Wanted to check out the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the area and this couldn't have been more convenient. Nice enough room with kitchenette. Maid service was very good (never interrupted us). Bathrooms need upgrading as counter was tile and wood with peeling paint and missing grout. Was willing to overlook, as they gave out lovely English soaps and shampoos! Hemingway's restaurant, on the first floor, has nice meals with some kind of jazz brunch on Sunday. Better prices a block away in town. Try thehotel's antique elevator, the oldest working elevator in the area. It's a hoot to use but opening the doors isnot for the weak! If any managers are reading this, you really need to clean/ replace that carpet that goes from the lobby to the modern elevator; it's black, nasty and filthy and undercuts the lovely impression from the jazz restaurant. Also, this is directly across the street from a museum about Ernest Hemingway.

My sister, niece, and I were in Chicago for vacation and stayed at The Wright Inn because we couldn't afford to stay downtown, and I wanted to see Frank Lloyd Wright's homes. Unlike some other reviewers, I found The Wright Inn to be a delightful old hotel with a lot of character, friendly and helpful staff, and nice amenities (jacuzzi tub, kitchenettes, fantastic restaurant -- more on that later).

Our room (#324) was in the back of the hotel with no view (the front of the hotel faces a rather busy street, so I didn't mind being in the back). Although the furnishings in the room were dated and a bit bland, the room was clean, the beds were very comfortable, and the cable TV worked perfectly. There was a hair dryer in the room, as well as a safe, iron, and ironing board. There's also a laundry room on the third floor that you can use with another iron and ironing board, ice, etc. We didn't use the internet, so I don't know about that except to say that there are two cubicles in the lobby where people can use the internet.

The hallway from the lobby to the rooms is pretty dark, and the elevator is slow as molasses, but both are about what I expected for an older hotel.

The lobby and restaurant/bar were beautiful, and I'd really recommend eating at Hemingway's (the restaurant). We ate breakfast there several times during our stay and found the food to be ultra fresh and quite tasty and the prices surprisingly affordable. I'd definitely eat breakfast there over any other restaurant in Oak Park. The wait staff at Hemingway's were cheerful and professional, which was another surprise for such an affordable restaurant.

There have been complaints about the parking garage, but for us, everything ran smoothly. You have to sign in every day at the front desk to register your car in the garage (so you won't get a ticket or get towed), and they will also validate your parking ticket so you don't have to pay. The garage is about a three-block walk through the heart of Oak Park (where all of the shops and restaurants are located and near the L). Also, there is an area in front of the hotel where you can park and load/unload luggage and a very nice steward on staff to help get your bags to/from your room.

If you don't like to walk or are disabled, The Wright Inn may not be for you because you certainly have to do some walking to get to your car, but we enjoyed making the trek and checking out Oak Park in the process.

As for location, there is no better place to stay in Oak Park than The Wright Inn, in my opinion. It's in the heart of the town, a few houses down from Ernest Hemingway's birthplace (and directly across the street from a museum dedicated to the author), a few blocks from a cluster of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and his Unity Temple, next to a gorgeous park (with tennis courts) and library, two blocks from the main street (where there are many restaurants to choose from and shops to browse), three blocks from the L in one direction and a grocery store in the other, a few blocks from the Oak Park Information Center, and a couple of blocks from a Starbuck's. The location is definitely better than for the Carleton Hotel, which is nearby on the other side of the L tracks and a further walk to the sites in the town.

Oak Park is a walking community, and you will see people long past dark walking the streets with their kids or dogs, eating at the outdoor cafes, playing tennis or frisbee in the park, or just lounging on their Victorian-era wrap-around porches. We stayed outside almost every evening walking around the town and enjoying the scene, and The Wright Inn was right in the middle of it all.

We will definitely stay here again the next time we go to Chicago. I just don't think that there's a better place to stay for the money. It's not ultra fancy and the rooms are practical but not gorgeous. However, the location is perfect, the staff is great, the restaurant was one of the best we ate at, and the parking situation is just fine once you learn the ropes.

This hotel has the potential to be nice, but it is run SO poorly run right now, it's better to give it the skip. There was an unprofessional feel to pretty much everything done here. But the kicker was the parking. They have free parking, but its in a garage not owned by the hotel--about three blocks away. While at the inn I got a ticket from the parking lot people. When I brought this up to the person at the front desk I was told that, basically, it was my problem. I'm paying for the ticket, but I'm now challenging the credit card charges for the hotel.

There were other problems too. They participated in one of my biggest pet peeves about a hotel, pay per day wireless internet. $10 for 24 hour access. And most of the staff was pretty unprofessional. There are two spots for loading and unloading (that you get to use to bring your luggage in before hiking to their parking lot). When I checked in, both spots were taken by employees, who were out there loitering around and smoking cigarettes.

I would stay at the Carleton instead. I moved there after I left the Write Inn. A little more expensive, but indescribably better.

The hotel was everything I thought a historic hotel should be. It had a beautiful lobby and resturant. There were also several historic features that added to the experience; like the elevator and the antiques in the rooms. The rooms were not exactly beautiful but very cute and had everything the a person might need, microwave,fridge,iron,hair dryer...etc. and the rate was very reasonable. The only issue that we had was the parking,but nothing that was going to ruin the experience. Everything else made up for that; especially the staff. They were SO helpful and considerate. My husband and I have stayed at the Write Inn before and look forward to staying there again.