Kinzie Hotel

All of the staff we encountered were extremely friendly and helpful. Jonny, went beyond to meet our needs. He was kind, patient and very knowable about things we could do in the surrounding area. We would stay again and tell friends about the Kenzie hotel. The only negative I have would be the kindergarten toilets in the restrooms.

Pretty central area. Fairly safe. But it’s dead at night. Ubers often stop across the street, so you end up jaywalking despite there being parking/loading right outside the hotel — be mindful about your pickup location. Staff is super friendly. One employee has quite the aggressive “good morning” — you can tell they are trained to greet each and every guest promptly and intentionally. There isn’t really a traditional lobby. There are some weak benches on one side and some ottomans on the other. The door is locked after certain evening hours and you’ll need your key to get in. The desk people will watch you fumble for your key vs. just letting you in, which I actually like for safety. Our 2x queen room (537) had a view of… the roof next door and some high-rise apartments blocks away. We would have otherwise had a lake view if those didn’t exist. The room seems like it was renovated a few years back. The carpet seemed fine, but if you looked in the corners you’d see the dust and grime. The beds were okay, but they have euro pillows which were too soft and not great. The bathroom felt outdated. It’s like they renovated the rooms but skipped the bathrooms. The bathtub/shower combo had two shower heads for some reason. The tub was too shallow even for me (and I’m quite short), and I didn’t use it as a bathtub — it just didn’t feel clean enough for that. Not dirty, but not pristine either. The soap/shampoo was TUMI… like the luggage brand, same logo and everything. Hard pass. Towels were average, like any 3-star hotel. They did have a light-up beauty mirror, which was nice. I asked for slippers and robes. The slippers were mega cheap, and the robes arrived without belts. It also took over an hour and two calls to get them delivered. Continental breakfast and the wine reception happen in a room on the 6th floor with no windows — very teacher conference room energy. Nothing special about the breakfast, just standard offerings. Wine reception had stale Chex mix in little bags and bland popcorn that tasted like styrofoam. Cheap wine, no sparkling options. It’s not a loud party hotel, so I’m thankful for that. Probably wouldn’t book again — there are so many options in Chicago — but it worked as the cheapest decent place for two nights with two friends sharing.

I had a wonderful stay at this hotel—everything was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. One of the highlights was the complimentary happy hour, which was a fantastic touch and really elevated the experience. The staff were all friendly and welcoming, and I want to give a special shoutout to Lanie and Charlene for their exceptional service. They went above and beyond to make my stay even more enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this hotel and look forward to staying here again!

We visited Chicago in early April. I used TripAdvisor to read lots of reviews to choose a hotel. We had a great experience at The Kinzie. We booked a one-bedroom, and the full windows provide amazing views, day and night. Previous reviewers commented that it's centrally located and this is true. You can walk to lots of things to do. When we landed at O'Hare Airport, we took the metro (Blue Line), and it brought us to within a few blocks of the hotel. (Tourist tip, we bought our Ventra metro/CTA 7-day cards in advance and had them with us. We rode the bus as much as the metro.) Although it was after normal check-in time, unfortunately, our room wasn't ready. The hotel stored our bags for us and we went for a short walk around the area. It was cold in early April (in the 40's), so we returned to the hotel after an hour. The front desk put a rush in with housekeeping, and we soon received our keys. The room was very clean. Having a mini-fridge in the room is very helpful. There's no microwave. We did not notice that the TV in the bedroom wasn't working until the second evening. The front desk sent a tech the next day and got it fixed. The breakfast (included) is okay, with a good variety of hot and cold foods. We stopped-in to the (free) evening reception once for snacks and sodas. It's in an interior room on the 6th floor. Overall, it was a great stay.

Jonny was a great help storing my bag while I explored the city before check in! They had nice comp drinks and breakfast each night.