Stayed there for Lollapalooza 2022 for about a week, my experience was great I picked the female quad room, everyone there was really cool bunkbeds for everyone, the water there was really cold and enjoyable especially after a long day of walking, but what I enjoyed the most was the customer service when I first arrived there the air conditioner was not working when I told them downstairs they fixed it immediately, will come back again
We stayed here for 3 nights and while we enjoyed the location and how easy it is to get to and it's proximity to many restaurants and shops, there were a lot of things we noticed. Leading up to our stay, I tried calling several times to get some information from the staff. The phone kept ringing and ringing with no one answering or the option to leave a voicemail. This was extremely frustrating and made me worried about the status of our reservation and why a hotel wouldn't answer a phone. I was finally able to get a hold of someone, but only by email. As mentioned in other reviews, it is dark in the common areas. The elevator was the worse offender and I really had to make sure I was hitting the right button, same thing in the hallway. After the first night, we noticed an ant infestation in our room around the phone on the desk. We called the front desk right away and they said maintenance would be notified to take care of it. When we got back, we noticed a number of ant traps placed around the area. While it fixed the issue, it is alarming that they have an ant infestation. As we were leaving, we asked the front desk if they could store our luggage until we came back later closer to our flight time. The lady working the front desk acted like we were bothering her by asking and had quite an attitude about it. My wife mentioned that she had a pair of shoes she was looking to donate since she didn't need them anymore and the same lady mentioned that there might be some donation bins nearby since "there are a lot of homeless people here". Not exactly the right thing to be saying to guests of your hotel, let alone repeat it a couple of times. The room itself was nice. We had a king size bed, which was very comfortable. The bathroom was rather small, but to be fair, we weren't spending a lot of time there. It is important to note that Freehand Chicago is part hostel and part hotel. When booking, make sure you book a private room if that is what you want. Again, overall it is in a great location, but there is so much potential when it comes to the overall atmosphere, staff professionalism and overall experience. I hope that management gives this review a read, reflect on it and make some much needed changes to this place.…
I have never been to Chicago before, so maybe all of the hotels are expensive, but I was surprised to find that I had paid so much for what is essentially a slightly upscale youth hostel. I was not surprised to learn that this building was a flophouse until 10 or so years ago, before it got sold to a boutique hotel chain and this vintage hipster veneer was added. While we had a private room with a king bed, it was very small with a window facing directly out into a parking garage which provided car alarms intermittently throughout the night. The overhead light flickered, 2 of the 3 electrical outlets didn’t work, and the thermostat on the split AC unit was impossible to read. And this was not the cheapest king room! Adding to the depressing atmosphere, the hotel is very dimly lit throughout. This might be intended to hide the fact that it is not very clean. The carpet in the hall and the curtains in our room were stained. The television was very dusty, which I noticed while searching in vain for a single accessible HDMI port for plugging in a streaming device. Another major irritation was the cramped elevators. There are two, they are small, and they service at least 16 floors. We often had to let one go because it was too packed. On the plus side, our bed was comfortable, some of the staff were nice, and the location was great. If you are looking for a place to crash and nothing more, I suppose it might suit you. But I have to believe there are better deals to be had.…
Writing this review after seeing a friend book a room at this hotel. I’ve stayed at the Freehand in New York and Chicago and they’re both terrible. The rooms are tiny in both locations, but at the Chicago location the bed is literally on the floor. When we got in the room, we looked under the mattress to see a bunch of hairs and that the bed didn’t have a fitted sheet. We called the front desk and they told us the beds don’t have fitted sheets because they are “layered” which is so weird. The hotel is dark (literally you can’t see anything in the lounge/bar area), dank, and unwelcoming. There’s no water machines (except in the basement gym) and other typical hotel amenities. The front desk staff was slow. Freehand hotels definitely draw people in for being Instagram-able, but lack literally any and all function. Sooo many better hotels you can stay at in river north for a similar price!!…
Had two nights here, it’s very easy to get to and convenient. Rooms are very loud, a little small, but fine otherwise. Shower was good, our room was mostly clean- but not perfect. They play music quite a bit outside and downstairs, nice communal ground floor and reception service
If your room is next to an elevator stay somewhere else, trust me. If you need something from the front desk, forget it. My room had dirty sheets, a broken sink, a broken tv, and the elevator kept me up all night. If you try and get help, the manager will talk over you and raise her voice at you
It's a great location and cozy room with a working TV and bathroom, but my room was never cleaned over a 3 night stay, despite asking twice one day and again the next. There are no USB outlets, only regular outlets. No lotion or fridge, just the bare minimum, which is fine, but the staff should have responded to my repeated requests for a room cleaning at least once during the stay.
When you read "hostel" you don't necessarily think of staff behind exceptionally friendly, welcoming, and helpful. However, that's exactly what we found at Freehand Chicago. The room (king) was small but very clean and nicely furnished. The building is eclectic and fun. The location is awesome. The staff are truly the best highlight though. From check in to check out, they were among the best staff I've encountered anywhere (including "nicer" hotels). I would stay there again anytime I could!
The only reason we booked a room here was because we couldn't find any other rooms close to downtown. Everything was booked. This 218 sq ft double bunk bed room cost 650 for one night. Go elsewhere if you can. Other than the outrageous price and super small room, it was nice. The room was clean and the staff was very nice.
I stayed at the Freehand to attend a conference. I stayed in the 4 bed dorm. It was quite clean, unfortunately the bathroom door could not be locked. My roommates were very nice so that was not a problem at all, but I could imagine it being uncomfortable for some people. Other than that the rooms were clean and the staff was friendly.
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing