Club Quarters – Three Star Gem in the Chicago Loop
After weeks of looking, my luck changed. While searching on Hotwire, I found a three star Loop hotel for $90 per room per night. I couldn’t see the hotel name, but I knew this was a deal. I was a little nervous. I have not had issues with Hotwire rooms before, but there is a first time for everything. I did some more looking, but I couldn’t find a better deal. I booked two rooms through Hotwire, and hoped for the best.
Once I received the hotel name, I went to work. I found out they had many different room types, including a suite with a kitchenette. Since we only paid $90 per room, I was expecting the lower end of the spectrum. One queen, maybe two twin beds and a desk. I looked on Trip Advisor and other travel sites for reviews. The reviews were scattered. Some said it was a dive, others loved it. The biggest complaint was the small rooms. From some of their explanations, I was expecting a shoe box with a twin bed. I was starting to get nervous.
I hoped the negative reviews of the Club Quarters were really overblown, and I pushed forward. I called the Club Quarters Hotel and requested non-smoking rooms. The staff I spoke with seem very helpful. I kept an eye on the reviews, but they still ran the gambit. About three weeks before our trip, my sister decided she was coming too. I called the hotel again to ask for a rollaway bed in one of the rooms. There seemed to be some confusion with the first person I spoke with, but the second gentleman assured me our request was in the system.
Finally our trip came. I was still anxious about our room. What if they forgot the rollaway. What if the room is so small, the rollaway doesn’t fit? I was dreading the possibilities. I still was a little hopeful. Many of the more recent reviews seemed more positive.
We arrived at the Club Quarters early, and only one of our rooms were ready. We decided to drop al of your luggage upstairs and to check into the other room later. When I opened the door, I was amazed by what I saw. The room was smaller, but it wasn’t tiny. We had even managed to score a suite. The room had a fridge, microwave, desk, queen bed and a pull out sofa. The bathroom was small, but still very adequate. Nothing was too cramped or looked shabby. We were impressed.
When we checked into our other room, we were not disappointed either. It was not a suite, but it was still plenty big. It had a queen bed and a large desk. The bathroom was still a little cramped, but it served it’s purpose.
There was nothing really to nitpick about. The beds were comfortable. Even the pull out bed was a hit. Having the mini fridge really was a bonus. We had picked up things to eat breakfast in the room and now we had a place to store it.
While we were there, the staff were very helpful. The directed us to the free trolley and to local restaurants. They helped us with all of our random tourist questions. Elephant and Castle, the adjoining Irish Pub, has pretty decent food. The service was a little shotty, but maybe it was just our server. The only bad thing was that two of the three elevators were broken at check out time. We were on the fifth floor, and catching an elevator was a nightmare.
Despite all the bad reviews, the Club Quarters Chicago-Central Loop location was amazing. The rooms weren’t huge, the bathrooms were a little small, but those two things are easily overlooked. The rooms are comfortable and pleasant. The location is perfect. You can easily walk to at least three EL stops and many more bus stops. State Street Shopping is only two blocks away. Union Station is only five blocks away. It is perfect for the business traveler, the budget traveler and even the whole family. We enjoyed our stay at Club Quarters, and we look forward to staying there again in the future.
