have been able to fit my bag. It is only really large enough for a regular backpack (20-30L). They are located away from the sleeping area and you will need your own lock; the front desk sells them. There are additional hooks in the room for you to hang smaller items/clothes, and there is a small chair with a tiny side table. The bathroom is located inside the room as well and is of decent size. The hostel provides you with linens including a towel and there is multi-purpose soap in the bathrooms. The individual beds have a personal lamp and charging area (my lamp was broken). The great thing about the beds is that they have privacy curtains as well. I LOVE PRIVACY CURTAINS! The room was cleaner than most hostels; I believe service is provided every other day, so it really depends on your roommates. Mine was just fine. This really is a great value for the money. Later I was upgraded to a single queen, due to some issues I had in my room/bed. It was very nice. Large bathroom, tv, phone, safe, etc. etc. This is also a hotel after all and the next time I stay, I will probably book a single queen again. The only problem with the room was that the door was stuck, very hard to open. I literally had to use my full force to get it open and the front desk staff (Kyle) didn't really seem to care too much. This was an ADA room, so I would have definitely sent someone to look into it right away. Also, the curtain was broken. Otherwise, very nice room. Amenities include a 24/7 gym and laundry room in the basement. The gym is small but had a treadmill which was all I needed. I also made use of the laundry room. You will need cash/change for the machines and soap but the front desk can help you with that. The kitchen is currently closed due to COVID so don't plan on making meals or storing leftovers here. Call ahead to see if they have reopened. There is a café that opens for most of the day and a bar that opens in the evening. There is minimal space to work, however. The staff here is maybe the BEST thing about this location! I have stayed in my fair share of hostels & hotels, and this place, by far, has the most tentative team I have experienced. I wrote down a few names of the team members there--- Alison & Carl were some of the great front desk staff that were very helpful. KD was one of the maintenance staff that tried very hard to fix my broken light in my bunk (shared female dorm) but I want to give a HUGE thank you to Amanda who went above and beyond to make my stay memorable. She was so tentative and caring; someone needs to give her a promotion! Overall, the atmosphere is very chic but not pretentious. The staff are all relatively very nice, especially Ashley and Amanda! The café serves a nice little list of coffees and pastries (nothing to brag about) and the staff at the Broken Shaker are also very nice and tentative. I don't drink but I did eat my dinner there one night and it was very nice. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a hostel or hotel and I do plan on staying here again on my next visit! read more

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Photos would likely suffice for a review, but I've included updates to their marketing copywriting If you are looking here to plan a romantic weekend and are taking over planning and want a cute hotel for your travel blogger gf... don't choose here If you aren't into hearing your bathroom toilet growl and scream at you throughout the night... don't choose here. If your goal is to never be in your hotel room ever and be close to the Magnificent Mile, MCA, etc this is the spot. Choose here. I've been extensively traveling for professional and personal reasons for almost a decade. I love a great boutique hotel and never write reviews on them because well... they follow the same formula: original, art/design focus, in touch with the city, and customer experience like no other. I think this hotel was the kid in class that cheated wrong and bubbled in all the wrong answers. I saw this hotel in Miami and other places and decided to give it a go in Chicago on a weekend getaway. Jeeze, regret with an all caps: "no refund/paid in full because I thought I was being responsible and making an adult decision with a better rate." Sheesh, our room was terrible. My girlfriend didn't even want to sleep in the room and when we came in it had this old antique store smell. Light switch kept falling off, dusty carpet ground, wall peeling or something growing no idea, and bedside socket didn't work. (Tip: Leave your room like an icebox to reduce the smell.) If I wasn't afraid of a $250 fine, I would have lit a candle and tried some Waldorf or Ace Hotel fragrance methods. She hated this place. I was embarrassed every time something happened,because she didn't want to say anything negative. But you know when your partner is doing that nice thing. *Face Palm* In short: 1) Bath towel was so "worn out " that it looked like lace. Throw it away! 2) I dropped something on the floor and just threw it away because I guess vacuuming carpet floors is optional. (I couldn't burn it, because smoking fines.) 3) We always meet with others to tell them about our travel/ blog coverage. We chose here versus Z Bar or London House. Our group went to Broken Shaker at a non crowded time on July 4th(Everyone was getting ready at Navy Pier and watching fireworks). Server forgot about us continuously to the point we just gave up drinking there. ( Less than 15 ppl in bar) I was too embarrassed to tell them about upstairs 11th Floor motel room we were staying in. Just go to... anywhere else. Also, Lawd someone teach the Broken Shakers waiters how to describe the food. He said "the war fries are fries with sauce and a bunch of shit on it" with a hand motion. A hand motion...IF YOU COULD SEE THE BLANK MF STARE ON MY FACE that would have been ok... now imagine turning looking at your whole tables BLANK STARE. We didn't order them. 4) Room was small and furniture over crowded it. 5)If you enjoy falling asleep to a sweet car alarm lullaby, this will excite you. Don't forget the monster of a toilet growl that will chime in. Not sure if a sound machine would do much else. The good Self check-in/out is always nice. All staff was very nice. Cultured Magazine in every room TV works I know other reviews are really nice. I read them before booking. Wtf happened with our room... no clue. This was a birthday trip... and I have one day left on my non refundable room. I made the best of it. But note, If you don't see me... this hotel literally killed me. read more

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I really liked the space! The vibe is super and so is the music. You won't be able to stop your feet from moving along with the music Drinks are pretty good. I tried right right one because I LOVE mezcal and it didn't let me down. So good and flavorful. Cinnamon sticks a little bit lit up to make your experience an aroma trip as well read more

Freehand Chicago - Hotels Near Me - Chicago, Illinois