2 bars/lounges, sports bar, sports bar

Reviews of Congress Plaza Hotel

3.5 out of 5
Congress Plaza Hotel
520 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 2372 out of 6459 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 1824 out of 6459 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1074 out of 6459 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 669 out of 6459 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 520 out of 6459 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Todd

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The picture on the TV looked like I did not have my glasses on when I was wearing my glasses. There was no thermostat in the room and it was chilly in the room. We had to turn up the hot water all the way and the water temperature was barely warm enough to shower with let alone shave.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

Jennifer

Travelled with group
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great location in a very cool historical building. Unfortunately, it is in great disrepair. Wallpaper peeling off, damaged walls, and old, mismatched carpeting. There is no valet parking and the closest parking does not have in and out privileges. Right across from our concert venue so very convenient.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Adam

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
As others have mentioned, this place is daaaaated. It was probably a fancy hotel back in its time but it definitely older now. That being said, it's a great place location wise particularly given the price. The rooms are old but clean. The service is good. The heating is centralized and it was cold so we were given a portable heater. It's a 3.5-4 / 5 in my books. Just keep your expectations in check.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 28, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Michael

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Unique: The elder style of the hotel. We had a prominent view of Buckingham Fountain & Lake Michigan in the sunshine. Dislike: A very cramped bathroom with a very low toilet. The fiberglass tub cracked under foot. Weak water pressure. Not sure if the view outweighs all the discomfort.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 28, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Loved our lake view room
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 27, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Daisy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The tvs are so small, you would think for the price they could afford something bigger. Also parking is a nightmare here, they do not own a parking lot so you have to park a block away and thats if your lucky to get a spot. Our room was clean but very small
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 27, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Citlaly

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is beautiful. A walk through time. It was very clean and staff were friendly.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Whitney

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
I was a little disappointed that on my last day, at 8am, I wanted to sleep in and check out wasn’t until noon that housekeeping was trying to get into my room. As a Front Desk Manager previously at a resort, we wouldn’t deploy our housekeeping team until check out time
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Alicja

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Becky

Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Room was not clean when we arrived, chips and trash near bed
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Adam

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
The location can’t be beat! The hotel is still opulent and fairly nice despite some areas being worn or under renovation. It’s a time warp and yes it’s haunted.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Erial

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Very nice stay, staff were all very nice. Our only complaint would be the beds, they were very uncomfortable.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 27, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Nathan

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities
The check-in process was a nightmare and took around 25 minutes, but I believe their credit card machines were down, so it is what it is. However, the staff were not apologetic and did not even really say a word to me while checking me in. Also, the room setup was super weird, and we were woken up before 9am by housekeeping after a late night, even though checkout wasn’t until 12pm. And the WiFi was just nonexistent. All this being said, the pride was good and whirl haunted as hell, was mostly fine and a great location.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

2/10 Terrible

Terrance

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nothing
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was very clean, safe, walkable to many tourists attractions and affordable. We would definitely stay there again!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Sean

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Samantha

Travelled with family
There was no hot water and the toilet wasn’t flushing well.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Rachel

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities
Front desk staff was pretty rude in response to questions. The room service line was possibly off the hook, or no one was around to answer it after multiple calls so we had to go eat off site. The hotel itself is pretty cool to experience and quite beautiful, just dont go expecting any form of service from the staff!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Julie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I was pleasantly surprised by this hotel. Good location, decent rooms. The only minor complaint i had was the shower doesn't get very hot.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Deanna

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lobby was beautiful. Check-in was fast. Bed was so comfortable. Rooms and hallway in need of a bit of an upgrade.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Reyes

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Nice tall ceilings in the rooms. Great location.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Jennifer

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness
We had no hot water and they sent someone to fix it he told me it was getting hot but it never did. So no showers for us.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Megan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a beautiful property with a great view and convenient location!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

JIGUO, Katy

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very good view from the windows
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Giuliano

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Old property. Not clean l. Nothing worked nit even television
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

ella

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Crystal

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice stay would stay here again
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 22, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Emily Ming

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 26, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

2/10 Terrible

Tayla

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. Rude staff, awful rooms, overall a very negative experience. We checked out two days early because it was so bad. Our entire floor reeked of a sour/smoke smell that made its way into the rooms. When we spoke to the front desk they were rude and did not try to assist us. Once we checked out I asked for a receipt and was told it would be emailed to me. I never received the email and I called back and was told that they never checked us out, and we were going to be charged for the two nights we didn’t stay, despite being told we wouldn’t. This was resolved, but overall an awful experience and I would not recommend this hotel to Anyone!
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 22, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Shannon

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 25, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Twwinkle

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 23, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Tashena

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
What was nice about this hotel its had unquestionable nice thing the view was everything
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 22, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Nathan

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room was in good shape, but hotel was dirty and staff were not helpful at all
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 22, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Amir, Vaughan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 22, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Larry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Safe, private, clean
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Aaron

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Have stayed at the Congress numerous times over the past 10 years. Never really had a bad experience with anything--from service to facilities. This time, however, was a bit different. We were in the south tower, 14th floor. The room was newly "renovated/redecorated" and the new flooring is great! It took us quite a while to find the remote control for the TV as it was actually made INTO the bed sheets. Also, the shower was terrible. Water pressure was ok if you left water on cold, but for lukewarm to hot water, it was merely a drip that came out. Basically, unusable. (Didn't find out until the morning after checking in when we tried to use it) I've never had that problem on the property, but you can bet that moving forward that we will check shower out immediately upon arrival and ask for new room if it's not up to par.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

2/10 Terrible

Joseph

Business traveller
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Bathroom fan turns on with light in bathroom. Making very bad noise. Needs to be replaced. Everytime i flush toilet, it kept rumning. Had to Keep on goin back and forth in bathroom to move handle to stop water from running. Shower door keeps rollimg open by itself unbalanced. Mini fridge that i needed to place my food wasnt working.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Paula

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 22, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Heather

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
There seemed to be something else besides the hotel going on in the building. Maybe half the building is now apartments? We felt unsafe based on activity we witnessed while waiting for a late-night pizza delivery. We barely saw any staff or other hotel customers. There is no dining onsite. We would not stay at this property again.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Hailie

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This location was the perfect spot for St. Patrick’s day weekend. Everything was in a close distance and perfect for walking.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Patricia

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I loved staying at this hotel!! The only downside is how hot it can get in the room at night but it wasn’t too bad. Hotel staff was extremely friendly.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Brenda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The history of this place out stay super interesting! Didn’t get any uninvited visitors and thought it was absolutely beautiful!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

4/10 Poor

Kayla

Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
House keeping never came. Bathtub didn’t work. Weird substances on bed frames
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The elevator was very slow, so I had to take the stairs.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 18, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Ross

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Heat didn’t work. Froze out nards off. Other than that pretty good.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 18, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Tammy

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 21, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

8/10 Good

Heather Lynn

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was nice, easily walkable to nearby attractions!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 18, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

10/10 Excellent

Braiden

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed in a double and the room was absolutely massive. The building was built in the late 1800s, so the hallways are very wide and some guest rooms are huge like where they would have had a sitting room included back in the day. Everything was well maintained and the staff was super polite. Would stay again!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 18, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel

6/10 Okay

Jose

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
I loved this place. It felt like a little city on the inside. You can tell the rooms have been renovated. Location wise it’s not crazy far from all the action. For some reason my phone didn’t work and the housekeeping did not come to our room over the weekend. Otherwise I did find that it was great for the value. I’d probably stay here again
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from shakeel on Mar 18, 2024
Thank you for staying at Congress Plaza Hotel