The Congress Plaza Hotel Reviews

We stayed for 3 nights. Room has a great view and was spacious. The lack of a microwave in the room and SD television limits my review to 4 stars

Bathroom dryers weren't working for the first part of the morning but were later on. Great signage, space and temps of rooms. Would've liked a coffee shop like Starbucks inside for easy pick me ups.

Nice place given the age of the building and a good rate at under $100 for a night in the heart of Chicago's Michigan Ave. It's obviously starting to show it's age but all in all, a good place to stay while in the city.

Location is good! Everything is just around. Although the building is kind old, things are still clean.

Dingy rooms, and an uncomfortable bed, but a good location.

An older venue, but my non smoker room had been recently re-painted and was plain but nice

I have been staying at a chain hotel down near MDW, but this was so nice that I cancelled those reservations through the summer, and will stay at the Loop at the Congress, to which I moved those bookings

Nice place to stay if you want your car stolen. I will not come back here ever again

A very old hotel in an exceptional location. Needs a serious renovation and has service quality issues. Definitely a place to stay for a vacation focused on sight seeing. Not recommended for people who prefer a comfortable, luxury, state-of-the-art accommodation.

This is, quite honestly, the worst hotel I've ever stayed in. I came back to my room one afternoon to find the door unlocked and slightly open after housekeeping had made up the room. $200 for a wedding gift was stolen out of a zipped area of a suitcase - could have been by hotel staff or a random person who could have accessed the room after it had been unlocked. We filed a report with security, but the manager on site said there was absolutely nothing she could do and only that security would investigate. She acknowledged that the staff was negligent in leaving the room unlocked, but there was no concern for the situation. We filed a police report and they were surprised that the hotel staff was so unaccommodating and unhelpful as well and said they would send their detectives to investigate. I'm just thankful that only $200 was stolen and that there wasn't someone hiding in the room when I returned on my own. It was honestly a horrific experience and still no word back from the director of security, the general manager, or anyone else at the hotel.

Our single, King bed room was clean, albeit small. It has some charm for being as old as it is, and the location is superb. WiFi worked well even with the large Lollapalooza crowd. Bathroom is quite small. The room is a stark, solid white with no art on the walls. The view is nice, overlooking Grant Park. Seems like the room has been soundproofed pretty well. The bed was comfortable and a good firmness. I think the price is too high for what you get, but this our first stay in Chicago so I can't compare to others in the same area.

Nice location. Beautiful lobby. Friendly service. Check in and out was extremely easy.

Good size room. The staff could be a bit more friendly.

The building is a little outdated but great location downtown.

Apparently it is haunted!!!! So glad we did not know that until the end of our trip! We spent three nights here, and while it certainly wasn't the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in, it was an excellent stay! The rooms had high cathedral ceilings and large in room closets. The bed was very comfortable, and the view of the lake was stunning from our 10th floor room! The room was a bit noisy in the mornings because the doors kept moving due to air pressures in the hallway, but we were never unsafe, and that is expected in such an old building. The lobby and downstairs are stunning and beautiful, and the staff were very helpful! Be warned, though... $49 a night just for the valet!

1st room was a closet looking at a brick wall.....asked very nice lady at the desk for a view and poof ... room 500 is old old old but nice. For 100.00 w tax nice BUT valet parking is $44.00...ouch...now if we see a ghost it will be cool....lol

We stayed in north tower on 11th floor facing west and was too noisy because of the metro.
Although clean hotel, but tiny room and small lobby, non courteous receptionist.
I would go somewhere else next time.

falling apart with very dated interior decorations that have generally not aged well (with a few exceptions.) great location

Excellent stay. We had a fantastic time. The front desk staff were very professional and took the time to answer all of our questions. Second night had trouble makers in the lobby sitting around charging phones, obviously not guests as they would be charging phones I their rooms. The hotel quickly took care of the issue.

Staying now, booked by an agency so I can't leave. Reserved a refrigerator but there isn't one in the room, front desk said too bad. Room is cold, no built in heater. Asked for a heater, they brought a space heater. It stopped working so asked for another. No more available so they brought me three thin blankets. Looks like I have a fun week ahead of me

The accommodations were what we expected. The hotel shows it's age but has been updated.

The only thing great about this hotel was the location. And for the history buffs, the fact that this place is supposedly haunted and is filled with history. Other than that, it's not worth the money to stay there. The lobby and dining halls are wonderfully decorated, but the rooms are in desperate need of upgrades. There is not enough lights in the room and it looks like an amateur painted the walls. The bed and pillows were not comfortable. And the furniture is drab. It was nice to have the fridge, but they should consider adding a microwave. I would not stay here again.

Nice older hotel. What isn't modern is made up for with friendly helpful staff. The concierge was super helpful. My only comment was that it was difficult to make my room dark so I could sleep well, otherwise everything was fine.

Very old yet incredibly comfortable an cozy. Best place yo stay in Chicago if you are on a restricted Budget. It is superwell located and does have the feel and the furniture and smell of the 40,s and 50,s. I,ll be back

Old rooms, air conditioning is not great. Lot of old chipped paint. Not a bad historic hotel, but could use serious refresh.

Excersize room was small, smelly and hot with broken equipment. Rooms were clean but needed maintenance. Staff was friendly.

Currently lying awake at 330am during my stay at the Congress Plaza.

The beautiful building breathes history but they don t care about providing guests with standard parking service.

1. The parking the Congress staff recommends, is right around the corner from the hotel. We needed a spot for 13 hours, before leaving at 6am to the airport. Guess what? The rate for 12h is $18 but $49 for 24h. On top of that, the indoor section of the parking lot was inaccessible, so we paid $18 for a spot within a fence that my grandma could hop.
Now I know I have to wake up at 5am to move the car, terrified I am going to miss my alarm to result in the car getting towed and us missing the flight.
Most hotels offer a discount on nearby parking for overnight guests. *Most* hotels...

2. Also tiny twin beds.

3. Lastly what is up with these hotels not providing any kind of alternative breakfast due to covid? They charge the same rates but dont provide the same service.

MIGHT AS WELL HAVE SLEPT AT THE AIRPORT

Wifi didn't work, Continental breakfast was $20 per person, front desk told us different times for checkout, cleaning lady just came in without knocking and woke us up, and we were told we were being too loud and might be kicked out, when we weren't doing anything. Rooms were ok, but all in all for $300 a night this was a terrible experience, I wouldn't go here again for $100 a night.

Horrible experience with items stolen from room by hotel staff and Management did nothing about it.

I would avoid paying anything more than 100$ a night for this place. It smells like moth balls and the rooms need a serious update. A good location, but you can seriously get more for your dollar elsewhere.

So much interesting historical details to see in this hotel. It s worth your time to read up about who stayed there, what was celebrated, and what events were held as it is really a national history treasure. Service is great, staff are competent and are capable of handling many people checking in at the same time which is not always the case at big hotel names. You guys got a good system, keep it up!

It's an awesome hotel! Everyone is friendly! You can tell it's been around for a while, and it's got it's little quirks - but so totally worth it!

Beautiful old hotel. Great architecture. Miniature rooms with paper thin walls. Hope you like your neighbor cause you can hear everything they say and so can they.

Very clean. Great view of the fountain and lake. Architecture in the lobby is mesmerizing.

Hotel is a bit old. Room ok, nothing fancy. Staff are polite.

Aesthetically pleasing but some things could function better. Great location and staff, bed was not comfortable and furniture felt cheap

I think The Congress Plaza Hotel is a pretty cool guy. The meeting space for a career fair seemed a bit small, but it did the trick.

Nice looking from outside. Very old and not updated from inside. No heater, but good service. Affordable option.

I stayed for a night while going to see a concert before moving on in my trip through the Midwest. I am not one for "character, " thus seeing thick layered paint, old doors, and cracks are not what I consider endearing. However, if an old building with a mysterious air of age is your thing, go for it.

Everything else about this hotel is great. The furniture is modern and clean. The valet are awesome guys. The room service has good quality. Everything that would expect the price of a good hotel are here. The old building thing just isn't my preference.

Rich with histoty, and marvelous location! However...the rooms were extremely dated. Though clean and not uncomfortable the late 80s live on at the Congress Hotel

Omg the hotel is centrally located, we did not rent a car, we used the train from the airport to the girl and bussed off around and walk

Water in the shower is barely warm. Needs to have hot water. Room service came very early and then never came back. A lady did come ask later if we had our room cleaned and we said no. She brought us new towels and emptied our trash. The men parking cars out front were very organized. The location is great. The temperature in the room is not easily adjusted with the thermostat but that is an old building for ya.

I thought this place was nice. Staff was nice, plaza was nice, room was a little rough though. Cracks in wall and ceiling. I understand it s an older building but rooms could use some work. But the great rate we got on the room made up for the small defects.

Probably the worst hotel I've ever stayed in. Although the main lobby was nice with a old historic charm, the rest of the hotel was very run down! The hallways were dark, dirty, and in need of much repair! The room was BAD! The bed frame was a cheap wooden frame with just plywood that the cheap mattress was laid upon. There was no box springs, and the mattress did not even fit the bed! There was only one small lamp in the bedroom. Maybe that was so we couldn't see how dirty the room was! The bathroom fixtures were old and rusty. There is no refrigerator or microwave in the room. Although the hotel claims to have wifi, it rarely worked. The knobs on the heat and a/c were rusted and one knob broken off. Our view was of a black fire escape and windows of the other rooms. I would never ever consider staying in this hotel again!

Stayed in the North tower. Beautiful bathrooms comfortable bed, and decent view. Could not watch Netflix via the Wii the wife and I bring on roadtrips because the TV is wall mounted. The only reason I took off a star is because of the breakfast. It's tearable. Day old stale bread and muffins.

Charming place to stay. Just watch out for the parking garage next door cost $35 a night and they charge extra for older vehicles. Back in Toledo, we never had a problem with our 2001 Buick LeSabre and cheap parking.

Attractive, well maintained, comfortable, well located.

Not good with wheelchair accessibility. Also, needs an update to peeling wallpaper and old furniture. The staff, however, was great!

Let me start by saying, I was so excited to stay at this hotel. Built in the 1800 and all of its history. The inside is beautiful. The staff are great. The food not worth 14.00 for a pancake. Not worth 7.00 for cereal.
Location is perfect.
The room.... Awful. It was so hot. After spending a good 30mins trying to figure out something that should be so simple for AC/heat I started to get angry. The sticker that is supposed to show you where to turn the knob was on wrong. The high is same as low. Couldn't get the thing working. It was hot and musky Snelling. I called the front desk, mind you it's well after midnight, only to hear they don't even have the cool air on. I said that's a but ridiculous and asked for fan. There weren't any fans left for anyone. Apparently everyone complained about this.
The beds were so hard. I like firm but not concrete slab firm.
Sleep was non existent with how hot it was and the beds.
The shower... Cold... Forget about a warm shower. The tub, old and brown stains. There was mold as well.
After getting our stuff together and moving covers 2 pills show up on my daughters bed. Tevva from what I Googled. Great... Why are there pills in my childs bed? The manager kind of made it seem like I put them there. I told her to look them up and see when that particular pill color and shape was discontinued. I was angry at the tone of her voice.
Needless to say, we will not be staying here again. Too expensive. These rooms are worth maybe 50/night. I've stayed at motels better than this!

It was nice.. Everything was clean and neat. Only thing I didn't like was when I couldn't sleep at 3AM because the people in the room next to me were shooting porn. At least that's what it sounded like.

Loved it! Quiet, beautiful, historic. Will stay here again the next time I am in Chicago.

The public spaces are great for large crowds and events! It's clean, well staffed, and is wonderful. The ballroom is beautiful!

Only went to the restaurant which was pretty sad and the bar where the service was very slow.

Great place to stay, in the middle of main attractions!!! Walking distance and if you can take a bike rental.

I guess for the price and being in downtown I can't expect more. Though I thought that adjusting your temperature in the room should be a standard option in hotels nowdays. It's okay.

Amazing! Thank you for hosting IML Market...great staff, very helpful when needed. Bar Staff was awesome!

Old historic hotel, very comfortable and nicely renewed lobbys and rooms, EXCELLENT location.

Not the best kept old hotel but certainly the best located old hotel in Chicago.

Cool historical building. Great convenient location. Rooms could be a bit updated, along with the included amenities. Great view.

So Lovely and People Friendly Will return very SOON

Nice place and good location. Some things are a little dated, but adds to the charm

Good hotel centrally located. Very polite and helpful staff

The hotel was nice, however the room was very hot, no air I called twice to get it cooled down nobody came. On Sat night room service came into our room, unanounced, for no reason while we were dressing late in the evening. I called the front desk, they didnt care.

Upgraded to a lake view room, but the mattress was super firm and not very comfortable.

Very old building, no microwaves in rooms, charging outlet's are so badly placed.

The lobby and meeting rooms were very neat and clean. Staff was friendly.

Stunning architecture great service/staff and reasonable prices for a downtown hotel

3 star hotel. Room 625. Could ise a little better front desk help. Little rude. But it was Lollapalooza weekend.

They accommodated our last minute request to be given a lake-view room, and the room was in a different/older section of the hotel. The view was gorgeous and the room itself was just ok. I'd stay here again because it was pretty cheap.

In short, the hotel is old and our entire floor smelled like mold and cigarettes. The beds were terribly uncomfortable. And last but not least, some jewelry and electronics were stolen from my locked room and the situation was horribly mismanaged from a customer service standpoint. After reporting the situation to security, the security guard stated that it was likely a member of the cleaning staff and that it was not likely the items would be recovered. We discussed our dissatisfaction with the manager at the front desk who informed us she couldn't do anything for us (apparently not even apologize for the situation) without permission from the General Manager, who was not on site. We left our phone numbers for the GM to please call us, but he never did. After weeks of leaving messages on the GM's voicemail, we finally received a call from the head of security offering us a discount on our next stay. But with an experience like that, why would I ever choose to give them my business again?

Not the greatest hotel. As with most hotels in Chicago, they charge a high daily parking fee on top of the room price.

The hotel was a descent price and was the only one with available rooms on St. Ptaricks day. The rooms were really old and outdated even a little creepy. There was a fashion show going on during visit with lots of people in hotel that werent guests and chaos was in lobby eventually huge fight broke out and police arrived. Preferred to stay in my creepy outdated room.

Beautiful hotel. Some rooms are small but modernized. Great location.

Very charming, very old school. If you're looking for ultra modern this is not for you! If you're looking for a taste of old gangster luxury then have fun!!

Great service. Went above and beyond. Lovely, lovely place.

Had an awful experience at this property. Staff were terribly rude and not at all accommodating. The room was bad. Beds consist of a mattress on top of plywood and a cheap frame, no box spring or anything. The windows barely opened and our AC didn't work. The front desk informed us that the hotel's AC was turned off and would not be turned on. We requested several fans because were 3 of us in the room and they only brought one fan, then proceeded to yell at us when we asked for another. 1 box fan doesn't cool a room enough for 3 bodies. To top it all off, the toilet wailed every time it was flushed. It would squeal loud enough that it could be heard in the hallway and this 10-15 minutes each time. We will never stay at this property again. The entire building needs to be gutted and remodeled and all the staff need to be shown the door or given customer service training.

Rooms very dirty, old and small. With a very strong odor.
The staff at the bar very rude. The menu option very limited. They offer better selection at Mc Donald.
I would never stay at this hotel again.