Old Chicago Inn featuring Room 13 — Hotel in Lake View Township

My wife and I stayed at the Old Chicago Inn about 7 years ago, but just for a quick overnight. I recall it being a decent place with a lot of charm. Unfortunately, on our trip this weekend we were sorely disappointed with our room. I'm afraid it does not deserve the high rating it has been given overall, and many of the good reviews appear to refer to the speakeasy below, not the hotel experience.

The place was in very sorry shape. Room 3D, which showed a nice "brushed metal four poster bed" on their website actually had a tacky, cheap, squeaky frame with a worn out mattress. In fact, just about everything in the room creaked and groaned. It was also easy to hear other guests blow their nose or use the toilet. The carpet was a dingy coarse and ripped gray thing that didn't help the overall appearance of the room. An unnecessary second dresser harumphed against the wall at the foot of the bed, taking up precious space in a tiny room. The moulding around the doors was lopsided, missing pieces, and tacked up with large brads that left holes that were never filled. Paint was poorly applied, and the darker color beneath shown through the streaky attempt. The shower handle fell off straight away since it was missing the screw to hold it on. The tile was moldy, and there was no fan to clear away the steam. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling directly onto the toilet, so there was no way to sit on it without getting dripped on from some unknowable source. The ceiling had been patched, poorly, in the past, so it was an ongoing issue, and the drip, drip, drip onto the toilet seat was audible while trying to fall asleep.

It's hard to call this a bed and breakfast since breakfast mainly consisted of a pan of cornbread, some mini cereal boxes, and mediocre coffee. Certainly not any better than the typical "continental" breakfast available at any ol' hotel.

I guess the price for the room comes from the fact that it's located in Chicago, and in a good part of town for dining and entertainment. Anywhere else I would expect to pay about $50 a night for quality such as this.

The inn-keeper was a nice guy, and we did get a parking pass that made things very convenient. We spent very little time in the room during the day, and had a wonderful visit to Chicago despite the accommodations here. If the place were to be spruced up, it could easily be worthwhile. Sadly, the shape it's in now means we'll rule it out for...

Over price, dated, no private bathrooms, dirty bathrooms, lots of outside noise filters from the old windows, noisy wood floor. I have read many good reviews about this place and I am writing mine for those who don't appreciate places that charge Hilton prices and aren't even close to the basic standards of service. Bed and Breakfast...the breakfast isn't made by a chef or great cook, you might as well go to have a bagel down the street, we ended up doing that. God bless those who have enjoyed their stay and felt happy about it. The linens are old, probably 10 years, pillows very hard, mattress very hard. The wood floors are so noisy that you may think that someone is walking into your room. The Inn is next to a karaoke bar and obviously people is partying until late at nigh and you can hear all the noise from the street. The room we chose was supposed to have a private bathroom, which it didn't. No room has private bathroom, all the bathrooms are to be shared, although it says different in the website. This is an old inn in Chicago, not improvements have been done, the tub/shower has rusty holes in the side, it looks dirty and since it is not private, you can find anything in it, hairs etc. The shower curtains are old and moldy. And why should anyone pay $180/night for a room with no private and unclean bath?! The cancellation policy is two weeks! The Inn keeper is kind and accommodating, BUT, I payed for a Hilton price and I received a hostel with a huge tag price. I felt like I was in a camping trip. Horrible. Use "Hotels Tonight app" and find a better hotel closer...

The Old Chicago Inn is a true gem— we’re very happy to have found this place! Super close to the red line (not even 2 bocks), lots of things going on in this area & this isn’t even the major downtown part of Chicago. There is also a Chicago police department right across from the Inn; always felt very safe at night and throughout the day:). Our room, and separate, but private, bathroom, were both adequate for our needs and we personally didn’t need much of anything else to get buy. SHARED KITCHEN: I would advise bringing some of your own crockery, as there were quite little here. There are pots and pans and a gas stove as well as brand new fridge. Otherwise than that minuscule bump in the road, this place exudes living simplistically in a quaint and comfortable way. Very cute common areas, entire place is well decorated. You feel like Julie in Julie and Julia except you’re in Chicago, & there’s no Julia Child. Trader Todd’s next door is a karaoke bar, SO fun. Definitely a younger crowd vibe. We stopped in for an hour, listened & hung out. Definitely an activity for a groups of friends! Chicago is your oyster, explore.

** there was no hand soap, or body soap in our bathroom; that’s why 4/5 stars on...