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Hotel 71
Category: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hotels [Edit]
71 E Wacker Dr(between Lower Wacker Dr & Macchesneyer Dr)
Chicago, IL 60601
Neighborhood: The Loop
(312) 346-7100
- Nearest Transit:
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State/lake (Brown Line, Green Line, Orange Line, Pink Line, Purple Line)
Randolph/wabash (Brown Line, Green Line, Orange Line, Pink Line, Purple Line)
Lake (Red Line)
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
119 reviews for Hotel 71
Review Highlights
"The staff is VERY friendly and helpful."
(in 3 reviews)
"...right by the River and Trump Tower, near Michigan Ave and..."
(in 5 reviews)
"Great view of the near north side."
(in 7 reviews)
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119 reviews in English
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Review from Hion L.
Fullerton, CA
1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
There are few things not to like about Hotel71. Fairly unassuming from the outside, the interior is chic but not so much that it loses its warmth. Its prime location makes it a short walk to Magnificent mile and other places you may want to go. Within 5 blocks you have access to your own personalized pizza tour as Uno, Due, Giordano's and Gino's East are all easily in reach.
Rooms:
spacious
fantastic view
INdividual K-Cup coffee brewer
the closet being in the bathroom was a bit weird but it did make for a larger space.
Free Wifi.
The bar/restaurant at the hotel, Hoyt's is also really good. They have a very creative menu that is modern American. Staff are all friendly and professional. Of course, parking is standard Chicago rates $49 per night. The only minor drawback was that I did not notice any gift/sundries store, but at least 7-11 is right across the street. -
Review from Sheena F.
Atlanta, GA
1/20/2012
We chose Hotel 71 as basecamp for our wedding this past October. We also had our rehearsal dinner there.
First things first, the rooms were very affordable for downtown and were so nice. Depending on what side of the building you were on (hopefully river side) the views were absolutely amazing! The beds were plush and comfy, the tub in the bathroom was divine (although this may be only in the suite, not sure) and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality considering the price we paid. Plus the location is perfect! It's right on the river, across from the Trump Tower...easy walking to a lot of the loop and near north attractions. Our guests loved it!
I worked with several people during booking, all of whom were so polite and helpful. We were actually in one of their suites for the weekend, we used it to get all the girls ready for the reception in and it was plenty big enough. After the fact we decided to stay an extra night, fully intending to move to one of the regular rooms, but they told us to just stay put in the suite at no extra charge. How nice!
The restaurant attached, Hoyt's, is pretty good. They have a really great mac & cheese with bacon and truffle oil (yum!) And as a bonus, the bar is open till 2am - which was nice for the wedding party :)
We also had the rehearsal dinner here. I worked with their catering manager, Rebecca, during the whole planning process and she was just wonderful. She bore with me as I planned remotely, sending runners in to check out the space, and working with me to make the menu exactly what I wanted. We originally had planned to have it on the 6th floor in one of their newly renovated spaces (which are very nice). A few days before the event I got a call from her saying that the ballroom space was open and would we like to upgrade...no charge. The views from the ballroom were absolutely amazing and it made for an unforgettable dinner with all the people who are closest to us!
We had an absolutely amazing experience at Hotel 71. The rooms themselves, the view and especially the service were above and beyond what I could have expected. I'll never stay at another downtown hotel if I can help it! -
Review from Kim P.
Okeechobee, FL
12/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best hotel!
The view was ok, but the room & staff made up for it!
Very clean, friendly. Right from the first step out of the taxi, bell hop, front desk. Not the first complaint.
Close to everything!
Would stay here again.
We stayed in the jr suite, and had plenty of room.
Really loved this hotel.
Came into town for a Bears game, close enough a taxi only cost about $6. -
Review from Amy D.
11/27/2011 7 photos
Love, love, LOVE this hotel. When traveling to large cities for tradeshows, I'm pretty much expecting higher hotel prices. Still $230/night for what I got was a great deal. Plus, it was on the shuttle route to McCormick Place.
The regular rooms were booked and since it was getting close to show time, I upgraded to the junior executive suite for only $20 more a night than the regular room. Couple that with a 20% discount for pre-paying and it was a pretty good deal. Posh interior, working elevators with low wait times and generally really nice looking. The suite had a wet bar and fridge, very nice lounge/desk area, huge sleeping area with chaise lounge and a phenomenal bathroom. Garden tub + seperate shower with rain head - LOVED it.
Hotel 71 is close to EVERYTHING. Seriously, the best location. The river is across the street, the Tribune building just to the right and fantastic architecture all around. Nice little restaurant/bar extended off the lobby and an array of food/drink choices all around.
The staff was super friendly and my room was fantastic. I will say I can see how others reviewers may be irritated with the thermostat - I had it set on cool for the most part but I'm pretty sure it stayed the same temperature the entire time. It was comfortable for me, but I can how others might find it a bit stuffy. The business center was a little on the small side, but had everything I needed and everything worked.
I'd definitely recommend this place for business or pleasure and will for stay again the next time I'm downtown. -
Review from Jeni T.
Cincinnati, OH
12/18/2011 7 photos
Great location in downtown Chicago's Loop. Right across the street from Trump Tower and on the river, this Hotel has great views. The rooms are clean, well decorated and spacious. Big bathroom, but not much counter space. Comfortable beds. The staff is very nice and helpful. the bar in the hotel is called Hoyt's. the bartenders are awesome and the wait staff is very nice. No breakfast offered at the hotel, but there are good places to eat very close to the hotel.
We found a really good rate on http://getaroom.com.
I would highly recommend this hotel whether you're staying for a couple days or a whole week. -
Review from todd c.
Los Angeles, CA
10/21/2011
5 star views. 4 star room. 2 star noise. 1 star parking charge.
Spent 2 nights here last week an averall had a very good experience. Let's start with the bad though. I know parking in Chicago sucks, but 45$ a night? Felt like I was just throwing money away.
Now the great...got a room on the 37th floor with a river view - spectacular. Great river view-decent northward view - see pics. The location is also great - near the Loop, River North and Mich. Ave. 4 Blocks to Art Institute.
The morning noise was pretty bad starting at about 8am. LOUD shuddering construction going on somewhere across the hall. nOt good but we left each day by 10am so not intolerable.
Room was $184 a night. -
Review from Lisa R.
9/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Completely new find for me on a recent business trip to Chicago. On the Chicago River, it has AMAZING views of the river and city at night. Gorgeous, large rooms, great bathrooms, fantastic decor and a staff that couldn't have been nicer.
A fabulous bar inside of the hotel, Hoyt's....not as intimate or cozy as I would have liked, but since I was solo, not as important. More of a sports bar. Good calamari.
Located on East Wacker, you can get to a lot of really cool places, easily from this location.
The modern, warm vibe of the hotel also makes you feel as if you are more important than you really are...:)
They let me sleep in til 1:30pm the next day for late check out. Superb!
I'd definitely come back and take in more of the town. -
Review from Rita R.
Jackson, MS
1/19/2012
LOCATION ......LOCATION .......LOCATION!!!!!!
Me and my husband, traveled to Chicago for a weekend getaway and stayed at Hotel 71! We absolutely enjoyed our entire stay! Here are a couple of our highlights:
* When I arrived, I was floored with the amazing customer service.
* We were immediately waited on hand and foot!
* Smiling faces and pleasant spirits greeted us.
* Check in was speedy and wonderful.
* The decor was absolutely divine throughout the entire hotel.
* When I stepped inside my room, it was as if I stepped into an oasis of comfort and relaxation.
* The breakfast was absolutely delicious!!! Me and my husband are still in awe about sausage, scrambled eggs etc...
* The breakfast put is in the mind of homemade southern cuisine. It made us feel like we were at home away from home.
* The COFFEE was delicious!!!! I over indulged and had over 3 mugs every morning.
*The hotel was immaculately clean! You could basically eat off of the floors!
* There was plenty of closet space and the actual room itself was HUGE!
*The chaise was so comfortable, that it felt like I had fallen asleep on a cloud.
* The VIEW was breathtaking!
* It felt as though we had spent the whole weekend in paradise!
*This hotel was walking distance to tourist attractions!!!!!!!
I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT HOTEL 71!!!!!!!!!!!! I DON'T HAVE ONE NEGATIVE THING TO WRITE...
I would most definitely encourage anyone traveling to Chicago to stay at this hotel... -
Review from Jen A.
Sacramento, CA
11/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nice decor, but looks so much better on the website. We were placed on the 16th floor directly RIGHT next to the elevator. The next morning we were woken up by drills, hammers, etc. They were doing maintenance on the elevator.
I asked for a different room, therefore we were downgraded to the 15th floor. Should be the other way around right? We couldn't even move into that room until 9pm the second night.
This place is a GREAT location, Nice views, but the rooms were just okay as well as the service.
Also waited 45 minutes at Hoytt's for 2 beers, we even sat at the bar!. Of course making us late for our flight. We had to run though the airport to catch it...
I wouldn't stay there on our next visit to Chicago..... wouldn't recommend it either -
Review from Chris L.
6/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
This hotel is in the middle of everything. One of my gfs and myself went to Chicago on a whim b/c of the Virgin Airlines Groupon and she found a $99 per night Groupon for this place. Great location, right across from the Trump building and on the river. It's right off of North Michigan, near the Magnificent Mile and between Grant Park (0.2 miles away!). It's close to the L line from O'Hare ($2.25 per trip every two hours) or you can walk everywhere. The corner bakery is several yards down from the hotel and there's a Walgreen's and 7-11 closeby.
Bar downstairs, pretty flowers, nice desk people, complimentary internet and biz office for printing out boarding passes, nice waiting area, pleasant door staff. Would come back! -
Review from Cat C.
San Francisco, CA
6/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
The one and only time we've ever visited Chicago, we stayed here. It was on a recommended hotel list by family of friends who were hosting a wedding outside of town. So glad we picked this place from the list!
This hotel is definitely more bang for your buck than most of the hotels in the area that I was also researching. To tip the scales even more in the right direction of price, we booked our stay with a "Chi-Town City Escape Package" that the hotel was promoting (now until 9/5/11) and they give... yes give you a $50 gift card + $20 food voucher per day. SCORE!!!
Upon check-in, we were handed the gift card. I had to ask about the voucher process a few times, but I finally cleared it up with a staff member in the know and they said the per day food voucher total would be deducted from any food and beverage charges (room service or restaurant dine in) from your final bill. SWEET!
* Really friendly staff and speedy check-in.
* Our room was really spacious and looked recently remodeled.
* Excellent location and views from the higher floors.
* They have HBO.
* The Keurig coffee maker is a plus!
* No pool, but you're a couple blocks away from Mag Mile -- go shop instead!
* There was no fridge, but we also didn't think we could ask for one so we didn't.
* The AC was a little warmer than we like and there seemed to be no thermostat control, but it sufficed considering it was a muggy 80+ degrees outside the few days we were in town.
* Big bathroom, but the tub had seen better days and didn't drain too well.
I highly recommend this hotel if you want to be in the middle of everything and have close access to public transportation. -
Review from Gina K.
Updated - 3/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I don't like giving bad reviews. So i made sure I called back everyday for almost a week. I did finally get the charger back.
Everyday I called back the front desk would always without fail transfer me to an extension that wasn't setup. After the first or second day you would think someone would send out a memo.
The effort it took to get the lost laptop charger back still earns Hotel 71 a low rating.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/4/2011
Lost a laptop charger. Called twice the first day, Called twice the second day got one call back… Read more »
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Review from Kenneth F.
Novato, CA
7/30/2011
Ok, it gets 5 stars for location, value ($129 Groupon price) and the BEST HOTEL BED EVAH!!!
I'm really picky particularly about the A/C issue I've read about... our room has afternoon facing sun and Voila, A/C worked perfectly keeping us at 68 degrees even though it was moderately hot and humid outside.. The gym facility was pretty good too... we worked out at 1PM so was empty, but can imagine prime time can get crowded, but it was good for us...
No restaurant in hotel per se, kinda a bar style place, but wife is from Chicago so we drove to Andersonville and had great breakfast up there..
I don't know what they are using for their beds, but we slept fabulously and that is so important... comfy and supportive...
The room is very spacious and the bathroom is huge with his/her sinks so no bumping into each other a large tub and separate shower. Bathroom beautifully done in beige/peachy colored marble - nice! That said, I think we paid adt'l $20 for the renovated bathroom :-(
Location right on the river, between Michigan and Wabash so shopping and restaurants are nearby... easy to get to, near Lakeshore..
Winning! -
Review from Kathy D.
9/6/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I have no complains whatsoever about this hotel. I wished we were able to do a late check out but that was the only thing they were not able to accommodate us with since they had other tenants coming in that sunday.
They were kind enough to change our reservations from 3 nights to 2 nights since our flight was canceled the night of in Vegas at no additional fee. This hotel is AWESOME on location! What more can you ask for since its right at the corner of Wabash and the riverwalk! You are only about a block away from the bar/lounges area across the river, towards the Trump tower also! The hotel is also about 1.5 blocks away from CTA, if you are thinking about going to the airport. Very do-able for someone that doesn't like walking either! We upgraded to a river view deluxe king room, which was totally worth it. The view was gorgeous and our bed... omg our bed made us not want to go out since it was so COMFORTABLE! That is the most important thing in a hotel for me, the bed and hotel 71 won me over there. Our room was more than spacious.. more than we could ask for at the rate that we got through travelzoo. I was quite pleased. The hotel itself is a large boutique hotel, with very nice and trendy decor. They have a large office area for customers to use for internet/printing, large gym, and a restaurant/bar named Hoyt's that is open until about 1am everyday. When it comes to reading all about the cons from other yelpers, those cons mean nothing to me since we were mainly outside, discovering Chicago, instead of trying to stay in our room.
We were accommodated with VIP Shedd Aquarium tickets, which saved us so much time with no lines from the hotel.. There's another plus.
I am more than happy that I stayed at this hotel on my trip to Chicago and I wouldn't mind coming back with its perfect location of the river and magnificent mile.Listed in: Chi-Town
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Review from Brian M.
Burlington, VT
I'm not certain how to go about this review... How about a pro/con list
Pros:
nice hotel. I think it was recently remodeled.
Nice sized bathroom
From the 28th floor the views are nice
There is a closet in the bathroom which I find very helpful because I had to leave before my wife and baby son woke up.
If you don't have a fridge, they will get you one
Great location ... In the heart of the city
Friendly staff - they must be trained well with customer service
Big rooms
Fast elevators
Cons:
No pool
No continental breakfast
Small elevators - but they are fast and it really isn't an issue
AC is by the window and doesn't cool evenly
Pros beat Cons by 4 stars -
Review from Nate R.
San Francisco, CA
7/19/2011
Pros:
1. Great View (especially from the 38th floor)
2. Great location
4. Almost always available
5. Reasonable rates
Cons:
1. Loud (especially next to the 38th floor ice machine)
2. Slow internet
3. AC is insufficient, Chicago gets HOT in the summer
4. Rooms are newly remodeled but they clearly kept some of the old stuff. Not a problem except the desk chair is WAY to low for the desk.
An older hotel with a semi-recent remodel, it's a fairly good value for the location. I could have overlooked the loud ice machine and slow internet, but insufficient AC is a deal-breaker.
Try to avoid this place during heat waves.
PS. Free internet is cool, but as a business traveler we would prefer to pay for internet that actually works. -
Review from Kim G.
Austin, TX
10/14/2011
Stayed here for the Chicago Marathon. We were allowed to check in early and assigned to a fantastic room with tons of space and a SPECTACULAR view. The bed is awesome, pillows were not my style but comfy enough - other hotels are worse! The staff is VERY friendly and helpful. You need toothpaste? they have it, shaving cream? got that too. There were a few hiccups (Marathon related) but nothing significant to really complain about. When I go back to Chicago, I'm staying here again!!
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Review from Dale H.
Cedar Lake, IN
10/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hands down one of the nicest hotels in Chicago I have ever stayed at. Service was wonderful, location is great! Room was so comfortable, and had a wonderful view of the Chicago River, workout area very modern with a great view. Would stay here over and over! No reason not to come back. Price was not bad either for Chicago, but we did book on Hotwire.
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Review from Power S.
Dallas, TX
10/1/2011
Spent 4 nights here on a business trip. Outstanding hotel. Extremely nice, new, and spotless. Helpful staff and great view from my room. Will go back.
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Review from Pete B.
Champaign, IL
5/19/2011
4.5
I was pretty concerned about my stay after reading unfavorable reviews, but our stay was surprisingly very pleasant!
We took advantage of the Groupon offer ($110 a night for a standard 2-queen bed room). The service was fast AND friendly. The location was amazing. The room was HUGEE (for comparison, it was about the same size or even slightly bigger than our 1 bedroom suite at the Intercontinental Chicago). The furnishing was relatively nice too, MUCH better than I anticipated (no ugly yellow checker-board pattern to my delight!)
The only minus that prevents this from getting a 5 star is the horribly worn out bathroom. Our room was pleasant, but our bathroom was not. It's extremely old and worn out.
Pro: VERY spacious room. You would not find a room this big ANYWHERE in Chicago for this price point.
Con: Furnishing may not be up-to-par with other boutique hotels, but I personally think that the very spacious room easily makes up for that.
It really comes down to decor VS. space. You could either choose another boutique hotel with amazing decor but small space or Hotel 71 with lots of space and a nice, but not amazing, decor. -
Review from Matt E.
1/25/2011
Yet another hotel that I booked off of Hotwire. I believe this one I got for around $75 a night.
There seem to be a lot of complaints on Yelp about the elevators being too slow. From my experience they were just fine! I never had to wait more than a minute or two, which seems perfectly reasonable.
I found the location to be quite convenient for my needs. We were planning on taking the Wendella boat tour, and this was literally across the street. It's a few blocks from a CTA station, but nothing unmanageable by any means.
The room was nicely sized, though unfortunately our view was quite lacking. Mostly alleyway, though there was a sliver of a lake view, if I craned my neck just right. The bed was VERY comfortable, and we didn't get any noise from surrounding rooms. Best sleep I'd had in a hotel for quite a while.
This hotel doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. The business center and gym were both certainly lacking. Still, for simply a place to sleep at night, this place was more than satisfactory. I'd never go out of my way to stay here again, but I enjoyed it well enough. -
Review from Carol K.
9/13/2010
A pleasant surprise, indeed. I have driven, and walked by Hotel 71 countless times- and somehow I always got the impression that it was an outdated hotel in a great location. Well, I was wrong. Very wrong.
I had a Groupon to stay at Hotel 71 for less than $100 a night. Quite the feat for this part of town. Given that the rate was so low- I chose to upgrade to one of their King River View Rooms for a few more dollars. An excellent choice as my room was on the 12th floor- and looked right down the Chicago River, and all its bridges- a beautiful view day or night.
When I arrived at the hotel- the valet took my car ( a little pricey at $43 but in line with other places in the area) and I walked up to the front desk. The front desk clerk was welcoming and pleasant and had no issue in dealing with my Groupon or the special request that I had of him. You see- I was staying in town to go to a concert and I had a couple of tickets I was leaving for friends at the front desk. Given the value of the tickets and the fact that the concert was that night- there was little margin for error. He said it wouldn't be a problem, they do it all the time and he was right. My friends picked up the tickets with no problem. Nice.
My room was large with a plush king sized bed with tons of pillows. The bathroom was also large and came with only a shower- no tub. The amenities were similar to a mid range hotel- nice but not luxurious. The towels functional but not sumptuous. The toiletries fine but not high end. But all in all a good deal for the money all the way around.
If you want something to eat there is a cafe on the ground floor and of course room service. All it seemed to be lacking to me was a bar area where I could have had a drink while waiting on a friend of mine. But since the weather was so fine- I wandered across the river and had a few outside at Smith and Wollensky instead.
Check out was seamless. The valet brought my car out in less than 5 minutes and I was on my way. But not before thinking was a great deal this hotel is- right in the heart of the city!Listed in: Now I lay me down to sleep (in…
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Review from Katie L.
Los Angeles, CA
9/1/2010
Hubby and I stayed at Hotel 71 during our mini vacation to Chicago and I really have no complaints about this hotel. We did not have advanced reservations for a room but thankfully, they had one available. It is located in the heart of downtown Chicago, on the very busy streets of Wacker Drive, right across from the Trump hotel. Thus, driving in and out of the hotel itself can be somewhat of a pain but it is nothing major that you can't handle.
Hotel 71 is a boutique hotel so it is not as large as some of the other hotels in the area and not quite as busy, which is a plus. I liked the chic and modern lobby area, which also had a bar on the side with little lounge chairs for you to rest on. Everything looked classy and sophisticated. The staff was very accommodating and helpful too.
In terms of the room, we had a king size bed (it was huge!) adorned with lots of comfy pillows. The room itself was also quite large and the bathroom was not too shabby either. We lucked out because we had the most amazing view from our window. We were on a fairly high floor so we had the advantage of being able to overlook the entire downtown area, skyscrapers and all. It was particularly beautiful at night.
The only thing I did not like was the parking charge. We had a rental car so we had to park inside the hotel structure since there is absolutely NO parking available in the streets of downtown Chicago. That was not surprising. Unfortunately, hotel parking overnight was $50, I believe, and that sucker can add up if you stay for 3 nights. Cost of the room was not too bad (I think it was around $200/night) but adding those 3 nights of parking seriously made our stay at Hotel 71 quite expensive. However, if you do not have a car, staying here is definitely affordable considering the location and quality of the place. Definitely worth staying at if you are ever in Chicago. -
Review from Brighid U.
Chicago, IL
12/17/2010
Make sure if you stay here you specify a renovated room. I booked through http://hotels.com which boasted flat screen tv's in every room. Not ours! We had an old standard definition tv that was NOT a flat screen. The decor was awful, didn't match, looked old, the headboard was clearly the result of someone stapling fabric and batting over a piece of plywood and not very well either.
We're from Chicago and I was looking forward to staying here as a relaxing treat prior to the Rock N Roll Half Marathon since my first choice, Hard Rock, was sold out. It was not the well appointed, modern boutique hotel experience I expected, and to add insult to injury our view was of our first choice hotel!
Save your money, our room at La Qunita was way nicer and less money. -
Review from Christopher D.
West Lafayette, IN
12/13/2010
A nice boutique hotel in the heart of the city. Location can't be beat, views from almost every room are great, and the staff really make the place come to life. Everyone from the doorman to the housekeeper was friendly, smiling, and seemed genuinely happy to serve you.
I can't talk about the cost, because our room was paid for as part of a wedding party we were attending (thanks, E!), and yes, valet parking is the standard downtown $45-50/day. So if you're stuck with driving, you'll pay the price.
Our room was definitely larger than expected, well-appointed (though my wife thought it was a little dark -- more lamps needed?), and comfortable. There was a large medical convention group staying there that weekend as well, but despite the hotel being full, our room was always very quiet. The bathroom was also quite large, but the tub/shower looked like it had seen better days, with the chrome tarnishing and some of the grout starting to flake. The adjustable shower head was also no longer adjustable.
In spite of these small missteps, we loved being able to walk everywhere in the loop, and we loved the cheerfulness of the front desk folks every time we returned for the night. It felt like our personal urban oasis. -
Review from William L.
Albany, OR
10/29/2010
Hotel 71 is on the river within close proximity to the Miracle Mile and Millennium Park. I liked the modern contemporary style of the hotel and staff are very friendly and helpful.
I had a river view room which provided a magnificent view of the river and skyscrapers of downtown Chicago. The room itself was large with an amazing bathroom. The shower had one of those giant shower heads directly overhead. Also the bath is separate which was perfect after a long day at the conference.
I ate a couple of time in the cafe and had the Cesar Salad. It was very fresh with full slices of Parmesan cheese over the top.
I would recommend staying at Hotel 71 if you are looking for a place in downtown Chicago. -
Review from Lindsay K.
Chicago, IL
5/27/2010
Yeesh....did not have the best experience with this place.
We kept talking about all those things we needed to do before the wedding, and finding a nice hotel for the night of was one we kept forgetting about. A Groupon popped up a couple of months before for Hotel 71. Sounded nice enough for a fine downtown hotel price, so we bought it.
The Groupon advised that we not call until the next day to book it. Fine. I called around 9:30. The woman who answered was very rude and already flustered sounding. So far we weren't off to a good start.
Then about a week later I have a charge on my credit card from Hotel 71 for $250! In a panic I call and find out the woman had booked my date incorrectly and we were charged the no show fee. With barely an apology it was refunded - which as everyone knows takes a few days to clear back onto your card. Lovely when you're paying vendors left and right for wedding stuff.
The week before I called to verify we actually still had a room and we did, so so far so good I suppose.
Day of wedding we arrive exhausted around 10:45p. The front desk staff were super duper friendly and even went out of their way to go find a cork screw for us to open our bottle of wine the caterer had stashed away for us to take!
The room itself was eew. Leopard print chaise lounge you didn't want to touch. I didn't sleep a wink that night the bed was so uncomfortable - and considering how exhausted from the whole week of events leading up to the wedding, this was BAD. I ended up watching the sun come up through the windows of the buildings across the river. It was bad.
Again though, the staff was super sweet and friendly when we left! The one redeeming quality about this place were the kind ones working - except for the icky woman on the phone.
For our out of town guests that come in through the year I won't recommend this place, unless they can sleep like a rock on anything and don't mind paying a pretty penny for it!Listed in: How to Plan a Lesbian Wedding
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Review from EdWord E.
Baltimore, MD
1/26/2011
Absolutely loved this hotel. Great service, GREAT location
I have been to many places and this hotel had one of my favorite views of all time. Suite was very large with nice office area. -
Review from Melinda L.
Los Angeles, CA
9/22/2010
This is a very pleasant hotel, though it's not the most 'sought out' hotel in downtown Chicago. The staff there is great and I didn't encounter much difficulty checking in, getting my room or ordering when it came to dining at the hotel's restaurant located in the lobby.
Price wise, this place is superb. Good deal.
The rooms were super spacious and had nice contemporary decor. I had a basic suite with a king-sized bed. The bathroom was a girl's dream, being that it was spacious and included a sliding door closet.
Wacker St., where the hotel is faces, offers a great view of the skyscrapers and the waterfront. During my stay, I was lucky enough to see the set-up of the filming of 'Transformers 3,' so this hotel was quite popular then.
Wi-fi is also included at this hotel. -
Review from Meghan B.
Bloomington, IL
5/15/2010
We had a very nice stay here. The location is convenient to transit and the Mag Mile. The rooms are large and clean. The staff is very friendly, and we got a great price.
Also, free internet! I would certainly return. -
Review from Ron C.
The views from this hotel are phenomenal. I took a lot of pics that I want to get blown up now. The hotel is located right in front of the Riverwalk near the water. You can see all the bridges at night it's so beautiful. The room was good. Flat screen TV, nice bathroom and very large windows. I did have trouble with the TV. It seems that it wasn't plugged in properly and we went without it for a day. Who needs TV when you are on a vacation? They don't have a pool so leave your trunks and bathing suit at home. Bring a laptop cause each room has FREE WI-FI.... That is not a typo!
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Review from Andrea K.
Chicago, IL
8/10/2011
We held our wedding at Hotel 71 this past July, and we could not be more pleased. Now that the renovations are complete, the hotel is beautiful and suited our needs perfectly. We chose Hotel 71 based on the penthouse city views-- which are amazing.
The majority of our guests also stayed in the hotel, and we received several compliments regarding their arrangements.
Rebecca Lachman, the coordinator for the wedding is very professional, and helpful and did an excellent job ensuring that our wedding day was perfect and put together. -
Review from jonathan s.
Orange County, CA
6/4/2010
Won't be coming back here.
They did not have the king size non smoking room available like the reservation (made months in advance and) stated they would honor. However, they did have "lake view" rooms available that fit that description if I wanted to pay for an upgrade.
Our choices were a king size in a fully smoking floor. Who has fully smoking floors these days? Or a room with two smaller beds. They did not offer up to check if a king non smoking would be available the following day or two either.
Lights out and a clogged bath tub in our room as well.
Definitely would not recommend this place to anyone. I'm positive that there are many hotels in the area that have similar deals which are much nicer and have better customer service. -
Review from Kate M.
Seattle, WA
4/14/2006 ROTD 4/16/2006
I treated my boyfriend to a night here to show him my favorite city. I'd made reservations online, and when we got there, our room wasn't quite ready, but the concierge let us check into an "executive suite" so we could get in right away. He said he hoped we "wouldn't mind" the fact that the room was a little bigger and there was an attached conference room.... mind? Ha! We got into our suite and couldn't believe how much space there was. The room was gorgeous, immaculate, stylish, and had THE most luxurious bed linens I've ever slept on. Outstanding views out of both sides of the building, too.
Nothing like an improptu rendition of "The Apprentice" in our boardroom-for-a-night. I don't think The Donald would have approved of our boardroom demeanor, though...
The price wasn't too bad ($200) considering we were right downtown Chicago, within walking distance of Michigan Ave, the river, and Millennium Park. What a great night. -
Review from Richard T.
Los Angeles, CA
1/29/2009
How can you people be okay with charging 42.00 a night for valet parking when the room was only 149.00 - That's just straight up mean.
Anyways. Besides the stupid parking fees, I was pleasantly pleased with this hotel. For the price it's actually pretty great. We upgraded (for 50 bucks) to a megasuite which is about 5 times bigger than my San Francisco apartment. It had three flat panel TV's, one of which was in the bathroom. Classy. Make sure you get one of the renovated rooms. They're pretty.
I'd stay here again, just not in the middle of winter when the temperature is oh 10 degrees. It's not the hotel's fault, but what is that! -
Review from Evann G.
Philadelphia, PA
8/27/2007
Is it wrong to give a hotel 2 stars based mostly on the elevators? I just can't justify 3, although to be fair I guess this should be more like a 2.5, because the room my parents stayed in was nice and pretty big, with a great view. But honestly, with the amount of money they have got to be making, they REALLY need to invest some time and energy into renovating their elevators.
First of all, if you can get on an elevator in under five minutes from the time you push the button, congratulations to you! The elevator never, ever, ever came quickly, whether we had called it from the ground floor or the floor my parents were staying on. Even though they have the floors separated into sections, and a couple elevators per section, it doesn't help. One time my mom walked all the way to the end of the hall back to their room, let herself in, and got something she had forgotten -- and this was AFTER we'd already waited 2 or 3 minutes for the elevator -- and when she got back we STILL had another 1 or 2 minutes before the elevator arrived.
Second of all, the elevator is S-L-O-W SLOW. I guess this goes without saying, considering how long it takes to arrive at whatever floor you're on, but oh my goodness, it's even more painfully slow than you'd imagine it would be while you're waiting for it.
Pretty much every time we rode the elevator DOWN, it stopped at every single floor, and it quickly filled up (because, oh, did I mention the elevators are also pretty small? Cuz they are.) and so the first few people would be able to get on, but by the 3rd stop or so, we'd just be met with exasperated faces and rolling eyes every time the door opened and whoever was waiting for the elevator realized they'd have to wait for yet ANOTHER ten minutes for the next elevator and hope that it wasn't full. Honestly, I can't imagine staying on the mid-range floors, how did they ever get downstairs?! It honestly would have been faster to walk. And the whole experience wasn't MUCH more pleasant for those of us ON the elevator, either, considering how much longer it took to get downstairs.
And, last but not least, the elevators are pretty terrifying. I don't know how old they are but I'm going to guess PRETTY DAMN OLD.
Other than that, the hotel was pretty good.Listed in: Where I lived
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Review from Brad P.
Redwood City, CA
2/23/2007
I stayed here on my recent trip to Chicago based on the recommendations on several yelpers when I asked for a modestly priced boutique-style hotel in a good location.
Things that I liked:
* Check in took like 4 seconds. I hate it when the person checking you into the hotel spends like 5 minutes pecking at their computer and making faces to try and check me in. This was the way it's supposed to be.
* Large room. Lots of space to spread out and a large window bringing in lots of natural light.
* Location. I had several meetings around Chicago, and because the weather was nice, I was able to comfortably walk to just about everywhere from here.
Things that could have been better:
* No one serviced my room during the day until it was too late and I was back to my room late in the day. No biggie, for me, but a bit surprising.
* I had to ask 3 times to get a smaller pillow. They set me up with these gigantic pillows (who sleeps on those?) and I requested a smaller one for my 2nd night but it was like pulling teeth to get it.
* They tried to overcharge me when I checked out. Probably an honest mistake, but if I hadn't looked at my bill, it would have set me back an extra 50 bucks. -
Review from Sarah P.
San Francisco, CA
6/27/2007
This place is kind of the worst. Maybe I'm a little too posh, but, here goes:
1 - Ambiance: Lobby was playing Fox News when I checked in. What kind of hip hotel plays Fox News?
2 - Poor Reservation system: The room for which I had to **pre-pay** was sold out, so I had a choice of either downgrading at "no additional charge" or upgrading for $30 a night extra. Oh yeah and I went from a river view to the view of an alleyway, and a room next to the elevators.
3 - Ambiance, again: Pretty beat-up hallway, terrible insulation between rooms and halls
4 - Amenities: No bottled water in the rooms, either for free or via mini-bar. If you need water, you need to drink tap.
5 - Amenities: No bathtubs.
6 - Amenities: Linens are 100% polyester.
7 - Amenities: No blankets or duvets. Even in the summer, offer a duvet. (PS I can't believe I am considering warmth, kind of at the base of my hierarchy of needs, an "amenity")
8 - Ambiance: Poor-fitting bathroom fixtures (with an inch gape between the shower faucet and the tile, you can just imagine all the water damage and toxic mold waiting to grow.
9 - Amenities: No wireless.
In other words, don't let the website fool you. Not in the same league as W or Kimpton. -
Review from Dorothy M.
Rock Island, IL
6/17/2011
I want to give Hotel 71 more stars, but I just can't. The location is great, the view from our room was nice, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. After that it goes downhill.
We were given a king bed when two doubles were requested, though a discount was given, it was still an inconvenience. The room was oddly shaped leading to a lot of unusable space. No mirror except in the bathroom.
And the bathroom is a whole other issue. I think the rest of the hotel was recently renovated, unfortunately our bathroom had been overlooked since 1970. The dingy & stained bathtub was chipped, grout was filthy, lighting was terrible and there was no exhaust, so putting on makeup was next-to-impossible.
Hence the 3 stars. -
Review from Heather H.
Long Beach, CA
12/31/2008
This hotel is wonderful.
We had a great experience with the front desk and they even gave us coupons one night for a late dinner.
The rooms are fun and somewhat art deco style along with the rest of the hotel. The view was amazing and the rates were very fair.
The only thing I have to say is the elevator is a little slow but add character to the place.
We plan to be back.
