Chicago Lake Shore Hotel

It better if you're offering breakfast

The carpet in the office room is old and dirty. However staffs are good.

You know something is not quite right, as your car pulls up to the hotel. What you’re seeing is a smallish motel or Section 8 apartment unit, posing as a hotel. The blocks of rooms are separate from the large lobby area. The smoking rooms are on one side of the parking lot and the non smoking on the other. There are several shared units, with four or six rooms. There’s no elevator. So, be prepared for the stairs with your luggage, if you’re on the third level. The rooms are aged, but otherwise fine. The mattress will remind you of staying with an old aunt or grandmother. For the most part, the rooms are clean. There are no thrills, but there’s coffee available in the nearby lobby. The lobby area looks OK, if you don’t look too closely. Some of the chairs are worn out and fading, but there are several different seating options. The front desk staff is fine. The desk has a list of nearby restaurants. Use your phone for directions. Women, beware. The toilet in my room was no where near the toilet paper roll. Unroll some, before you go or drag a line of it across the floor, before you sit down. The bottom line is this hotel it a lot like its view of Lake Michigan. It’s there, but you just can’t quite see it.

The place was dirty and sheets were stained

Pros: Within walking distance of buses into the city. Most affordable place for sure just outside of the downtown area. Felt safe, though musty, was very clean. Cons: no water pressure, bed was springy and horribly uncomfortable. We were only there to sleep so it was definitely an acceptable place. It looks sad on the outside, definitely can tell it's not what it once was with the drained and dilapidated pool, defunct restaurant and musty dark interiors

Check in was at the best western next door. property was tired but fairly close to the attractions we came for. Room was a little worse for wear but bed was comfortable and ac worked.

Half of the channels on the TV did not work and the AC did not work too well either. Room was clean but not very comfortable.

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Lake shore hotel run under same front office with Best Western. I picked nonsmoking double room from lakeshore thinking I would get same room which stayed previously. Non smoking room in the same entrance/ building with smoking rooms. Carpeted dirty entrance. I argued with front office and waited hours until they agreed to give room from Best Western. All the negotiating I paid another $25 for each night top of my previous payments. No hot breakfast served. It was a costly stay with stressful argument with front desk. Not recommend it to anybody.

Friendly staff, convenient to-go continental breakfast (coffee, muffins, bars--plastic waste), basic athletic facility. Great location. Nearby bike/hike path, easy access to Whole Foods. Beds and pillows are not great. Loud/squeaky shower. Unappealing property surrounding but safe and quiet.