The Congress Plaza Hotel Reviews

Great atmosphere and great location for what you're looking for is close by

It's a great location with an older but we'll appointed hotel. Some items could use some fixing but it's a safe and unique place to stay

Better inside the room than the rest of the building. It's clean but the towels have a bunch of fluff. Lol. Good bang for your buck. Oh pillows are extremely hard bed is soft.

The service was nice and helpful, Though I woke up in the middle of the night and went into the bathroom and I saw a bug on the floor. which is understandable it happens, we checked out in the morning, and were out touring the city. something was bothering me on my arm I looked and I had bites on the back and front of my arm!! I checked my girlfriends arm as well and she also had bites as well. We looked into it more turns out it was bed bug bites! We were debating on calling the hotel informing them that they had a bed bugs, but we decided to write a review instead so that people will know about this problem. I'm not sure if it was just the bed we were sleeping on, but will most likely never come back. Other than the bed bugs, our stay wasn't bad.

It was pleasant, and clean. The rooms quiet, did not hear other guests through walls.

The bar at this hotel has the worst service of any that I've ever experienced. Took my order for food incorrectly and then didn't comp when I graciously told them it was okay. The hotel itself is like something from The Shining. It was difficult to find my room after I got off the elevator. There are hallways and doors and exits to navigate that don't make any sense. Florescent lighting in the bathroom and an old dirty tub. If you're staying here for location, it's probably great. I'm here for work and will never stay again.

A little concerning walking down the hallways to the room. Alas, it s just an old hotel with a variety of needs.

This hotel is amazing , you can feel the haunting experience in every room and corridor . If you want feel the experience of The Shining movie , stay here for two nights. The architecture is amazingly beautiful , the size of doors are so tall. Must visit all the corners of hotel , it took entire day.I love my stay

It's creepy once you get past the lobby. Our room was sparse, tiny tv, no art on the walls, white everything. The tub wouldn't drain. Only had one bath towel for 4 people, had to call down. Security roams the halls. The air doesn't really cool the room. I know it's an old building but very sterile college dorm feel after you get past the uber decorated/under construction lobby. My favorite part was the door man. He was accommodating and very kind while we were there for my wedding.

Awful. Skanky. They put us in the smoking section and we didn't realize til the middle of the night. They didn't apologize in any way. I heard others complaining about other issues at checkout. This is why they require a first night's deposit--so you can't get your money back when you realize what a rat hole this place is.

The check in was quick and the staff friendly . I was shocked to see that the room we were checked in to looked NOTHING like the rooms pictured on their hotel site. Look at my pictures, I had a view of a fire escape and parking ramp. We had a flat screen TV but it was only like a 20 in. See my pictures. The rooms need to be updated .

Old hotel with quaint architecture. Close to the theatres and shops.

Worst hotel I have ever stayed at. Room reeks of mothballs. Shower curtain rod falls the first time I move it. Was given a cracked drinking glass that broke when I picked it up. The walls and doors are scuffed up. Worst of all, you have very little control of the temperature settings with the archaic heater in the room. Makes sleeping nearly impossible.

It's a shame because the staff is friendly, the location is good, and there is free internet. But the positives stop there. Avoid at all costs.

This place, smelly and antiquated. Didn't have a refrigerator in room and paid parking.

We have many wonderful things to say about this hotel property and the outstanding hospitality it provided to us to ensure it would be an unforgettable stay. This is a beautiful resort-like hotel at very reasonable prices with a feel like being on a cruise ship. The facilities are comfortable, and the location on the bay is quiet and romantic. We want to thank all who provided outstanding service to us!

I think this is a great place to stay for the price! Staff is friendly and the rooms are always clean!

It takes a lot for me to waste my time writing a review but I feel at this point the consumer should be educated. I Have stayed here multiple times the past couple of years because it's usually the only place thats not completely booked on busy weekends(for obvious reasons) I understand it's a "modern" hotel but come on. To NEVER update the rooms and keep charging what they charge because of location is ridiculous. I tried to get a workout in this am (6/4/17) and could not believe the quality of the equipment
( extremely dated and hardly worked) there were 2- 10 year old treadmills that wouldn't incline,a champion barbell universal system that was missing pins for weight stack and when using the cable pull down system,the weights slammed Into the arm of the chest press! all in all the entire place needs to be updated IMO. INVEST in your business! Rant over!

Stopped in for a drink, very cool copper bar with good street view and some TV's. Also has some drink specials, and is a great hotel to stop into for history.

Very cool experience to stay in this historic hotel in Chicago. We stayed here for its dark past with HH Holmes, Capone and the supposed haunted halls. We stayed in room 441 the "most haunted" room in the place. We had zero ghost interaction. Definitely a cool place to check out.

Was relatively cheap compared to other hotels in the area and didn't have an awful experience like most people seem to be mentioning in reviews. Checked in early and out a little late without any issues.

LOVE
Love
Love
This hotel!!!!
Perfect location
Beautiful historic Hotel!!!!
Room was perfect!!!!!
Can't wait to go back to Chicago and will defiantly stay at Congress Plaza!!!!

Big rooms, clean and decent view. Our room was quite.

The casino was clean and had a great selection of games, food and drinks. I recommend staying here. If you are a rewards or point collector I suggest to bill everything to your room so you get your perks

My family including my brothers and sisters and their families just spent the last 3 nights in this hotel. In total, we had 9 guest rooms. It was the most disappointing experience I ve ever had in any hotel. The website touts about its modern amenities , but that is one of the most laughable things I have read about this hotel. There wasn t even an alarm clock in the room. The rooms were not just old. They have not been cared for. Furniture, rugs and walls are all in horrible shape. You would never know this by standing in the lobby, however go to the rooms and you will see what I mean. The cleanliness of the rooms was atrocious. The bathrooms were so filthy, we had to wear flip flops so as not to be our bare feet. The rugs were shredded and the dust on the bed s headboard had dust 1/4 of an inch thick. We never had housekeeping the entire time we were there.
The restaurant! Let me tell you about the restaurant. My husband and I had dinner there one evening and the server appeared to have never waited on a table in his life. He made multiple mistakes including bringing our appetizer at the same time as our main entree. The food was extremely overpriced. Which is absurd, in and of itself. If this hotel pops up for you as you re looking for a hotel in Chicago.....RUN. Run as fast as you can! We will never consider this place ever again. What a shame that a grand piece of Chicago history has been so disrespected.

I really had a wonderful time staying in this hotel because the people around here were very amazing. They truly have the best cuisines here, and any other things that you liked. The rooms are so comfortable and full of amenities, and I would like to commend them for that. It was indeed the best place ever! Strongly recommended!

Very nice room at a great central location in Chicago near Grant park. Only issue we have had is the water takes up to 10 minutes to heat up for showering.

While you won't mistake it for The Ritz, The Congress cannot be beat when you factor in the cost and, most importantly, the location. It's long in the tooth but clean, spacious, and comfortable.

One of the worst hotel in the world and the staff is rude and unprofessional and the security is ok and the hotel need to be knock down and the conceirge staff act like they can not help u with information.

This is mine and my husbands first time staying at The Congress and I have to say that we are less than pleased to be staying here. We had high hopes when we walked in and saw the beautiful lobby and then we went up to our 14th floor room that is beyond drury. We stepped in to check out the bathroom and the toilet had not even been flushed from the last guest and that there is still trash in the floor right next to the trash can. Then we have a coffee pot sitting on a little table set up to be used, so when I went to use it, I notice it isn't plugged in and then there is no outlet anywhere near it. The bed is hard and very uncomfortable and the TV is miniature compared to the wall that it is on and there are two burns in the carpet that are obviously from people that do not know how to iron. For the amount of money that we have spent to stay in the city, we wish we would have spent it at the Hilton down the street, or anywhere else but here. I am giving it two stars one of which is because we are close to pretty much everything and the other because I had cleaning supplies with me to make it comfortable enough not to complain to the front desk.

The rooms are very worn out, dirty and in need of an update, my room is so stinky that I have to leave the windows open in January. Neither of us could eat the horrible breakfast, the egg were half raw with runny whites and the sausage was unlike any I've ever tasted.

Deftly an old piece of Chicago history. The hotel is a little older, but still very very nice in a great location.

Unsure what to expect due to some of the reviews, lived up to some of the reviews while others not so much. Pros: Hotel entrance was clean and illuminated. Hotel rooms were simple and clean, nothing flashy. Staff was friendly and eager to help you find your room/maintain it clean. Cons: Hallways were not illuminated, a bit creepy. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was overly expensive. Plumbing could use a bit of update. Overall, good hotel experience. Great location in the city and check in/check out was easy.

Loved the architecture, history, location, etc. Rooms could be updated a bit more though.

This hotel is definitely not perfect. The rooms definitely need some repairs and are generally unappealing. That being said, the location is amazing. It's in a safe area and the lake view is gorgeous. Many restaurants are in walking distance and the L is close too. Would definitely stay again.

Love this place. :) Clean,affordable,and always a great time.

I love grand old hotels that have been given some love. They have personality. The Congress Plaza falls in this genre. We had problems during the stay. 1. There is no thermostat in the room. 2. Our toilet was backed up horribly. Guest services was lovely and we changed rooms. 3. One of my tests of a nice hotel is do they give you hangers or are the clothes hangers attached to the rod in the closet. This was the latter.
On the other hand room service was nice, the staff was responsive and the location was good. Also a good price. Not sure i would consider this hotel for another stay

At first glimpse, the hotel is beautiful. Great architecture and a beautiful entryway. What it lacked was a friendly welcome and also a comfortable place to rest. The most irritating thing was the very firm mattresses which could have been managible with comfortable pillows. What we got instead were very hard and surprisingly lumpy pillows that had pillow cases which were too small. Never have I ever seen pillowcases with Velcro, but it was on these ones, and due to the small size, lead to a very scratchy sleep.

Place is packed for what it offers.
Rooms are Spartan, outlets barely draw power. Hard to see the room numbers on the doors. No luggage rack. Halls are scary old. However, bathroom s work, beds are clean & no bugs.

Affordable hotel, great location. Room was a little on the small side and was somewhat lacking in amenities. However, you can't beat the price and location.

A very cozy bar/lounge area with plenty of seating. While the bar and some tables were available, most seating was in comfortable leather chairs. A serviceable tap list with standard craft beers (Lagunitas, Revolution, etc), as well as some decent whiskeys were present. Service was impeccable.

I always have a great experience when I visit the Congress Hotel

It's a short walk from the train exit and even shorter walk from the nearest bus stop.

The rooms were very clean and very nice. The provided water was awesome too

Service was good. Lots of history here. I wish they would put some money into restoring.

Its close to alot of things and the lobby looks great

I visited after a ghost tour and walked the building and sat at the bar. Friendly staff and beautiful building!

I wish that there were more bathrooms on the first floor, especially during St. Patrick's Day festivities, but the staff was helpful.

Location is great, but the age of the building is definitely showing.

I was at the Congress Plaza as part of a tour about Chicago's gangster history. The lobby has great decor, with opulence being the word in mind when it was constructed for the world fair. From what little I was able to see, there were pieces of this city's history all throughout the lobby.

Front desk was helpful. I think some of the rooms were redone since ours looked very nice

Old and humid, but it's charming in it's own way. Lots of history. Staff was very friendly. Especially Marlon at concierge. I think was his name. Great dude.

Clean rooms, we'll priced and in the center of everything

My family had a nice Spring break getaway.
#1 need better access from the parking garage to the hotel (the two should be connected where you dont have to travel outside with all of your luggage.)
#2 Hotel is beautiful but the rooms need updating really bad. We stayed in a double (4 people total - moms and daughters). Room was very small with a small tv with low volume (see pic).
#3 the bathtub and sink kept backing up. The tub had rust spots and holes in it.
#4 The beds were itchy.
#5 Housekeeping came around both nights around 6am knocking on the door stating she was just checking. We never found out what she was checking for.

Good prices and close to everything. Very helpful front desk team

The hotel is crumbling, large paint chips peeling off the walls, holes in doors and walls, sloppy paint jobs where you can tell it's the 4th or 5th coat just globbed overtop some bad patchwork. Lukewarm showers at best, and no way to control the temperature in the room.

DO NOT EVER book Congress Plaza Hotel on Hotwire!! Cause they will put you on the north tower top floor on the 12th floor. You get 20 dollar discount whatnot for super tiny old room low ceiling pedaling walls, room that doesn t even have table and chair cause that s how small it is!! Have to just ditch the reservation and rebook another hotel which is way nicer, the La Quinta Inn on South Franklin!
There s a reason why it s rated 55% recommended on Hotwire! I gave it a chance cause it s claimed to be 3 star, and Hotwire has never disappointed me over past years. This time it really missed it.
If you see a deal on Hotwire for 135 dollar a night in south loop/loop, 55% recommended or below, DO NOT BOOK! Not worth it for 20 bucks saving!

Good location, good view, the attention is not so good, the elevatos are a mess when is check out time.

Front desk lost reservation, had to be persistent. Door on room only had a chain lock. Housekeeping barged in while we were napping. Was sick after being served "the worst hotel meal I've ever had" (husband's quote). I was sick, for the following week, with diarrhea. "Business Center" charges for computer use. Wifi drops you every 2 min. Do not book this hotel. It's only a money maker for the owner, ( I just looked up on Wikipedia: Take a look, if you're interested).

i loved it but there is only one thing there is a haunted room in that hotel its nice give it 5 stars

Very nice venue. Extremely clean, very close and available parking.

Good retro feeling. Huge clean bright room. Even though the bathroom is quite small. It's perfect for a three star hotel

It was fine for a quick overnight. The lobby is beautiful... The rooms and hallways were old, sorta needed some updating. My only real complaint is there are was only a heater in the room, and the controls were so old and rusty that I was unable to turn it off, which caused it to be too hot in the room... Until I cracked open the window, and had a fan sent to my room. I wouldn't advise anyone to stay here in the summer.

For a convention hotel, my biggest group was the elevators. There are not many to use, they are slow, and that is assuming they didn't break down. Fortunately I was staying at another hotel for this event occurring at the Congress since it was more productive to walk up the 3 flights of stairs or use the escalators. I'd hate to have had to wait to get to my room.

Well-maintained and clean room. Floor was quiet but rooms were on the warmer side. Excellent location for touristy activities

The worst. This place charged my girlfriends debit card an extra 2000 dollars for no reason, the rooms were dirty, sheets were yellow (at one time were white), and the place as a whole was rundown . Pay the extra 100 a night and stay at the hilton next door.

our experience here was not satisfactory. First off, the clerk that checked us in have is our keys and that was it. No direction on how to get to our room or anything. After about 15 minutes of searching we found it. When we got into our room, we found moldy food and used underwear. The only good part about the stay was the bar and the friendly maintainence guy that helped us find our room. Would not recommend and will NOT be staying here again.

Worst bed I have ever slept on in 34 years. Should have spelt on the floor. But didn't trust the floor. Maid left note on bed stating to much stuff on the bed to make the bed. Toilet didn't flush right and entire place needs updates. Over priced completely and $39 per night to park my car. Outrageous. . Never again.

Overall the experience has been good. My only issue has been subpar Wi-Fi, which I need for work, as this is a business trip. Renovations are underway, but they're not creating any disturbance. Staff are friendly, and the location is great.

Massive structure but little old i believe. The wooden work inside was kind of old..breakfast is more or less same everyday. Otherwise friendly staff. Location is good as it is near centre.

The staff were very nice. The rooms were clean and tidy. The building is older but it is very well kept.

The hotel is beautiful, conveniently located, very clean, and again: beautiful.

Ive stayed in probably 50 different hotels. This place, has the worst service ever by far. Especially with the guys helping with luggage.

The double bed room was clean and had lots of room. Loved the high ceilings and bath tub!! Seemed to have lots of privacy and did not see other people staying close to our room.

Worst hotel I have ever stayed. Please look elsewhere.

not much better forLocation, location, location. Old place but pretty up to date. Still could use some improvements on the small stuff, but overall n ce