Howard Johnson Inn Chicago Downtown

This was possibly the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. The room was stinky, to the point that all my clothes stink now. It smelled like an ashtray. The smell was so bad that it made it impossible to stay in the room for any second longer than was absolutely necessary. When I asked to be moved to a non-smoking room, they said none were available. To be honest, their ad did say these were smoking rooms (I discovered that later), but I never paid any attention, as I thought most rooms in the US are non-smoking by default. Also, I saw a huge rat running outside, right by the entrance door. On a brighter note, the staff was friendly, and bed and the bathroom were clean (despite the ubiquitous smell), and the location was very convenient. All in all, it was definitely not a pleasant experience and I I will not go back there again. It's better to pay more but stay in a more decent room.

Good value for the money . Great location. ooooH . OOOOH!

The biggest flaw was the hotel's age. The decor was outdated and cheap, and the towels were a bit starchy and crusty from being used too many times. But, this is to be expected based on the price. The good things: great location, super friendly staff, safe, very clean. I'd much rather pay less for shabby curtains, than for staying in an unsafe neighborhood or for staying 10 miles out of town. Another negative: the window opened directly to the outside walkway, so I didn't want to leave the curtains open because anyone walking by could look in. The room was pretty dark with the curtains drawn. Stayed for 3 nights.

Let's face it, if you are planning to be this far downtown, you're not gonna be in the room for long, and all you need is a place to sleep and maybe rest your feet in between excursions... most of which are in walking distance even with children. High praise for affordable rooms this close to many attractions. Even if you decide on getting a cab for some further schtuff's, at least it won't cost too much (less than $7 to the John Hancock Center!) Bring you own pillow if you can. oh and the free parking is HUGH

Good location!!! It is very easy to walk to the shopping street and bars.

enjoyed stay, would recommend for nice close place to stay within walking distance of michigan ave stores

We stayed here last year for a week. Saved a bunch of money on parking and wi-fi. Great location, great breakfast, clean room. Friends of ours are coming to town, recommended it to them, they are going to stay there! Can't beat the price!!!

With free parking and free wireless access to the internet in the downtown of Chicago, I would call it a sweet deal when you only need to spend 80 bucks per night to have them. If you are facing a limited budget, go for it.

we stayed four nights, and we are very happy about our choice, the hotel is located in very convenient and safe place, the price is very accepatable, we get to take our dog with us and get free parking, which is not easy in chicago! the room is old, but the bed is very comfortable and clean. We had all out breakfast in the cafe, food is good. I will stay again.

This is no more than a 3 star place, but value wise very good if you are looking for a non-fuss, non-fancy place. It looks a bit grim from the street, but the room looked like it was recently renovated, very clean, nice beds, roomy - no problems at all and better than I expected. Parking and internet were included - last time I stayed at one of the big star-big name hotels on Michigan they charged for internet which is one of my pet peeves, so bonus points for that. Would def stay here again.