The River Hotel — Hotel in Chicago

I hope everyone planning to stay at this hotel to read this before booking! My friend and I planned to spend the Christmas night in Chicago so we drove all the way from Michigan to the River Hotel in Downtown Chicago, as we had already booked one night at this place. We arrived at 1:00 pm trying to check-in, the guy at the front desk told us that check-in starts at 2 pm, but we can still leave our bags and come back in one hour and so we did; Came back at 2:00 sharp and there was another guy at the front desk named LEO, so we kindly asked for our room and he was like check-in is at 3 pm! We told him what happened and that we were here before and the other guy told us at 2 pm; In a very rude and mean attitude he responded that this is not true and there nothing he could do ! I literally said “ ok whatever we are coming back at 3” and I was heading towards the entrance to hear him saying, in a very mean and rude attitude again, “ If you are upset I can cancel the reservation for you “. I turned around eyes wide opened and couldn’t believe what my friend and I just heard, and told him that he is being mean and I am the one that should be pissed because you literally called me a liar; he was like yes I did and I am canceling the reservation… I was Literally in shock and didn’t know if that was real, I have been in hotels all around the world and never experienced such a situation ! Adding insult to the injury I asked for the available manager because literally we were humiliated and embarrassed that we were “kicked out” of the hotel, specially that it happened in-front of other guests as well, to be surprised that there is no available manager at the time being “he is off today”, and he had the audacity to give us the managers name “Ryan”, number, and working hours on the next day so we can reach out to him; acting like he has nothing to lose! So the guy, LEO, cancelled the reservation without me even asking for it, gave us our stuff back & we left having no place to stay after the long drive we had; all what I did is that I told him we were here before and the other guy told us come back at 2 pm! Where does on earth such a customer experience exist especially from, supposedly, a “reputable” hotel ?!? This hotel should close doors asap or at least change the staff and management because there is a huge question mark on how the staff are dealing with their guests, and another question mark on how a hotel is running without a manager on the floor ?!

Moral of the story, if you are planning to book in this...

This is the second time we have stayed at this hotel while attending the NRA food show. The location is great. right downtown, within walking distance to dozens of restaurants, bars and other hotels. But, they have changed a number of things since covid, and the changes are not for the better. When we entered the room, there was a large piece of broken glass on the sink, which is not in the bathroom, but in the room as you walk in. That is where all the towel storage is as well, so you better not forget to take a towel in with you before taking a shower. In the bathroom itself, there are no horizontal surfaces to put anything on, and no other storage. There are are a couple of hooks to hang clothes, but they are in odd places. Ours was missing a piece for the rubber barrier that was supposed to keep the water in the shower, so every time we took a shower, it flooded the floor. The first day, we used our towels to help clean it up, thinking housekeeping would come and replace them, but, due to "covid", they no longer do daily housekeeping unless you call them before 10:30 AM and ask to have your room cleaned. I asked for that to happen the second day and it didn't so I had to call the front desk and have them bring more towels and toilet paper and coffee and Kleenex. Same thing the 3rd day. They finally got it right the 4th day, although I asked them to come after 11 am when we would be gone, and they showed up at 9:30 am. Seems like at $300+ per night, they could do that stuff without asking. They removed the Keurig coffee makes and put in Nespresso machines, which can only make a 1.5 or 3.5 oz. cups. Just silly if you are an actual coffee drinker. The room is a little tired and could use a good refresh, and there was mold on the walls and ceiling of our shower. You could tell exactly how tall the cleaning person was by where the walls being wiped down stopped. Day 2 one of the elevators was down, day 3 both were down and we had to use an alternate elevator. The AC works well, but is very, very loud. Next time, I think we will stay at a better hotel a little father away from the downtown core and take a rideshare if needed, and still save some money and...

Here’s my honest review after our one-week stay at the hotel. I want to be fair and provide both pros and cons to help future guests make an informed decision.

Pros: Great Staff: The staff was super helpful and friendly. They offered a texting service for any needs and were quick to respond to requests like more coffee, room cleaning, and fresh towels. The housekeeping staff, in particular, was sweet and attentive.

Comfortable Room: The room itself was very comfortable, and the view was absolutely stunning. It was our first time visiting Chicago, and the view really made the experience special.

Cons: Extreme Noise Issues: Unfortunately, we had 6 nights of barely any sleep due to constant noise. While the staff kindly offered earplugs, they didn’t help at all given how loud it was. We paid an extra $20 per night for the view, but the noise made it hard to enjoy.

Mexican Independence Day Weekend: The noise from the holiday wasn’t the hotel’s fault, but it's worth noting for anyone visiting during this time of year. The celebrations were pretty wild. Cars honked non-stop until 4 a.m., with people screaming, hanging out of car windows, setting off makeshift fireworks, and so on for several nights. The police were constantly on loudspeakers clearing the streets, which only added to the disruption. This level of noise was a huge issue for us.

City Noise: Even after the holiday weekend, the general city noise was overwhelming. There’s not much sound insulation in the rooms, so every bit of street noise carried through. Unfortunately, this made it difficult to sleep for our entire stay. We are exhausted, to say the least. My husband had to wake up every day at 5 a.m. for work, so this was especially tough for him.

Would I stay here again? Sadly, no. The noise levels were just too disruptive, and without getting a good night's sleep, it was hard to fully enjoy the trip.

If you’re a heavy sleeper, this place might still work for you, but for light sleepers or those who need to be up for work or want to sightsee with energy, it’s probably not the...