Hostelling International Chicago
- Nearest Transit:
Library (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Pink)
Harrison (Red)
Jackson (Blue)
- Price Range: $$
14 Reviews for Hostelling International Chicago
Really enjoyed my stay here. Good, friendly service, cheap rooms, and a great location. This is my go-to place whenever I go to Chicago. There's really no reason to stay anywhere else.
This hostel is way better than the Arlington House. It's in a good area, if you want to stay in the Loop. The place is clean, and the bathrooms are pretty nice. There are pool tables and such in the common room. I thought the kitchen was awesome, though. Breakfast was pretty good, and the kitchen was really clean and neat. There's a Panera right across the street, too.
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This was voted the #1 large hostel in the WORLD in 2006.
It's location is perfect, right in the south loop near the Jackson Blue Line and the Lake Shore. Very clean, student/youth populated, cultural center with lots of perks: no curfew, free breakfast, free maps, free luggage storage, free wifi and a lot of discounts to touristy things.
It's very safe with an electronic key card to the rooms, and has security (HI shares a building with columbia or roosevelt colleges' dorms). They have a computer lab, cable tv lounges, study halls, floor to vaulted ceiling windows, pool table, full kitchen, blea bla...it's pretty damn dease for $30 a night.
What's best about the hostel are the volunteer programs-- i know this...because, well, I'm a volunteer!
We lead nightly outings taking travelers to the nooks and crannies of Chicago...in the past month I've taken people to free shows at the Empty Bottle, Bingo at the Clipper, Improv Olympic, Map Room, Blackhawks, etc!
There are also programs that engage the Chicago community to learn about the different cultures that come through the hostel. Every couple weeks a Chicago Public School class comes in to learn how to cook a special cuisine with the help of a young traveler and the volunteers. Boysouts and Girlscouts come by to learn about different customs around the world, and it's just an awesome volunteer structure to show how much we love Chicago and how much Chicago loves the world! Woo!
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we had 75+ people stay here for a 4-day conference and was supposed to be sharing by chapters/regions, therefore they were well aware that it was going to be coed rooms. so why did i get stuck in a room full of strange girls NOT from my organization? after many complaints, i got placed in my ex's room with 6 other guys. most of them were part of the organization we were from, but 2 of them were europeans.
the rooms were ok and decent size for the amount of people you can fit per room. i was surprised that they didn't change the sheets on a daily basis. they told me i can request new sheets after the 4th day. being the neat freak, germaphobe that i am, i asked if i could change it everyday and they wanted to charge me for it.
don't forget to bring a lock for your locker. the shared bathrooms were absolutely disgusting. and our 2 european roomies complained that we were too loud and kept walking in and out the room (hello, it was 8pm). i know they were jetlagged but it's their fault they were cheap and decided to share a room at a hostel rather than pay for their own room in a hotel.
despite all this, the staff were pretty friendly and tried to accomodate us as much as they could. i liked the high security with the key cards (you need it to enter the hostel, use the elevator, take the stairs, enter your room and i think even use the bathroom) but had a difficult time carrying my card around all the time.
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One of the best hostels I've ever stayed in. The common areas and dorm rooms are clean, but the bathrooms could definitely use a lil' work. For around $30 a night, you get a place to sleep, lockers (bring your own lock), breakfast and informative staff who help you with your Chicago adventures. The staff are very knowledgeable about the area and local attractions that may be of interest to guest. If you absolutely have no idea what you wanna do, they set up outtings every night that you can tag along with. Oh yeah did I mention... free WiFi? :)
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The Chicago Hostelling International hostel was my crashpad during the first few weeks I was in Chicago searching for an apartment, and it was a wonderfully inexpensive, convenient alternative to standard or even budget hotels.
It's right in the Loop, and for a max of about $36 per night (for non-members of Hosteling International, there is an extra $3 per night charge) you get clean facilities, a towel, access to a full kitchen to prep your own food, free breakfast, two TV lounges, multiple study rooms, and if you are smart and book into a 6 or 8 bed room, you might also get en suite shower and toilet.
The hostel is secure, the staff is amazingly helpful and friendly, there are daily outings, and the place is cheap.
Just keep in mind that, unlike some hostels which only take young adult backpackers, this place is happy to take large groups of children as well, so you may find yourself fighting through a lobby full of hopped up Girl Scouts or a boys gospel choir on any given day.
I'm allergic to larval-stage humans, but if you don't mind the little buggers, this should pose no problem!
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I was supposed to stay with a friend on this trip to Chicago, but his company sent him out of town at the last minute, and I ended up here. This hostel is HUGE, clean and has volunteer guides and information desk folks to help you get the most out of your stay. They lose one star for running out of towels, but, honestly, I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend them to anyone.
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HI-Chicago is the place to stay in downtown Chicago. This place is the cleanest and most well maintined hostel of any I have stayed in around the world. I am currently a staff member at HI-Chicago and I know first hand that if you want to meet people and explore Chicago through the eyes of a local this is the place to stay. HI-Chicago has cool volunteers who take travelers on walking tours, pub crawls, blues outings and more. Come on and check HI-Chicago out!!
Prices rand from $27 dollars a night for a bed!! Cheapest you will find in the heart of downtown Chicago.
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I stayed here a couple of times before I moved to the city and I have to admit that it was because of the warm reception I received here that helped me to make the decision to relocated to this city.
This hostel is clean, friendly and affordable. Staying downtown is usually very expensive but one can stay here for less than $30 a night. Also travelers have access to a full kitchen where they can save more money when traveling.
However, the best part of this hostel are the wonderful activities which the staff and volunteers put on. On my first trip to Chicago I had an enlightening walking tour, watched fireworks by Buckingham fountain with many new friends, played pingpong with some Germen men and also got to go out to eat with a friendly international group. It was a great trip and wouldn't have happened if I had stayed in a stuff old hotel.
Travelers should certainly stay here...it's great!
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This is probably the best located hostel I've ever stayed at in the States... right in the middle of downtown, less than two blocks away from all of the El train lines. For this alone, it deserves all of the praise lavished on it by tourbooks and for being voted "Best in America" by the Hostelling International members in 2006. (if I remember correctly!)
Very clean, very safe (you get a magnetic keycard rather than a physical key, and you need this to access upper floors in the elevator) and a good number of meeting spaces/amentities (including continental breakfast!) The common space is a little noisier than usual because of the high occupancy of the hostel, which makes it perfect for many, many middle schoolers. You'll likely be able to find quiet space in your own room.
My only quibble is the lack of private rooms, which I would have been willing to pay twice the normal room rate for -- the hostel is such a great alternative to other downtown hotels!
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too pricey considering the bathrooms are dirty and there are so few attendants behind the desk you have to wait in line 30 mins to check in. doesn't live up to european hostel standards.
The J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel has one of the better reputations in this category in the States. It's a relatively new place in the "old" Sears building, and mostly backpacking out-of-towners stay at this budget property.
By far the cleanest hostel I've ever stayed in. The 6-bed dorms have private bathrooms, while the 10-bed dorms have shared bathrooms in the hallway. I only paid for a bed in the 10-bed dorm, which are cheaper, but got placed in the 6-bed dorm anyway. All the dorms have lockers, so you don't have to worry about people stealing from you, just remember to bring your own padlock. Walking distance to all the L train lines, countless bus lines, and some Metra commuter train lines. Discounts to local attractions are offered.
Short on cash, but need a nice place to stay in Chicago? Try Hostelling, a hostel-type hotel with just the basics at a very basic price. You'll get here what you get in your average hostel room -- bunkbeds and dressers. Everything is very clean and the staff here is friendly. I think it is a wonderul experience for a really low price. Keep in mind, this place is used by a nearby college's students as a dorm during the school year.
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