Willows Hotel

Stayed here while on my trip in Chicago. It was such a nice hotel and the staff was very pleasant. My family and i were looking for places to eat around the area since we would be walking most of the trip. Emily suggested a burger place ul the street called Kumas too awesome burgers (they play metal music) she also suggested a really great ice cream shop called bobtails ice cream. That place was also really good. On our last full day we asked Emily once again on a really good breakfast place to eat at and she steered us into the right direction of a place called Yolk. They had really great food. If i come to Chicago again i would stay at The Willows. I couldnt of asked for a better experience while i was in Chicago.

I actually live just a few blocks away, but work was being done on my apartment and I needed a place to stay overnight. At first I couldn’t understand why every hotel in the area was booked but learned the Draft was in town. Ended up paying $ 345 for a room that’s normally around $ 150 at other local (nicer) hotels. I’ve stayed at the Best Western a few blocks away for $ 128 in a room three times the size, better decorated, better amenities, with a much better breakfast.
Since I was working on the apartment, I didn’t actually get to the room until after midnight and was just planning to crash until morning then head back to my place.
WHAT A DUMP!
Tiny room with mismatched furniture. They stuffed a queen bed into what could barely hold a twin. There was a FOLD DOWN desk of sorts on one wall and a table that housed a dorm room fridge and a tray of snack for sale.
The bedside lamp didn’t work.
The toilet worked once and then ho more.
The bathroom in general was horribly decorated.
In retrospect, I would have been better off staying in my under-​construction apartment.
When I filled out the email survey I received, I did get a letter of apology but not even a coupon for a free night’s stay or a partial refund for my inconvenience.
Really horrible experience.
One positive… the staff I spoke to on the phone and encountered at the front desk were very polite and pleasant.

Ugh. «Trash can alley/​ugly ass parking lot» for a view in our room forces us to up and move to another room; also, the channels don’t correspond to the actual TV channels. You have to guess which channel is what… We were woken up TWICE well before 8am to two massive trash pickups — talk about a sh*tty way to wake up (!)
We were then moved to a room where the TV doesn’t work AND a snack has been previously eaten and resealed (disgusting).
I see this place faltering in the details. They must do weekly/​daily checks of all the things that people ACTUALLY USE like tvs, snacks, etc… The place is old but lovely, am staff nice (not so much late afternoon staff).
I would so love to recommend but don’t feel right doing so after the overall experience here :(

What a hidden gem this place is! Reasonable prices, location was amazing and the staff is unbelievably nice to everyone. Can’t wait to stay here again

This hotel was pretty cute, the décor was nice and up to date. The staff was helpful.
The only things I didnt really like was that our room wasnt super clean. My boyfriend travels for a living so hes pretty picky when it comes to hotels. He checks everything before we will even unpack. We found some dust and several hairs throughout our room, specifically on our sheets and in the tub.
They also offered a free breakfast in the morning, that was nice, but we didnt have time for it.
Would I stay here again? Probably.

Good basic hotel with excellent service. No amenities like a gym or pool. Free continental breakfast and coffee and tea are available 24 hours. Walking distance to lots of restaurants and stores. I would stay here again. Our average nightly rate for a two-​Queen bed room was $ 260.
Note that this is an older building and hasn’t been modernized. The rooms are nice enough though, and clean. Ours had two queens and two ceiling fans which were great for white noise (since the building is older you do get some muffled sounds from other rooms and outside). The bathroom was a little on the small side but manageable.

Post working @Hyatts & Hiltons, etc. I look for ol’ funky hotels. The Willow Hotel did not disappoint! Located in Lincoln Park; a über hip ‘hood in Chicago. I’m not going to lie it’s an old hotel with large hallways and windows that actually open but the service and location can’t be beat.
It’s been decades since I was greeted at my taxi by a bellman. Who ushered my luggage to the elevator without the usual, «You need help with that.» Upon registration, I was informed that hot cookies and milk would be available in the lobby @ 4PM. I didn’t take advantage but the lobby smelled like fresh baked cookies when I returned; kinda homey. I was given a key and internet password (FREE & FAST) and taken to my room.
The room as large with 2 large beds, tiny closet, desk, TV, and end tables. The bathroom was «charming» with a pedestal sink and circa 1950s pink subway tile. Everything was extremely clean and ordering.
The cost of eating in a hotel especially a quick snack or drink from the mini bar has always makes me crazy. I was delighted they offered an extremely drinkable bottle of Pinot Noir for $ 15 — that’s usually the cost of one glass in the lobby bar. Even the room service menu look reasonable but I didn’t try it. They offered free breakfast in the lobby which I checked out but didn’t eat (just not hungry). For a small area the covered all the bases: coffee, tea, water, fruit, yogurt, cereal, bagels, hard boiled eggs and microwavable breakfast sandwiches.
The only issue I had was check out time. I tend to leave «late check out» requests to the last minute. I spoke to 3 people on this issue. 1^st I was told: we can offer 1PM for free or 3PM for $ 30. When I asked for the 3PM I was told to check back with the manager. Later the manager said: We’re sold out we can offer till 2PM for $ 30. I said that was fine. @2PM when I checked out they waived the $ 30 (THANKS!) and said they hoped to see me again soon. I just which I knew how late I could check out for $ 30 because my flight wasn’t till 830PM.
I’m in Chicago every year. I will book stay again without question.

JUST AWESOME!
The staff have beautiful hearts and genuinely care about their customers.
I’d recommend this place to everyone.

Rooms very comfortable. Great location for north side. Center of Lincoln park and close to transportation. You really don’t need a car to explore from here. Front desk very helpful. They will match any Expedia etc rate you find. Gym is great if you want to use it. Only complaint were the heavy footed guest above us but not really the fault of the hotel.

Great location in Lincoln Park. Our room was clean and fresh, although quite old. The window was drafty, with below 0 air blowing in, but the radiator kept the room warm. Breakfast was simple but had what we needed. Parking was just around the corner in a parking garage.

Good location, clean, and quaint hotel. Only complaint would be the rare hot water n weak water pressure made showering a longer endeavor than it should be. Good continental bfast and friendly staff.

This hotel is absolutely fantastic! Very clean and updated with gorgeous interiors. I felt like I was staying in someone’s guest room. Can’t wait to come back to Chicago and stay here.

I was coming into town the first week of December and quickly discovered a huge convention was in town so all my normal hotels were booked solid. I found the willows on expedia and frankly was a little worried. The hotel is in a quirky, cool part of town, I felt very safe. The hotel itself is older but they’ve done a good job making sure all the current amenities are in place. Both check in and check out were great. The front desk staff was friendly and very efficient. The elevator is tiny but worked efficiently. I had a room on the 4^th floor — two double beds with lots of pillows and the bed was comfy. I loved the little things — the windows open for fresh air which I like even when it’s 30 degrees outside. I looked out on an old alley way but who cares, I just wanted air! There was a ceiling fan over each bed so if you wanted air moving you could have it. Desk, TV, honor bar items, free wifi, ironing board — all the basics — except coffee in the room. I got in around 9pm and they have a small room service menu until 9pm delivered by a local restaurant. I ordered a gyro plate and it came it about 10 min — hot, good, reasonably priced.
I wasn’t wild about no coffee in the room in the morning but I threw on some sweats and went down at 6:00am and coffee was waiting so I grabbed a couple cups and went back upstairs in the tiny elevator and it was just fine.
Oh, and you do have to walk up and down a couple steps to get in and out of the hotel — not ideal for a woman lugging bags but they had a bell man in the morning to help if needed. All in all, very impressed with this quaint little hotel. My office is in downtown and it did take about 30 mins by cab during rush hour to drive the 8 miles to W. Monroe street — that wasn’t great but not the fault of the hotel.
I’d stay here again and would explore all the cool local eateries…

I have stayed at the Williows several times, and will stay there again. It is a lovely boutique hotel in a convenient location near Diversey Ave., Lincoln Park neighborhood and DePaul, but on a quiet side street. It is an old building, but well maintained with comfortable furnishings and amenities. The bathrooms are extremely tiny (obviously had to be installed at some point into moderately sized rooms) but they make the most of the space. The main reason I like the Willows is the staff — the most helpful staff at any lodging facility I’ve ever stayed. The bellman will run down a block to Diversey to get a cab for you. This trip their makeshift room service (ordering from the pub around the corner) wasn’t available, so the front desk clerk found me another place that delivered since I didn’t want to go out by myself on a cold evening. The only reason I hesitate giving 5 stars is that the price has gone up since the last time I stayed. It’s still within reach of a chain hotel with much better service.

We were visiting family in Chicago and chose The Willows because of its location in Lake View. From the moment we arrived the staff were extremely pleasant and welcoming. Our room was large and felt very modern, as if it had been newly renovated. The pillows were the most comfortable I have ever had at a hotel, and I got a great night’s sleep in their beds. The wifi was a little shaky at times but overall worked well, and the in-​room internet access through the television was something I have never experienced before. It was great to use for researching attractions, events, and places to eat in the city. The continental breakfast each morning was excellent, with just about any breakfast food you could think of being offered. Overall though, what makes The Willows a wonderful place is its staff. They do whatever it takes to make sure their guests were having all their needs met and are comfortable. This includes them personally offering to deliver ice to our room when we didn’t know where the machine was, as well as each staff member giving their own personal recommendations on their favorite places to eat in the neighborhood. Every time we left the building, the front desk staff would say «Enjoy your day!» When we would return at night it was «Welcome back, how was your day?» Even when getting breakfast downstairs each day it was, «Good morning. How did you sleep?» These are the little things that make guests feel welcome and cared for, and I cannot stress enough how much it meant to us. Staying at The Willows fully enriched my visit to the city and I will be booking here exclusively for all my future travels to Chicago. I would give The Willows 10 stars if I could.

All hotel staff were very nice & helpful
A nice hotel to stay at in Chicago
Most places are walking distance

I recently stayed at the Willows Hotel when I visited with my daughter for a few days. Since she was going to take a mini-​break along with me, I booked a double queen room and it was more than enough space for the both of us. The room was nicely appointed, clean, comfortable and while the bathroom was older without much counter space, it was very clean and worked for us without any problems. I was surprised at how inexpensive the minibar rations were — very economical. The staff was excellent and allowed us to check in early since our room was available.
One of the desk clerks was very helpful regarding parking info and gave us alternative options. My daughter parked her car for one night as she needed to drive to an evening meeting and drop me off at the airport the next day. She was able to park at overnight metered parking for free — she went out early next morning to pay for about 1 ½ hrs time while we finished getting ready to head out.
The continental breakfast was a little lackluster but I’ve found that the norm with most hotels — we headed to Anne Sather’s for bfast or one of the Lakeview coffee shops. The transit stop was close by as was shopping; great neighborhood.
I definitely plan on staying here again — lucky to have found a place I am comfortable returning to in the future. Great stay!

We stayed there for one night and we liked the hotel very much. Location is very close to Lincoln Park about 5 minute walk. The room was clean, the stuff was very helpful and the continental breakfast was very good. The only problem we had that you could hear pretty much everything from the street and it does not help getting to sleep

My fiancé and I stayed here for a «staycation» after purchasing the Living Social deal which included one night in a King room, free parking with unlimited in and out priviledges, and a bottle of Californian Pinot Noir for around $ 100. Overall, the hotel was clean, the staff was friendly, the free breakfast was sufficient and filling, coffee and cookies in the afternoon were a nice touch, and the charm of the exterior of the hotel and the location were great.
However! The walls are paper thin and, as our room was on the first floor, we could hear everything in the lobby, as well as in the rooms above and next to us. That dampened the mood a bit.
The décor left much to be desired and our windows faced the parking alley where the dumpsters were also located, and where the garbage trucks came early on Monday morning and killed any hopes of sleeping in.
All in all, a reliable choice if you have a specific need to stay in the area. Otherwise, there are plenty of amazing Chicago hotels in prime locations and in a comparable price range, with better amenities and atmosphere.

Wish I could give this a 3.5 stars… because I would!
Found a great deal at The Willows through
and was very pleased with the quality of the hotel — especially for the price! My traveling companion and I were only here one night and we spend the evening out. So for sleeping and being close to most things, this was a 4-​star hotel. The beds were huge and super comfortable (and the copious amounts of beer that we drank that night helped lull us to sleep) and the room stays dark.
The bathrooms, albeit antiquated, were very clean and the shower had great water pressure. They weren’t especially large, which made getting ready a little difficult. Only one person fits comfortably in there. I give that part of the room 3 stars.
I didn’t hear anything coming from the rooms next door, but we were especially close to the lobby and could hear people having brunch in the morning, so that kind of sucked. But again, the massive amounts of alcohol that my friend and I drank the night before kept us semi-​comatose in the a.m.
Overall, the hotel was very cute and affordable. Even the room service was cheap. $ 3 burgers and $ 15 bottles of wine available in your room? Nice! I would absolutely stay here again if given the opportunity!