As a first time travelers to Chicago on a budget, the Carlton Inn Midway was the ideal hotel for our visit. It is conveniently located near the Pulaski Orange Line Station that takes you right into the Loop in 20 minutes. The hotel will even transport you to and from the station hassle free. When booking the room, I mentioned that I was a first time visitor. They put together a fantastic information package with tips on what restaurants to eat at and some of the major attractions. The Carlton Inn MIdway may not be a 4 or 5 star hotel, but their service, clean rooms and helpfulness are top notch.

Pulling into The Calrton Inn at night after a 5 hour drive does not do this property justice. At least wait until you are in the room to judge. My family of 4 adults just needed a place to bunk for the night. Midway is less than 15 minutes away and this site was perfect. The room and the facilty are obviously old (it looks just like a motel 40 years ago) but the owner has taken the time and invested the money in nice furnishings and conveniences. Nice coffee, shampoo, soaps, flat screen tv, internet and continental breakfast (did not use that) - all included and free. My adult kids thought it was retro to the point of being cutish. I thought (since I was footing the bill), it was conveneint, clean, quiet and very friendly. It's not the Ritz but it was good for what I needed.

We stayed at this hotel for four nights. It is a nice little find just minutes from downtown. The staff and service level is above what you would find at many high end hotels. The staff are not only efficient, they always seem a step ahead and really make you feel it is their pleasure to assist you. Smiles are free and presented often.
Making the reservations where a breeze, the clerk asked what we wanted to do in Chicago and then stated she would prepare some information and have it ready for us. And she did, when we checked in, she had a packet of info for us. The hotel offers free, off street parking and is in a safe area of Chicago. The hotel offered free, 24 hour shuttle service to the EL-Orange line which is basically a ten minute walk from the hotel. The Orange line takes you downtown in just minutes. The shuttle service is also available for going to and from local restaurants. Not only was the shuttle service free, it was available minutes from when we asked for it and was always picked up quickly after we called for service. We were able to purchase our EL passes and Chicago Tour passes directly from the hotel, with all charges charged to our room. The management places customer service as their top priority and it shows. We have stayed in many hotels in different parts of the world and would rate the customer service at this hotel the best we have ever received. Management does a great job imparting their philosophy to their staff. They even gave us a card with their phone number and told us to give them a call if we needed anything or ran into any problems while in the city. The staff is knowledgeable about the area and made some wonderful suggestions. This hotel is also very close to Midway airport and they also offer shuttle service to and from. The rooms were clean and spacious. Breakfast was available with the price of the room. For a city the size of Chicago, the rates were reasonable especially when you consider free parking. If you are looking for a clean, reasonable accommodation with easy access to downtown, definitely consider the Carlton. Don't let the picture on the web be the deciding factor, as you will get so much more in service alone than what the picture indicates. Highly recommend and would definitely stay again when in the Chicago area.

What a great hotel. The staff could not do enough to make your stay comfortable in every way. They're a 10 minute walk from the el and they want to drive you there! We walked there everyday and even picked up munchies and other necessities at the stores and restaurants that are right near the hotel but, again, they'll drive you. The continental breakfast was filling enough so you didn't even need lunch. Free wi-fi that worked perfectly with no muss or fuss. I highly recommend staying here when you travel to Chicago.