My wife and I stayed at Freehand because it was reasonably priced and looked like a neat place. That ended up being correct. We very much enjoyed our stay there. The room was snug but comfortable, on par with what we expected from a smaller hotel in the heart of down town. Really the only complaint I would have would be the cleanliness of the shower curtain. It seemed grimy and like it may have mildew on it. I am leaning towards this being a fluke because nothing else about the room was like this. Overall it was a reasonably priced, well decorated place to stay in an excellent location.

I had stayed there a couple of times before covid, it was better. Rooms are still cramped but older. Lots of noise in the first floor. Night staff is disinterested, definitely they dont enjoy working there. Location is the only plus. I didnt experience any problems, but there are better places in Chicago. Not staying again.

I loved this unique stay. The receptionist was very polite and allowed me to check in early. The location is great - I walked to the navy pier & the cloud gate from here. I’d recommend staying here

I booked a three day trip to Chicago with a friend of mine. Come to find out, she wasn’t attending and I was doing my vacation alone. I was nervous to travel… until I checked in to my room and met the staff.You all made my weekend in Chicago an AMAZING experience. I extended my stay for one night because I was having so much fun- and it was mostly due to the staff here.Chase was an amazing bartender, and in general an amazing person I got to know. The same goes for Zach, Jerome, Q and Rodger. They are incredibly friendly and talented workers. I was lucky to have booked a room here, because if I had booked anywhere else I don’t think my trip would have been as enjoyable.I appreciate you all so much for giving me amazing memories of my first week in Chicago! I can’t wait to come back and see you all again!On a side note- rooms were great and housekeeping is wonderful. The Broken Shaker bar on the bottom level is a great bar and the drinks are top tier.

The only positive about this hostel is that I had a good nights rest. The shower was small and the curtains that probably arent washed kept clinging to me. There was also a thick layer of mold lining the bottom of the shower. Overall, the hostel seemed run down (except the lobby) and I have a hard time believing this was ever one of the best hostels in Chicago. I recommend staying elsewhere, even if you have to take a 20 minute metro or bus to the city center.

Cute hotel in the heart of Chicago. Next to the train, and walking distance to a lot of great sites! The Queen room perfect for a couple. The front desk folks are so helpful and nice. The coffee shop and lounge downstairs are convenient and cute. Will stay again!

I enjoyed the atmosphere. And although the rooms are shared, the design of the layout gave for an impressingly private experience.I visited in the midst of the COVID breakout, so most ammendities were shut down.However, the business center was open.it makes for a great place to get work done.

Simply put, this is the best place Ive ever stayed in Chicago. Every staff member was friendly, relaxed, efficient, and welcoming. Simply superb.

The rooms were perfectly sized and were a perfect place to lay down after a day of being out in the city. There is a nice cafe down in their lobby that serves coffee and donuts in the morning. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. When we checked in, the gentleman at the front desk hooked us up with some coupons and deals to local restaurants/clubs in the area.. There is a very nice lounge area down on the main floor that is a great place to relax. They are located in a great spot so that all of the main attractions are a reasonable walk, bus ride, or train ride away.

If you are looking for a place to stay solo, this place will probably work for you. The rooms are so small, not even me with one bag and a duffle could fit comfortably in the room. The bed was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. My partner and I could literally feel the springs poking our backs. We asked the front desk to switch the room, which, they were helpful, but it didn’t make a difference. We also asked for an extra mattress pad and that didn’t help at all. The room didn’t have an iron, a microwave, or small fridge to keep leftover food chilled. *There was also no microwave in the building so prepare to eat your food at the restaurants you attend. The bar and coffee shop were really cute and quaint. Greg at the front desk was extremely helpful and generous.If you’re the type of person who likes more corporate style amenities, has small luxuries that you will need to accommodate your stay, and a bed that won’t leave you immobile the next day, there are multiple around this same area.

We had a big family gathering at your Hotel. The service was friendly and the food was terrific. Everyone said that the food was very delicious. They were also very helpful in helping us with our cake for the birthday celebration of my brother. What a nice place, guys! I will be recommending you to everyone I know!

There was blood spatter on the comforter, and brown mildew all over the shower curtain liner. After discovering this, I read other reviews and unfortunately it seems like a common problem for guests here. Not to mention, our hotel room view was of a parking structure just feet from the window. We asked to switch rooms to something with a slightly better view and were told that most of the hotels rooms all face the parking structure, and that includes every king size room! The hotels best quality is really just the bar and downstairs area, and the staff are kind. Unfortunately, I wont be staying at the Freehand again.

Friendly ppl great staff had no problems with anything at this hotel would recommend if you just want a place to stay the night or the week

We had a really bad experience at The Freehand. I would recommend not staying here unless you are okay with REALLY noisy rooms and are looking for a hostel vibe. The building is old and hasn’t been updated, other than some paint and trendy wall hangings. This means the rooms are EXTREMELY loud—thin single-paned windows let in all the street noise. Since this is a busy/traffic-y area, we were woken up throughout the night by sirens, motorcycles, etc. The beds have bad mattresses and lumpy, very small pillows. The lighting is really poor—almost not possible to find things in our suitcases at night, even with all the lights on. The window coverings are minimal, so a lot of light gets in and they are hard and noisy to adjust. The bathroom is tiny, with a shower that can only fit one person, a toilet that doesn’t flush things properly, and there isn’t a fan for ventilation. We paid for an upgraded queen room but were put in the regular queen room, with a bed that can only be accessed from one side. For couples, that means crawling over the other person to get out of bed. There wasn’t a dresser or a true closet. Paint is chipping, the floor is oddly lumpy under the carpeting, there are cords everywhere, etc….I could go on, as there was really nothing good about The Freehand. Oh, and the service is poor. I called the day ahead of our arrival to request a quiet room location if possible, and the person I spoke to was rude and unwilling to try and help. What a waste of our money and vacation time. Don’t stay here if you are looking for a hotel where you can sleep through the night.

A good value, clean & safe place to sleep in downtown Chicago. Safe to travel during covid. Sociability in common space is low (see below). Staff is friendly and accommodating. Location is close to the train and bus lines, convenient for getting anywhere in the city. Walking distance to lakeshore, Oak Street Beach and Navy Pier.LODGINGI stayed in the 4-bunk room. Beds are solid & comfortable for uninterrupted sleep. Private bath was clean w/ fresh towels and hand soap provided. Lockers are large enough for small carry-on.COMMON SPACEComfortable spacious lounge space is shared with the cafe and bar and doesn’t have the usual openness of meeting new people; space is dimly lit with giant columns in the middle and music playing (louder at night). Occupants are cafe/bar patrons or guests on their laptops. There are plenty of outlets to charge your devices. On-site coin laundry facilities are convenient. Gym has a treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, weights & TV.There is no kitchen. Coffee can be purchased at cafe on first floor.

Okay wouldnt recommend. All of the reviews are accurate. The rooms are disappointingly small and theres no room for luggae, no fridge, and no amenities that you would find in any other hotel. Service is friendly and helpful but it doesnt make up for the fact that that our room was right next to a parking garage. Its really hard to sleep when car alarms are constantly going off. There is also no free parking. You have to find a spot in one of the garages by the hotel and the rate to park for 12-24 hours is $50! The hotel offers an option to purchase the ticket for the garage at the desk. You pay the same price but, you can come and go as you please without paying an additional amount. This was a real wild concept for me being from out of town.

Friend had booked us to stay in October. We were coming in to see Six the Musical but the event rescheduled due to reopening on Broadway. Freehand Chicago wouldnt work with us on a refund or rescheduling our stay - we are simply out the money. Would NOT recommend.Edit: Amanda, thanks for reaching out. My friend had been in touch prior to my writing this review and was told nothing could be done. I have forwarded your message to him.

This place is cozy. My room is just big enough for a bed and a shower but that is EXACTLY what I wanted. Im comfortable, my room is gorgeous (Im dying over the wooden light fixtures all over this place) and it does not look like some boring random corporate chain hotel. I cant hear any other guests. This place has a bar and a coffee shop. The staff is friendly and the building seems very safe.Theres a bakery and a CVS next door. This was basically perfect

Though the staff was very friendly and enthusiastic, the room was a shocking disappointment —- especially for $250 per night.It was extremely small. The closet was less than 12 inches wide. There was no room to put anything. There were not even any glasses provided to have a drink.On to the bathroom. Again, very small with no room for toiletries, or even a place to hang a towel.Finally, we had a great view, said no one ever about our location. Unless you like fire escapes.Someone mentioned a “hostel feel”. That is actually too generous.We were supposed to stay two nights. After one night, we are moving to the Westin.

Love this tiny place! Room was clean and enough for two people. Bar downstairs is nice too

A hidden GEM of a place tucked right in the middle of downtown! The aesthetic was really cool in every corner and on every wall. Normally I don’t hit up hotel coffee shops because they’re normally nothing special, but the one in freehand was super good and had different sections of seating with couches with aesthetic pillow and small tables and nooks.

I was actually told by the desk staff, It is not our job to care about you.. This was the absolute worst hotel experience of my 56 years. I booked 4 nights and arrived late. They had cancelled my reservation because I was late. They then offered me a room (the room I had paid for) for an ADDITIONAL full fee. So they wanted me to pay twice for the same room for the same nights. I was calm and asked to speak to a manager and was told that no one was in and that it was not their job to care about me. I then tried to call and was put on hold for 47 minutes. I called back and they hung up on me. So its truly not their job to care. I WILL NEVER STAY AT ONE OF THESE HOTELS. I took my business elsewhere. I am a business traveler and refuse to be treated this way.

Our A/C was not working so they sent up a guy to fix it, and he also brought us a fan to use while we waited for the room to cool down. Location was decent, and they had a breakfast cafe for purchase and an in house bar that we didnt try. Room was clean, but smaller than expected.

Would highly recommend if you prefer to leave with itchy BED BUG bites!! Sleep with BLOOD STAINS, and inhale BLACK MOLD sporesI was really looking to enjoy my stay at the freehand as I really liked the atmosphere portrayed online. But I would pay more to stay somewhere with higher hygiene standards that showed appreciation towards its guests.After reporting my bed bug bites to the front desk, I inspected my bed and found bed bug feces, casings and a squished bed bug. What I did not expect to find was washed out BLOOD STAINS from someone else on my comforter cover! Disgusting! The bed had not been deep cleaned for at least 24 days as I found a receipt under the mattress dating back to 8/24/21. With necessary vacuuming and cleaning this place wouldnt be the perfect host for bed bugs. It was a catastrophe waiting to happen.My allergies got terrible when I got to the hotel room, I took a deeper look during my inspection and found Black Mold on the shower curtains and corners of the bathroom. This was setting off my allergies as I am very sensitive to black mold.They offered to put me in another bunk bed dorm room with a roommate, to spread the bed bugs?! Absolutely not, Im glad I pushed to be put in a single bed room to not spread their infestation. A refund hasnt been offered and they are barely accepting a negotiation for one.I really with I could make this up. What I encountered is just unacceptable for any hotel standard. I really wish I enjoyed my stay here and I unfortunately cant say that.

Its been a while since I stayed in a hostel! I had forgotten what I loved about them. This is such a cool, affordable space and the drinks at the bar on the first floor SLAPPED. I was only here for one night. My friend and I booked separately but they worked it out so we could stay in the same room. We ended up bunking with a young man from Texas (I think lol) who was super nice as well. Its also in a great location. Id definitely love to stay here again.

I don’t even know where to start. I think this is the worst money I’ve spent on a hotel given the value provided. So bad I’m writing this review from the hotel and planning on checking out early. My partner and I had two separate bookings back to back during the same week. The first room wasn’t great but we thought we’d see what our second booking had to offer. Well it was even worse. So bad we asked for a different room. Which turned out to be pretty much the same. The interiors are so outdated and unclean. The window frames are about 70 years old, paint is chipping off the walls, there are stains and holes in the shower curtains and sheets in all rooms we saw. That’s on top of the fact that all 3 of our rooms faced the parking garage next door, and there’s no sign of the robes or mini bars that the rooms were supposed to come with. I’m baffled that after complaining about the conditions we were offered more of the sane. Save your money, go elsewhere.

Nice place to spend the weekend. Neat old converted apartment building, ac kept the room cold, comfy futon, great water pressure in the shower.Nice coffee shop in the lobby and the tiki lounge was hopping in the evening making strong, flavorful mixed drinks.Sweet location in town, grocery store one block away, CVS next door for aspirin and great location for night life, restaurants and bars. Will stay again.

Extremely unique downtown hotel/hostel that you cant beat for price and amenities. The quaint and beautifully styled common areas are cozy and rustic. With historic ties to old Chicago and comfortable lounge this place is as welcoming as it is charming. The bar area was closed our first night but hoping to dive in tomorrow. Would recommend if you are wanting a place to lay your head for a downtown stay.Edit: The bar and coffee shop were unfortunately closed on our visit and we were pretty upset but everything else is going smoothly.

The room that I am staying in with this hotel last week was big, clean, and well laid out. There were a queen-sized bed and a desk with a coffee maker and a minibar. Also, there was a TV with a few English channels. Overall, this hotel was worth it and satisfying to stay even in a couple of days, weeks, and months. I truly enjoyed my stay at this hotel. Thank you so much!

Haven’t had a lot of hostel experiences but this one is definitely at the top of the list to return to. Staff is amazing. Rooms are very nice. Most of all, you can’t beat the location; it’s close to all the attractions and the L to get to other parts of the city. All and all, great stay!

Overall very good, rather expensive for a hostel, but the place is of nice quality and the location is great. My only complaint is that when I initially called before booking and asked about parking pricing, I was told that with their discount at a local garage, it would be ~$50 for two nights. When I actually received details on that, it turned out to be $39 per night, although they did recommend looking at Spot Hero, which I did, and I found something several blocks away for $20/night. (worth noting that their parking option allowed in-and-out privileges, which the one on Spot Hero did not.)

Cute little hotel! Perfect location for almost everything. Round the corner from Red line. 24 hour front desk service. Only thing I would change is having two foldable chairs in the quad room, that way we would of had enough seating. All in all great place! Would definitely recommend!

The bad:-Tiny, smelly rooms completely devoid of light or view.-Slow elevators that made the 9th floor a very long wait.The good:-Reasonable cancellation policy that made it easy for us to leave ASAP. You can do better.

Had to overnight in Chicago between flights. The Freehand is a quirky hotel/hostel near downtown and I stayed in a shared womens dorm with 4 bunks. There was one other young lady in the room with me. The room was clean and the staff were friendly. The coffee from the cafe in the morning was delicious and I really enjoyed chatting with the baristas. I would definitely stay here again.

It’s a European vibe with American craftsmanship in the rooms. Boho and indigenous. Not your typical hotel. The bunk bed situation should be a staple everywhere. Every person gets their own bed, with privacy curtains, and their own locker. The concept is beyond awesome. It’s futuristic.

Facilities are great! Towels and amenities provided, and the beds have curtains. Comfortable beds with sheets and a comforter. Each bunk has electrical outlets and a reading light. And my favorite: a great lobby for reading a book.

If your looking for dirty hostel vibes with hotel prices this is your place. I don’t think anyone is looking for that, so highly don’t recommend staying here. Seriously any major chain hotel/even motel would have been cleaner and more hospitable. Very disappointed in my weekend stay here

Great hostel-style rooms and beds. Perfect if youre just looking for a place to crash while in Chicago.

Super unique and it’s definitely a vibe - elevators were a bit slow and the gym was very small though. The bunk beds would be great for a group of close friends!

Pretty solid all around. I didnt interact with staff all that much, but when I did they were friendly and helpful. The water for the showers heated up quick and stayed hot. My only problems arent necessarily big bad problems. The pillows couldve been more comfortable and I feel like the room I booked was a little different from the photos I saw online. I thought Id have a little more space, but I still really enjoyed my stay. The AC didnt respond right away when I was trying to cool down the room. Thankfully, it was pretty chilly outside and I was able to stay comfortable.

Booking was easy and we were able to do early check in. Unfortunately are room windows were facing a parking structure. The overhead lighting was very dim and the nightstand lamp outlets didn’t work. We accidentally missed our train and had to stay an extra night and got another room. Unfortunately that one was also facing a parking structure and didn’t have any nightstand lamps . It’s fine if all you’re planning on doing is sleeping there. I liked that we got CBD samples. It was an ok place but not amazing .

From the outside looking in and the listed photos on the website, google, and hotels.com this looked like a fantastic option for my first time staying and visiting Chicago. Nightmare would be too strong of a word but it was a truly disappointing experience. The room was nothing what I expected it to be. I knew that staying at a “Boutique” hotel would cost me some of the luxuries of staying in a hotel belonging to a larger hotel chain. The first room I was put in had a horrible smell, there was a layer of dust on all of the light fixtures, the air conditioner did not work and there was MOLD around the toilet in the bathroom. The person at the front desk the next morning was extremely helpful and offer for their engineer to go check out another room that would be ready to move in in the afternoon. Fast forward and we move into the new room- the linens on the bed were stained, the curtains on the windows were stained, I do not believe they have ever changed the mattress because it is a spring mattress and dug into our backs all FOUR nights we stayed there.I will say that the staff in the Broken Shaker are fantastic and we had great service. So that is a positive.

Beautiful interiors in the common areas. Rooms are stingy. Go for drinks but I wouldn’t recommend staying there. Good location. Grumpy staff.

Decent place, but its a hostel that charges a RESORT FEE.Come on guys, just be decent and honest, build it into your place like every other hostel.

The functionality on their website is sketchy and booked me for the wrong dates. I tried to cancel but they wont refund because the date had passed. Be careful when youre booking & dont assume its for the dates you put in. 0 stars for poor customer service.

Clean nice rooms. Lovely Gym. Friendly staff. Nice coffee / work area near the lobby. Amazing location. Fair price. Will definitely stay here again next time im in chicago.

We stayed here for an overnight break, booked through Airbnb, the hotel is clean and modern. The room was small and comfortable, the bed is low to the floor. I recommend this hotel as an affordable downtown option. Reduced overnight parking is available across the street for $49 pre-pay, with a come and go pass but you need to download a 3rd party app and enter your info before you enter the lot. The 12 to 24 hour rate is $54. The bar downstairs is a little loud but fun.

Very nice hotel with hostel characteristics. Theres different kinds of rooms. From shared hostel style rooms to regular hotel rooms, to suites, and various steps in between. They also do a cheap monthly rate.Theres always someone at the front desk, theyve got a great bar, and a nice coffeeshop. The whole place is decorated in a charming eclectic style, and the service is excellent. I actually came here for the bar, and liked it so much that I rented a room and stayed the night.My room was cozy and clean. The bathroom was particularly nice and done in a green tile that looked cool. Good lookin bathroom. Sparkling clean, literally. Fixtures looked new too.By way of comparison, I stayed in the Hilton regency the night before, and Freehand was better in almost every way. Freehand was way cleaner, had newer fixtures, and better internet by far (Hilton was unusable). Freehand had laundry service and Hilton no longer does. Freehand was warm and welcoming, while the Hilton lacked any character whatsoever. The Hilton had a better view, and thats pretty much it. Wish I had just stayed at Freehand the whole time. Next time, I will.

Whats good about this place is the location, walking distance for restaurants and bar hopping locations. Plus rooms are cozy .

My stay lasted 10 minutes. Room was super small, dark, dingy and dusty. Frayed lamp cord which is a fire hazard. Bedding was DISGUSTING. Blood and urine stains on mattress cover and duvet. Also hair, lint, crumbs & what looked like remnants of bed bugs! Thank God I got a refund and a luxurious room at The Gwen for only $100 more

The tiniest rooms humanly possible, for as much as a regular room. If you stay here, youll regret the hostel-like room arrangements, and if youre tall or large, youll feel cramped and cheated. Seriously, when I saw how small the room was, I thought it was some sort of joke for $250/night. Absolutely not a joke. This hotel should be razed to the ground and perhaps they can expand Acme next door to be a single, normal-sized hotel for normal-sized human beings :)

I was charged an exorbitant fee for parking without my knowledge or consent and only realized when I checked my credit card statement. I would not have booked or stayed if I knew of this fee. The hostel was fine but I will not likely stay again.

So unique and the vibe is much different than a regular hotel. I don’t know why this isn’t a 5 star place. Two 👍 up all the way.

I was pretty excited to stay here for my 30th birthday but upon arriving that changed. First off the female who greeted us at the front desk the night of August 7 was very unwelcoming. We stood there for five minutes before she acknowledged us. I even mentioned I was here for my 30th birthday and after checking is on only said, “here is your key.” No “enjoy your stay.” This is really more of a hostel going for the “we are all young working here and you’re young staying here so we aren’t gonna go out of our way to make you feel welcome. No cups for water. No water in the hallway. Wifi barely worked and air conditioner barely worked. The worst part was the menu they have posted online is false. I tried to get dinner reservations here for my birthday but there isn’t actually a restaurant. The only nice employee, the bouncer that night explained that they don’t have food at this hotel, they just have another mystery place in Chicago deliver upon request. Online they have broken shaker dining menu with prices around $15 a meal. This doesn’t exist! Some random menu of some off place restaurant with $30 meals. Completely misleading for people booking this for a special occasion. We didn’t feel very welcome and probably wouldn’t stay here again. Guess we just aren’t young and hip enough.

Very clean. Great location. Lucky to have nice roommates.

First off this is a hostel, which it doesn’t state on Air BnB. Has a very transient feel with a lot of modern day nomads lurking on every floor.1 o’clock in the morning Some dude just walked into our room somehow, door was locked, and said he was there to fix the AC. 1 in the morning and when I met the guy that came in the room he asked, are you staying with the big muscular guy? Is he not in here?Followed that up with a 4am phone ringing off the hook in the room, when I finally answer it because they keep calling it’s the front desk. They asked if I called them earlier, then said sorry and hung up.Would not stay here again with kids or probably at all.Facilities where nice but a lot of extracurricular activities going on.

Small rooms and dirty carpet. Outside of that everything was good.

The staff are nice, and the rooms are good quality. Stayed in one of the hostel rooms and the beds, despite being bunk beds, were really comfortable

The staff were polite enough. The room was called a Superior Queen. There was barely enough room to walk next the bed. There was about a foot of space between the bed and the bathroom. And about a foot and a half to the wall on the other side. There was about three and a half, maybe four feet from the foot of the bed the the wall. This was a closet. The overhead light had about 3 cm of visible dust on it which made the room look dim. The bathroom was so small that my knees were about 9 inches from the wall. The door hit the sick if you open it all the way and the shower was a little smaller than a Porta Potty. And this was a $70+ Upgrade from the shared room I accidentally booked originally. Never going back there ever.

Nice place, cheap, clean and in the center of the city.

Let me start off by saying KYLE at the front desk took very hood care of me as I expressed my discomfort of staying with strangers. The visual of people’s feet accidentally in my face scared the daylights on me as I imaged that might happen. And it didn’t help that my sister said we might die in their…lol overly dramatic!But he switched me! Quickly! I felt safe knowing that my comfort level was taken into consideration without a hassle.The bar drinks was on point!Friendly guest.I even met a new friend and he played the piano Sunday while I tried to sing. We took it to church on Sunday in the lobby!This spot is a very good for girls getaway and bro getaway!I can’t wait to see what the penthouse looking like for the future.Follow my blog on ig-Nettaslyfe! Thank you Kyle for your great hospitality

Older boutique hotel. Great for bachelor parties.

My stay with Freehand Chicago was good experience.Recommended for solo travelers & couples.They provide Towels, blanket Bath soaps and personal cubborard in room. It is advised to bring your own Lock as they dont provide for free.They have a small fitness center in the building & paid Laundry machine.5/5 - Convenience - It is located in downtown with access to bars, restaurants, local spots, bus stops, union station in walkable distance. Also has a paid parking building right by street.5/5 - No one can beat their price. I was able to get a cheaper price last moment.5/5 - Staffs were so friendly and helpful. They ensure guests are happy and always available to help 24x7.5/5 - They follow all Covid protocol keeping rooms and areas sanitized.The rooms/bathrooms were too small & I didnt feel comfortable. The A/C wasnt cooling down so I had to open the window to get cool air.

Didn’t even stay here. Bed bug blood stains found in 3 of our rooms they tried to put us in. Decided to go next door for a night sleep. Don’t stay here, the front desk people called me a liar about bed bugs saying they never had any but didn’t question my findings at all.

This is one of the coolest hotels Ive stayed at. Super friendly staff and great water pressure.

Very disappointed because it looks nothing like the pictures they show. The bed was on the floor and was very uncomfortable. I NEVER leave bad reviews but this is an exception. I’m not for sure why we had to take our trash out and leave the towels outside our door, if the rooms are cleaned ? The sheets definitely were not clean, blood stains, hair. And I was promised at least 155 sq ft. It was not even 10 foot wide bedroom. Walls are so thin neither of us could sleep because people were laughing and yelling all night long. Air conditioning barely worked and were tampering with it for ever. I am completely unsatisfied with this hotel.

Very nice and intimate with bar and Cafe right inside the hotel on the main floor.

Two weeks after making a reservation at the Freehand Chicago, the hotel sent me a message saying that I would need to pay an additional $225 over the price I reserved the room at (for one night) or have my reservation cancelled.I can definitely say I’ve never experienced that before. Beware.

Bartender was incredibly rude.“Due to COVID we are not providing robes in the rooms” is just utterly ridiculous. You can read that response from the hotel yourself on this site.

I liked my room. It was very clean and the personnel is nice as well.

Small and cute and reasonably priced. My room was incredibly cold though. We were freezing for a good 6 hours until the room heated up and then it turned off in the night so we woke up freezing again. It really turned me off from having a fully enjoyable and cozy night since we had to wear our jackets to keep warm.

I don’t want to kill myself but even if I did want to kill myself I couldn’t do it because the windows don’t open all the way, big lame

If you are looking for a place to sleep and bath in between activities, this place is it. Nothing fancy, but nice.

Althea this small hotel seems to be neat, the room is very small (really small), the bed is very low (I dont like low beds), and the heater seems to be failing in my room . On the other hand, the room is very clean. bathroom looks simple and has all what you need. The staff are very friendly and cool. Check-in before 3:00 pm will need to pay 30$ extra, I tried to check in at 2:30 and I was still need to pay that amount, so when check in will have a queue as lot of people will wait to do check in at 3:00.

Love this place, the lounge is so cozy and relaxing from when you need a break from walking

Worst management & booking exp was charged full amount of 2 days reservation within 30 min of booking coz I cancelled it for covid reason. Its evil management

The location of this hotel can’t be beat, as you’re right in the heart of Chicago. However, As soon as we showed up it was obvious the photos were strategically taken to make the rooms way nicer than they were. Right off the bat, we noticed that the parking and building situation is kind of confusing, and the person at the front desk didn’t care to explain anything to us on how it worked. We got lost multiple times and paid parking fees we didn’t have to because we weren’t told how the whole process worked. We ordered $30 worth of room service and after 40 minutes of waiting we finally got a call from the front desk to come pick it up in the lobby, as it had been sitting for awhile. Food came in bags and plastic, and was soggier than a tampon in a construction site port-o-potty. Don’t waste your time if you’re looking for a nice place to stay.

Afforable place to stay however, we will not come back again. The front desk female receptionist wearing glasses had poor customer service.

Whenever I visit Chicago I stay at the Freehand, and Ive had a great experience every single time! I have opted to share a room with other roommates, and Ive always felt safe, and Ive made lifetime friends at each stay. I think the price is extremely reasonable, especially considering Im really only in the room to sleep or in between sight-seeing. I find when you share a room, you either dont wind up with a roommate during the week and the roommates Ive had have all been considerate, polite, and respectful. The location is fantastic, staff is super cool, and you cant beat the price!

Yes the rooms are smaller, yes the halls are dark. It’s a different vibe, BUT, it has so much character. I love finding hotels like these whenever exploring a new city. If prefer a traditional cookie-cutter hotel, this isn’t for you. If you like character, this is a perfect place.It’s in an amazing location and within walking distance of some amazing restaurants.(The Purple Pig, Osteria Via Stato)If you need parking, there’s a garage right around the corner that you can get a good deal on through Spot Hero/Parking Panda.

The electric Wurlitzer piano in the lounge looks and sounds beautiful, and the design of the hotel is unique

Very rude hotel management!! Avoid this place much better value around town.

Clean, nice and everything you could wish for in a hostel.

Room too small, we paid extra for a scenic window and looked out and saw stairs and a car garage 👎👎..too expensive!!!!!!!

My stay was okay. The building is a little bit old and my room was so small the bed took up most of the room. There was mildew on my shower curtain and a lot of dust on the vent in the shower. Considering the price of my room, I was really disappointed to see the dirty shower curtain. That soured my experience and I probably won’t stay here again.

Get fast and easy to get a room for a day

Great experience during Covid. I really like the layout of the rooms with the built in bunk beds. Lights and outlets at each bed. Lockers available if you bring a lock. The bathroom was very nice and clean with a huge shower. This location is amazing, being so close to the river and Magnificent Mile. Shared rooms were at 50% capacity to improve social distancing.

The absolute best hostel/hotel in the entire City! I stay here every time I come to the city because the accomodations are exactly what I need and the best price in town!

The Hostel very beautiful. I stayed in a quad and each bed was almost like its own island and the bathrooms were so well maintain. It was pretty close to the riverwalk, so it was good for morning walks and somewhere to sit down. The staff also showed a lot of hospitality. Overall It was a great experience

I absolutely loved freehand! And can’t wait to start again next month!! I only gave 4 stars because the cafe was under construction and they never said that and they forgot to call and let me know my room was ready when I arrived early. Other than that I loved the vibe and the staff was helpful.

The Freehand Hotel Chicago was in a decent location to going and doing other things in Chicago. That was about the only positive. We stayed from 10/9 and checked out on 10/11. Our room was absolutely filthy. The only clean thing in our room were the sheets. The tapestry above our bed was stained with what appeared to be body fluids, the carpet left our white socks almost black on the bottoms, the curtains had bodily fluids on them, and the shower curtain had black mold growing all over it. Also, our light in our bedroom did not work leaving us in a completely dark room. Which I get why they would want to hide the room. We checked out at 4am on the 11th to catch a ride to the airport and noticed a random person sleeping in the lobby. Dont know if thats normal for them but seemed weird. Would not recommend staying here.

Love this place nice clean quite. Bar and every thing else was closed due to Cov-19 😷 but the lounge was beautiful. I love the decor more modern style. Will be visiting again, I stayed two nights one with a King size bed it was comfy the shower colorful TV nice size smart TV even a safe if needed. Quad room my kids loved it beds was comfortable room small but we had fun...I enjoyed my stay!!

I am currently staying here at Freehand and I am loving it!!The location is perfect as most of the main attractions are walking distance.The check in process was smooth, and the staff at the front desk was so helpful and kind. I arrived around 11 am so I stopped by to hold my luggage. Instead, she said my bed was ready and she let me check in early!!The room is very well kept and luckily my 2 roommates were very nice and respectful.They all checked out this morning and I am having room all by myself!!This is my first hostel experience and Freehand made it perfect!!!I would definitely recommend and will be staying here again on my next trip to Chicago!!

Clean rooms, easy check in process and the location is great!

Positive: Close to all public transportation, Michigan avenue, many stores and restaurants Negative: I did not care for the bed. It was very very low to the floor and a bit difficult to get out of. However for the younger folks - sure it would be fine. Also very dark in the rooms. No view at all.

Great service. Lovely staff. Terrible mishandling of crises. Next time try a social worker not a cop. Thanks.

Lovely and so cute! Warm hospitality. I love the mix of the old fashion look n feel but modernized features.

Expensive but not terrible

Hotel rooms are EXTREMELY dark, no natural lights it all and the lights from the room are low. Hallways are dirty and also dark, it just give a very depressing vibe. The doors are very hard to close and you can hear absolutely everything from all the rooms around. Location is fine but you can find better hotels around at similar price. Also the bed dirty and I’m pretty sure it has bed bugs. The receptionist when I check in was very nice and helpful but when I check out and complaint about everything it was a male receptionist and he was rude and didn’t seem to care much about costumer service.

Very clean, reasonable price stay very accessible to grocery store, restaurants, Post Office, banks and public transportation buses and trains. Alot of police presence and traffic control officers here downtown