Unlock Key Insights: Aloft Chicago Downtown River North Review Analysis

This is been my go to hotel for the past 5 to 6 years while in Chicago for business, and I’ve really started to fall in love with all the little restaurants that I’ve come to get to know over the years. From the Smith, the gauge, Raman-San - you name it this hotel location is perfect for everything, including a cheeky pint at the end of the night at fado if the moon is full.On my last visit to aloft, I had a bit of a not so great experience, but I’m not letting it discount the fact that I will be there again soon. I just think the downstairs bar and coffee baristas are not at the same service caliber as the hotel staff. When asked if I could add a cookie and a coffee to my hotel room bill one night, I got a quick snap back, saying NO. It was very jarring at the time, so hope it’s not a trend.Without a doubt, Beatrix is one of the main reasons I continue to go back to aloft. The breakfast there is spiritual.

Have stayed twice now, and the staff is easily the most friendly and helpful staff I've encountered at a hotel in Chicago.I did only give the rooms 4* because they are a little smaller than I am used to seeing in the area.I will 100% be back again though, and highly recommend!Safety: I like that the elevators require a room key to select a floor.Walkability: Great neighborhood, and only a block from the Grand RedLine which provides easy access to basically anywhere in the city.

Front desk check in was simple and fast. Aloft has free water in your room waiting for you. The room is very clean and spacious. Very clean. I have the handicap shower. Elevators are fast. Use your room key to operate. We ate dinner at the WXYZ restaurant in the hotel. Everything was delicious! I recommend staying here while in Chicago.

Hotel was great. Staff is very helpful. Parking is a nightmare. Pay for the valet. It was pretty loud at night. Sirens and yelling. But inside the hotel was quiet and safe. This town knows how to celebrate St. Pattys day.Rooms: New. Comfy. Everything we needed.Walkability: We walked 20 km. Hit lots of sites

My best friend and I stayed here last weekend for a concert at The Salt Shed. Not only was this location under a 10-minute drive to the venue, but it was in a great location to walk to so many different places to check out and eat at.Staff: All the valet & front desk staff were super nice and very helpful. I had them valet my car & I remembered that i accidentally left my medicine in the car, i felt so bad having them go back & get my car so that I could retrieve it but they were SO nice about it. The front desk staff were very nice upon check in, they called the room a little bit after we checked in to make sure everything was fine in the room, which, of course, it was.All in all, our stay was pleasant, the staff was nice & the room was great. The valet is a little more than I want to pay to park each night, but that's most, if not all, hotels in the downtown vicinity, so it was not unexpected, and it was only about $10 more expensive than the closest overnight parking garage, so it was worth it for me. I would like to stay here again the next time we are in town in July (if not sooner)Rooms: The room: We upgraded a little bit and got the corner room with the double queen beds. It was super spacious, and the floor to ceiling windows were AWESOME. We are from Iowa, so we enjoyed just looking out the windows at night with the buildings and the lights, it was very beautiful. The room was clean and had almost everything we needed. My only complaints about the room is that it didnt have a microwave for any leftovers so we didnt bring any back with us when we went out to eat & the only outet in the bathroom was under the sink and behind the mini fridge. So we had to get on our hands & knees, move the mini fridge, and plug in our hair appliances. Also there is a fire station around the corner from the hotel so there was A LOT of fire truck siren noise but eventually I just learned to tune it out, so it didnt bother me too too much. But other than that the room was great.The beds: they get their own portion of my review because I have stayed in SO many hotels and I have to say without a doubt that these were the most comfortable beds with the most comfortable pillows that I have ever slept on. I genuinely wanted to ask them what kind of mattress or mattress toppers or witchcraft they have because I want one for my house. The pillows were soft but not too soft. I dont know, please tell me what kind of mattress and pillows you have in the corner rooms on the 6th floor because I NEED THEM.Safety: There was always someone at the front desk, and after a certain time, you needed your room key to get into the hotel lobby as well as use the elevator to get to the rooms. But even as 2 5 foot tall women, we still felt safe not only in the hotel but also in walking around to nearby places. There are always going to be a few shady characters, but there were enough people around for me to not worry.Walkability: There are so many restaurants within a 5-10 minute walk. Portillo's, a chicago staple, is only 2 blocks away. Along chain restaurants like McDonald's, Subway, & Einstein's bagels.

I was pleasantly surprised with this hotel! The rooms were a lot more spacious than I anticipated and even though there were only 2 of us, we could have had 4 in the room without feeling too claustrophobic. The only thing I wish were different about the rooms was the lighting. In order to turn on the light for the shower/toilet area, you had to have all the lights on the side of the room on (over the sink & closet area), which makes it hard to be discrete when others are sleeping. Our TV was not working and they offered to send someone to service it, but it was later in the evening and we didn't want to mess with it. We also arrived really early and asked if we could check in early...we could for a $25 fee, so we opted to check our bags with a bellman instead.There are refrigerators in the rooms, and microwaves in the main lobby for anyone's use. There are also areas to play games and a pool table. The location was perfect for the things we wanted to do, making it easy to walk to restaurants, shopping, etc.