The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

Karen, more

Karen, Thanks for all of your help. My reunion family and I had ball. The location, food and services very great. I will probably come for a nice peaceful weekend sometime befor the end of the year. I hope you are having a great summer. Gloria more

Elizabeth at the front desk was great. Very helpful and friendly! I loved the rooms. Everyone is so friendly. I cant express enough gratitude. more

Elizabeth at the front desk was great. Very helpful and friendly! I loved the rooms. Everyone is so friendly. I cant express enough gratitude. more

I am very pleased with the hotel. You get a lot for your money. It is very affordable. Pros: polite, comfortable, cheap more

I am very pleased with the hotel. You get a lot for your money. It is very affordable. Will stay again, I love the rooms. I loved everything. Everyone was friendly. Pros: polite, comfortable, cheap more

It's a beautiful hotel with so much history. more

It's a beautiful hotel with so much history. -Santiago more

Thanks everything it was really good. I will recommended the hotel to my friends more

Thanks everything it was really good. I will recommended the hotel to my friends more

My family just returned from Chicago and I was perfectly pleased with this hotel. I can only think the bad reviews are, by now, outdated or that the writers missed the charm of this historic and quite enchanting place. The staff could not have been warmer or friendlier beginning with the doorman/valet. Yes, there is still a picket line, but we chatted with a few of those people as well. The desk clerk and bellmen were extremely helpful. We were even treated to a mini ""ghost-tour"" by the security people. The Gold Room is absolutely fabulous! Ask them to take you there! We then walked the haunted (?!?!) 12th floor and it is very CREEPY! Pros: Historic charm, Close to Family Activities Cons: Small bathroom, Slow hot water more

My family just returned from Chicago and I was perfectly pleased with this hotel. I can only think the bad reviews are, by now, outdated or that the writers missed the charm of this historic and quite enchanting place. The staff could not have been warmer or friendlier beginning with the doorman/valet. Yes, there is still a picket line, but we chatted with a few of those people as well. The desk clerk and bellmen were extremely helpful. We were even treated to a mini "ghost-tour" by the security people. The Gold Room is absolutely fabulous! Ask them to take you there! We then walked the haunted (?!?!) 12th floor and it is very CREEPY! Everyone we spoke to was so proud of the rich heritage and offered wonderful stories about movies filmed there and the famous guests. The rate was only $115/night for a large room with two king beds and a view of Lake Michigan to die for, overlooking the Buckingham fountain and Grant park! What a treat each morning! We did have problems getting hot water and had to run the shower for about ten minutes to get it comfortable enough. The bathroom was rather small, but the room size made up for it. (Ask for rooms ending in "74"---those are the biggest. That was a hint from the staff.) Conveniently located minutes away from all lakefront activities and walking distance to the trolleys, "L's" and the Sears Tower. Right in the middle of it all! Let the valet park your car and enjoy the city! Pros: Historic charm, Close to Family Activities Cons: Small bathroom, Slow hot water more

I read the reviews on this page before booking the hotel, and most people who have complained about this particular hotel have no grounds from my personal experience. I loved this hotel! It's very old, has an amazing past, and has so many treasures to uncover. The Gold Ballroom is absolutely exquisite. The antique elevators are beautiful. My room was enormous, spotless, and had a killer view of the Sears Tower. The lobby is spectacular. I would only suggest it to people who have an appreciation for history. I found the staff there very pleasant and helpful - the Indian bellhop is a charming man and one of the doormen is very sweet. I did a little exploring in the building and found certain areas of it very creepy - almost as if I expected The Shining twins to appear at the end of the hall. Some hallways are pitch black because no one is booked there. In fact, during my week stay in Chicago, the only time I felt uneasy was in one particular hallway. The location of the hotel is right in the middle of everywhere. Two blocks from the Art Institute, three from Millennium Park, a brisk 20 minute jaunt to the Magnificent Mile and Chicago River. It's a very photogenic building, and I fell in love with its old lady charm. I'm returning to Chicago in June, and will definitely stay there again. Pros: large, comfortable, quiet, great location, antique beauty Cons: smells kind of weird, a little creepy in some areas. more

I read the reviews on this page before booking the hotel, and most people who have complained about this particular hotel have no grounds from my personal experience. I loved this hotel! It's very old, has an amazing past, and has so many treasures to uncover. The Gold Ballroom is absolutely exquisite. The antique elevators are beautiful. My room was enormous, spotless, and had a killer view of the Sears Tower. The lobby is spectacular. I would only suggest it to people who have an appreciation for history. I found the staff there very pleasant and helpful - the Indian bellhop is a charming man and one of the doormen is very sweet. I did a little exploring in the building and found certain areas of it very creepy - almost as if I expected The Shining twins to appear at the end of the hall. Some hallways are pitch black because no one is booked there. In fact, during my week stay in Chicago, the only time I felt uneasy was in one particular hallway. The location of the hotel is right in the middle of everywhere. Two blocks from the Art Institute, three from Millennium Park, a brisk 20 minute jaunt to the Magnificent Mile and Chicago River. It's a very photogenic building, and I fell in love with its old lady charm. I'm returning to Chicago in June, and will definitely stay there again. Pros: large, comfortable, quiet, great location, antique beauty Cons: smells kind of weird, a little creepy in some areas. more

DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!! After we checked in.. They gave us the wrong directions to our room & we got lost finding what we thought was our room, we finely found what we thought was our room only to find out both keys didn't work to the door.. Well unknown to us they have 2 of the same room no#'s. ARGH Then we wait 30 minutes in the hall for them to send up someone with new keys & no one shows up, we get agravated & went back down to the lobby (that's when we found out they have 2 of the same rooms with the same room no#).. On top of this they didn't have the room I reserved/requested & on top of all this the whole place was terrible, it was old, every thing smelled like curry, it was in terrible shape (the halls, doors, every thing).. Not worth the money & we didn't even get to see the room which we figured was just as bad as every thing else. We just told them to give us our money back & we left. If your looking for a romantic getaway go to the Essence Suites in Orland Park or the Sybaris.. We ended up at the Essence & it was well worth the agravation... Oh & the hotel was on Strike. They had strikers out front. ARGH Terrible Terrible Hotel.. Will not even try to stay here again.... more

DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!! After we checked in.. They gave us the wrong directions to our room & we got lost finding what we thought was our room, we finely found what we thought was our room only to find out both keys didn't work to the door.. Well unknown to us they have 2 of the same room no#'s. ARGH Then we wait 30 minutes in the hall for them to send up someone with new keys & no one shows up, we get agravated & went back down to the lobby (that's when we found out they have 2 of the same rooms with the same room no#).. On top of this they didn't have the room I reserved/requested & on top of all this the whole place was terrible, it was old, every thing smelled like curry, it was in terrible shape (the halls, doors, every thing).. Not worth the money & we didn't even get to see the room which we figured was just as bad as every thing else. We just told them to give us our money back & we left. If your looking for a romantic getaway go to the Essence Suites in Orland Park or the Sybaris.. We ended up at the Essence & it was well worth the agravation... Oh & the hotel was on Strike. They had strikers out front. ARGH Terrible Terrible Hotel.. Will not even try to stay here again.... more

If you're looking for a dump at which to stay in Chicago... may I recommend the Congress Plaza. This hotel will certainly grant your every wish... providing you wish for a smelly room with cigarette burns on the carpet and bedspread, an icy cold shower with the same water pressure as a cheap plastic squirt gun, an air conditioner that dates back to the Truman administration only capable of slightly warming the already hot and humid stale air, a television made before the invention of the remote control, and insects....yes, insects(bathtub insects, closet and dresser insects, and everyones favorite... bed insects). That's right gentle readers... Chicagos worst hotel welcomes you (or at least the former employees who are picketing out front for almost 5 YEARS will!). Pros: I finally finished my work and was able to GET OUT of this dump! Cons: there isn't enough space for me to list them all - such a disappointment - stay away! more

If you're looking for a dump at which to stay in Chicago... may I recommend the Congress Plaza. This hotel will certainly grant your every wish... providing you wish for a smelly room with cigarette burns on the carpet and bedspread, an icy cold shower with the same water pressure as a cheap plastic squirt gun, an air conditioner that dates back to the Truman administration only capable of slightly warming the already hot and humid stale air, a television made before the invention of the remote control, and insects....yes, insects(bathtub insects, closet and dresser insects, and everyones favorite... bed insects). That's right gentle readers... Chicagos worst hotel welcomes you (or at least the former employees who are picketing out front for almost 5 YEARS will!). I wish I had something positive to say about this flea-bag/crack-house of a hotel... but I don't. When in Chicago, STAY ANYWHERE BUT HERE!!! (you'll thank me later!) Pros: I finally finished my work and was able to GET OUT of this dump! Cons: there isn't enough space for me to list them all - such a disappointment - stay away! more

I travel a lot for business and don't consider myself a complainer by any means. I chose the Congress Plaza because I needed a location convenient to downtown that I could afford for the weekend when my employer was no longer footing the bill. However, my stay here was so disappointing, I hardly know where to begin. I arrived on a Wednesday evening to a bustling front entrance with no doorman in sight. When I did finally get some help, I found the staff consistently dismissive. When I got up to the 10th floor, I was almost knocked over by the obnoxiously soapy smell. My room was no better - it was a non-smoking room yet reeked of cigarette smoke. The room was in poor repair as well - the cord for the curtains was broken and the room darkening fabric appeared to be crumbling at the bottom. The temperature control was rusted to the point of being unreadable. All electrical outlets run to the single wall switch, so I accidentally turned off the tv and all the lights when I flipped it. The window leading out to the fire escape was broken. I discovered this when I attempted to open a window because I couldn't turn down the heat. Bedding looked moth-eaten. more

I travel a lot for business and don't consider myself a complainer by any means. I chose the Congress Plaza because I needed a location convenient to downtown that I could afford for the weekend when my employer was no longer footing the bill. However, my stay here was so disappointing, I hardly know where to begin. I arrived on a Wednesday evening to a bustling front entrance with no doorman in sight. When I did finally get some help, I found the staff consistently dismissive. When I got up to the 10th floor, I was almost knocked over by the obnoxiously soapy smell. My room was no better - it was a non-smoking room yet reeked of cigarette smoke. The room was in poor repair as well - the cord for the curtains was broken and the room darkening fabric appeared to be crumbling at the bottom. The temperature control was rusted to the point of being unreadable. All electrical outlets run to the single wall switch, so I accidentally turned off the tv and all the lights when I flipped it. The window leading out to the fire escape was broken. I discovered this when I attempted to open a window because I couldn't turn down the heat. Bedding looked moth-eaten. I was overcharged for parking even after contacting the front desk, waiting for 15 minutes for a manager to come on the line, and explaining to her that the vehicle had only been there for one night. "The garage doesn't tell us when you pick up your vehicle." Perhaps they need to establish a better relationship with the parking establishment before having their doormen send customers' vehicles there? The valet service provided by the hotel was shoddy - they brought me the wrong vehicle. I've stayed in old hotels before was expecting a certain amount of disrepair in the room I managed to get at such an affordable price. This goes WAY beyond simple disrepair. Clearly, this hotel is not interested in providing a comfortable experience to its customers. DON'T STAY HERE!!! more