Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Experience timeless ambiance and cordial service at The Willows Hotel. Accented with 19th-century style furnishings, this Chicago boutique hotel, located in the quaint Lincoln Park neighborhood, allows you to experience the city like a local. Bold décor exudes a playfulness that pays tribute to the Lincoln Park Zoo and museums nearby. Plus, enjoy an elevated hotel experience in our recently renovated lobby and common areas.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Willows Hotel Chicago garners appreciation for its prime location, which guests have called out as convenient for exploring nearby dining, shopping, and attractions. Although travelers commend the hotel for its cleanliness and cozy atmosphere, the rooms receive mixed reviews—some find them clean and comfortable, whereas others express disappointment over discrepancies with the website and note them as outdated.
The service is generally friendly and helpful, yet a few guests have encountered less than satisfactory interactions. While many find the hotel to provide good value, this sentiment is not unanimous.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We were visiting our son who lives in Lincoln Park and this hotel was conveniently located near him, as well as near shopping, bars and restaurants, specifically Duffy’s Tavern, a fantastic Michigan Wolverine bar turned Detroit Lions venue for a day (NFC Championship game).
My wife also had to work remotely from the hotel one of the days, and that went well, too… Good internet connection, and Adrian went above and beyond to see that she had everything she needed. Adrian also assisted us in choosing restaurants, parking, and locating stores for items we needed for our son.
The hotel and rooms were spacious, clean and luxurious. This is our go-to hotel when visiting the Lincoln Park area.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Parking Deck ($25/day) very close by.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Roxana Dumbrava, Other at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded Mar 7, 2024
Thank you for staying with us!
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The room was good as were the beds. The shower seems to use a water saver so the pressure was low. Parking was in a public lot for only $21 a night. We really liked the Lincoln Park neighborhood which has many good eating options and is a good area to walk around. A downside is that if you are taking an Uber or Lyft to the major tourist sites it could be costly. However, the nightly rate I received, was worth it.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from maria lipan City Suites Hotel, General Manager at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded Oct 24, 2022
Dear Stan, Thank you for staying with us and for your kind review. We're happy you had a great experience with us and we hope to see you again soon! PS- Taxi's are now cheaper most of the time than Lyft's or Ubers Roxana
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The hotel is definitely dated and small, the hotel does not have its own parking and have to use the garage in the back which you will have to pay $20 something for 24hr and if you leave and come back you will have to pay each time. To get to the parking garage you have to go through an ally on side of hotel which at night could look alittle sketchy. The hotel it self is kept up very small no ramp if your in wheel chair and the elevator is very small can’t hold more than 3 people and has a sign that it may get stuck if more than that. The rooms are nice for a simple stay but again they are dated. The rooms were stocked if you wanted something from their fridge but when I got there items were missing which we notified the desk. The staff was very nice and friendly the front desk very helpful pointing out near by places to eat and giving late checkout. The hotel is set in a location near a Walmart and several places to eat. Parking when you get there to check in or out is on a temp bases and it’s if you can find parking.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Parking is non existent have to use parking garage which you have to pay for.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from maria lipan City Suites Hotel, General Manager at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded Apr 11, 2023
Dear Jibarra8, Thank you for recapping your recent experience with us. We understand that parking is not cheap in Chicago, but the $20 is a very low rate comparing with the other garages around the area. Also, you don't have to pay the $20 if you are only staying less than 24 hrs. Our hotel is a historic building therefore it was grandfathered in on not being handicapped accessible. We thank you again and we hope to accommodate you again! Sincerely, Roxana D Willows Hotel
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The rooms were a nice size. The location was great for our needs. The hotel can realy use an update/refresh. We have no issue with it being an older hotel, but this one is looking run down. We had 2 rooms for our family. We had to change 1 room bc the heat was not working and then in the new room, the toilet did not work well. It did not fill. Even after speaking to the front desk the toilet was"iffy". Our kids came to our room to use the toilet rather than clog their toilet.
There are old fashion steam radiators which can be briefly noisy at times when they fill. Unfortunately, that often happened in the middle of the night. At about 3am both rooms' radiators filled. They were not controlled by a thermostat but by the hotel overall. In addition, there was a little spot wall heater and a seperate AC unit. Rooms (our 2 rooms were on opposite side of the hall) over looked alleys, common for city hotels. But for one room... a spot light shined directly into the room at the bed 24/7. So the shade had to be pulled.
Front desk staff was very casual... no uniform or more fomal dress. We did not recognize the staff when we went to check out on Sunday am. She was dressed in sweats. They were friendly enough.
The location was really good for us in Lincoln Park. Easily walkable to family that live in tha area. You do not have much choice g for hotels in that area.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Roxana Dumbrava, Other at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded 1 week ago
Dear Amy, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're happy to hear that the size of the rooms and the location in Lincoln Park worked well for your family's needs. We truly appreciate your honest feedback regarding the condition of the hotel, and we sincerely apologize for the issues you encountered during your stay. It's important to us that our guests have a comfortable stay, and we're sorry to hear about the trouble with the heating, toilet, and noise from the radiators. We will certainly look into these maintenance concerns to improve our guests' comfort. We also appreciate you mentioning the lighting issue in one of your rooms and the casual attire of our front desk staff. We'll make sure to communicate that to our team. We're grateful for your feedback, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future for a more enjoyable stay. Thank you again for your review! Best regards, Roxana Dumbrava Willows Hotel
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Horrible on every level, in fact GROSS. Do not stay here ! I arrived and the whole lobby was a building site. A pipe had burst apparently, ok I get these things happen but there is no excuse for the state of the rooms and the unprofessional staff. The hot water was minimal. When I mentioned it at the desk their response was "Oh you should have said earlier, some of the rooms don't really have much hot water." What?!!!!! The heat did not come on in the morning and it was cold in the room. The TV did not work, I called down and the front desk said they would bring me a new remote - yet they did not, The wallpaper was stained and peeling off the walls and the whole room and walls were dirty, the carpet was disgusting and old and there were cracks and damp water marks around the windows. The room did not look anything like the photos on the website and was so far off the look of a boutique hotel, the website feels like a lie. I was expecting something nice for the price I paid and was hugely disappointed. When I left I asked for the manager who apparently was "on holiday" The staff on duty said they would send an email to the manager requesting that I received a partial refund. Surprise surprise, I did not hear from them. 3 weeks later, I called up and the same staff member answered saying that the manager was not there and I could not have their email of phone number, he then became confrontational and rude when I mentioned I was following up on the partial discount we talked about and actually put the phone down on me ! I have travelled worldwide and this is hands down the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. GROSS and horrible on every level.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:don't stay there, just terrible.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Roxana Dumbrava, Other at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded May 29, 2024
Dear Mrs. Darroch, I am truly sorry to hear about your experience at our hotel. I appreciate you taking the time to share it as it will help us improve our communication strategies as a team. It sounds like there were multiple issues during your stay that fell short of your expectations and I am very sorry we had to find out about it here. While it has been a few months since you were here, please know the issued you've mentioned have been fixed. If there's anything else I can assist you with or if you have any further concerns, please don't hesitate to let me know. Sincerely, Roxana Willows Hotel- 773-528-8400
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We paid a total of $550 for a double queen room that did not look like the picture on the hotels own web page. The bathroom was outdated and wallpaper was ripping throughout. Comfortable beds did not help when the bathroom door woke people up every time it was opened and closed.
The hotels web page did not say that the continental breakfast had been discontinued during covid and was still advertising it on their website.
The parking garage cost $25 for 24 hours and was extremely close. None of that was advertised on the website.
This is a great neighborhood that felt very safe. I'm sure we were price gouged considering the events happening that weekend however it is just not acceptable to false advertise the look of a room unless you are specifically saying that some rooms have been updated and others have not.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from maria lipan City Suites Hotel, General Manager at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded Aug 17, 2022
Dear Guest, Dear Guest, Thank you for staying with us. We are very sorry to hear that your experience was anything less than excellent. The satisfaction of our guests is our top priority and we have shared your comments with our team and management. It was our entire team's pleasure having you stay with us. We truly value all the details you shared and hope you'll consider staying with us again in the future.
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The attention was excellent from all the employees, very good location, and its interiors are so original that they make you feel like you are stepping into a bit of Chicago's past. It was a pleasant experience. And you couldn't pass up the excellent comfort of the beds. I especially want to thank Adrián for his magnificent attention and his recommendations to enjoy the area. Food and entertainment. ,👍👍👍👍👍
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I will start with the positives: the location is great, the room was mostly clean, check in/out was easy, we felt safe in this area. Beyond that, I'm still puzzled as to how this hotel had such amazing reviews and high rating on Trip Advisor. We arrived fairly late at night as our flight had been delayed. The welcome by staff was okay but upon entering the hotel I realized that what I had believed was going to be a 'quirky, boutique experience' was probably not going to live up to that. The lobby was sad looking and the hotel smelled musty. (The lobby looked much better in the morning with the light coming in but was still not up the 'boutique' standard that we are used to) The elevator is unappealing to say the least. The flooring material is peeling and the walls are scratched. When we got to our floor, the hallway is very dark and smells like an old motel. The room had an even stranger smell - maybe ammonia? The wallpaper was peeling in several spots (with a little mold on it in the bathroom) and the decor is terribly outdated. I've stayed at 'vintage' hotels but this room was not vintage, it was just old and outdated. The worst part was the air conditioning unit. It was LOUD. I am a light sleeper and ended up having to wear earplugs to be able to sleep. Even then, I did not get a lot of sleep over the three nights. My other family members slept a little better as they are not as light of sleepers. What bothered us the most was that we'd paid over $425 a night to stay here. The room and hotel were not what they show on the website or even what the other Trip Advisor reviews had led us to believe. For even a little bit more money, we could have had a nicer room/better experience even if the location were not as premium. If you are paying more than $300 a night to stay here, I would suggest you look elsewhere.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:If you are being charged more than $300 per night, look elsewhere.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Roxana Dumbrava, Other at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded Jun 20, 2024
Dear Scout796, Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback with us. We appreciate hearing about your positive experiences with the location, ease of check-in/out, and overall feeling of safety. However, we are truly sorry to hear that your stay fell short of your expectations in several aspects. We apologize for any disappointment caused by the condition of our lobby and facilities. Your comments about the musty smell, outdated decor, and maintenance issues have been noted, and we will address these internally to ensure improvements are made where needed. Please know that we take your comments seriously and will use them constructively to improve. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back and demonstrate the improvements we are committed to making. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us. Sincerely, Roxana D Willows Hotel
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Our experience with all of the staff has been so pleasant and helpful. Adrian especially gave us some great recommendations that eased a lot of stress. The room was exactly what we needed and the location of the hotel is within walking distance of many great local food/drink spots.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from maria lipan City Suites Hotel, General Manager at Willows Hotel Chicago
Responded Oct 5, 2023
Thank you !
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The room I was given had an incredibly loud radiator (banging, thumping, screeching). I did not sleep. In the morning, I spoke to the front desk worker and he literally finished my sentence for me about the noise; clearly, I was not the first to complain. He gave me a different room for the second night. It was smaller (and yet I was still paying for the larger room), dirty (used tissue) on the floor, hair in the bathroom), and loud (next to both the stairs and elevator, though that was nothing compared to the radiator the previous night). He did not give me money back (even to the cost of the room I was now in). When I said the radiator should be fixed before the next guest stays in that room, he said "well, I don't know about that." On my second day, I complained again to the front desk person and she shrugged, saying she'd relay my concerns to management. No surprise, I have not heard from the hotel.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kent Island, Maryland7 contributions4 helpful votes
Super easy to take the blue line train from Ohare airport to the Logan Square stop.
#76 East bus down Clark drops you off about a block from the door, or easy Uber/Lyft/taxi from the train for a little change.
Good morning,
We do not offer a shuttle service thru the hotel, however there is a service called "GO AIRPORT" that offers shuttle to and from airports throughout Chicago. You can give them a call directly or set up your pick up times online.
Thank you
Leila O
Assistant General Manager
This is a nice quiet area to stay in and there are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Not a ton of shopping. We stayed here because we were visiting my sister who lived a couple block away.
If you want to do boat ride or see the more famous Chicago sites you will have to go to the downtown area; which despite not being that far away is a pretty lengthy drive (usually 30 minutes to get a few miles).
Traffic is really really bad in Chicago so I would recommend staying right next to what you are interested in seeing so that you can easily walk or take a taxi. You don't want to be driving your car down here or spending 40 min trying to find parking. I think we saw about 10 fender benders happen in the 2 days we were here and people don't even stop they just bash the car in front of them, switch lanes, and keep on driving.
As for the Willows itself we just stayed there last weekend. It is an okay hotel. Pretty old and the rooms are dark and stuffy. The staff was great but amenities are very very basic. I thought they charged too much for what you get. It was okay, but we won't be staying again.
There are more places to choose from in the Chicago area.
PRICE RANGE
₱4,760 - ₱8,069 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the willows hotel chicago, willows hotel chicago, willows chicago
LOCATION
United StatesIllinoisChicagoNorth Side / Lake View / Lake View East
NUMBER OF ROOMS
55
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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