Cien Hotel

6/10

Pleasant

26 Apr 2026

LORI

Shower only had hot water about half the time, then lukewarm. This is an older hotel with very small bathroom and dated. For the price, expected better. Beds were comfortable though. Hotel does not have its own parking and the lot behind was full on Friday evening, but was able to park across the street.

Family

4/10

Poor

26 Apr 2026

Joshua

There's NO PARKING! Parking lot next door charges $62 with no in/out privileges. We had to park 5 blocks away and it cost $30/24 hours.

They say the have air conditioning in every room. It's \"central\" air conditioning and they control the temperature. Our room was uncomfortably warm.

Partner

2/10

Poor

26 Apr 2026

Nicholas

A family emergency came up that shortly after booking prevented me from being able to attend at all. Expedia approved for a full refund and needing the hotel's acceptance reached out in multiple ways including an email requesting acceptance of such but we have not heard back and it is now the next day.

I reached out in multiple ways as well and have not heard back from them. I have been a loyal customer for years but at this point Congress Plaza has now lost a would have continued to be long-term customer.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2026

Jose

Very good

2/10

Poor

26 Apr 2026

alan

Horrible

6/10

Pleasant

26 Apr 2026

Karen

I loved this hotel overall but the room was so hot. I could not make it cooler. The bed was rock hard. I would love to stay here again. The staff was wonderful but those two issues will have me go elsewhere.

6/10

Pleasant

25 Apr 2026

Michelle

We have always loved staying at the Congress over the past few years. This was the first time we were disappointed. We asked for our 2 rooms to be close together but we were on opposite ends of the same floor. Our room was hot and the in unit air conditioner barely worked. Maintenance was sent to help but to no avail. It wasn’t the best experience.

4/10

Poor

25 Apr 2026

Dana

Very outdated and beat up property, no conditioner and the staff would not provide more. There is no temperature control

8/10

Excellent

25 Apr 2026

Ann

Old building, rooms are clean but small. Bathroom super small, limited amenities, no AC:must open windows for air. Has a nice bar/restauant. 10 minute walk to DePaul. Would not stay there again. Would try Hilton or travel lodge.

Business

8/10

Excellent

25 Apr 2026

Beth

Pros - Location. You can walk to the bean, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Ave
Beautiful lobby
They will store luggage for free if room isn’t ready
Excellent staff
Complimentary waters in your room

Cons - Bathroom is dated
Our air conditioning didn’t seem to do much, so we were a little stuffy. Not sure if this was an “us problem” or is common for all rooms.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

24 Apr 2026

Kelsey

wifi wouldn’t connect, when we called the front desk to ask (I had work I needed to do, and specifically checked before booking that the room included wifi) was met with attitude to “just connect” even though the wifi network wasn’t visible or available.

also, you have no control over the temperature of your room, and TV is only regular cable - I wasn’t able to stream anything due to the lack of wifi. no vending machines as well.

absolutely gorgeous building with rich history, but for the price, much better off going somewhere more up to date.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2026

Wenjun

Staff work professionally

6/10

Pleasant

23 Apr 2026

Erica

Great price for the location. Common areas are beautiful. The rooms are ok. One of the staff members was great. She went out of her way to help and offer suggestions. The rest of the staff we encountered were hard to find and not particularly motivated to be helpful. It took 30 minutes to get someone to check our bags for early arrival.

Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

21 Apr 2026

Jessie

The room shown in the picture is not the one they put me on

6/10

Pleasant

21 Apr 2026

Vivek

Everthing was good but the hotel didn't post that the heat will be down for the entire hotel for our stay.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

20 Apr 2026

Heather

Hotel has the markings of being grand, but needs a renovation in a lot of areas. The biggest issue we had is that the a/c is not adjustable in each room and the building was very warm on the 75 degree day in April. We called the front desk and they did bring us a fan that helped some and we realized we could crack the windows (but didn’t want to do that overnight with the noise of the city). Other than than, it was a standard stay and a convenient location for our plans in the city.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2026

Matthew

Great stay

8/10

Excellent

19 Apr 2026

Angel

Perfect location and views!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Apr 2026

michelle

The room was newly renovated and lovely! The view of the lake is a million dollar view at all times of the day! Spectacular sun rises and blue as far as you can see.
The hotel is being refurbished and I trust it will be lovely when it’s done. Currently it was rundown and badly needed cleaning and maintenance. The climate control didn’t work in the room so we opened the windows to cool it off in the evening.
The bar food and drinks were good and the staff was friendly.

Partner

4/10

Poor

19 Apr 2026

Jasmine

This building is older and does not have any updates or renovations. The rooms are nice and clean, but our room did not have central a/c. Windows can open, and they will provide a fan upon request. The staff were incredibly kind and helpful.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2026

Carter

Door man and luggage guys were so appreciative of my tips. If you have a car use the underground parking a couple blocks up Michigan Ave. Only place you can pay for multiple days and have in/out privileges.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2026

Adam

Close parking

Friends

6/10

Pleasant

19 Apr 2026

Briana

Staff was friendly and helpful. There are fridges but no microwaves in the rooms - one microwave available on the first floor for communal use, which was clean & well-maintained. Note that the guest room floors do not require keycard access, anyone can take the elevator up. Had to run the shower for at least 5 min to get hot water.
One major issue to be aware of - the building is old and the doors have not been retrofitted, so soundproofing is very poor. There are large gaps at the bottoms of the room doors facing the hallway and connecting rooms. My room was connected to the one next door by a single flimsy (locked) door, and I was able to hear everything said by my neighbors extremely clearly. Because they were noisy during the night, I slept poorly. The front desk offered to switch my room, but I declined because I only had one night left and didn't want to go through the trouble, with the possibility of still having the same issue. Everything else was solid, but the the doors made it feel cheap/sketchy, especially considering the price point. I hope they will try to upgrade them.

6/10

Pleasant

18 Apr 2026

Barbie

Our room was uncomfortably warm. They explained that the hotel is old and they put either the air conditioner on or the heat on in the hotel and since it was going to be cool the next day they had turned the heat on to begin heating the hotel for the next day. They did give us a fan and opened the windows for us. It was difficult to sleep due to the warm temperature.
Also our room did not lock from the outside. The door could be opened by simply pushing it open. It made us very nervous to leave our things in the room unattended.
Someone did come to help us close and lock the door before we went to bed.
The room was very spacious and had a beautiful view of the lake and grant park.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2026

Noor

great location, helpful staff, room was clean and modern

Family

6/10

Pleasant

18 Apr 2026

Carol

Stay started off on a bad note. I had trouble finding the hotel, had to call the hotel 6 times because either they weren't answering at 3 in the afternoon or i would get transferred to someone with a voicemail. Ended up speaking with Beverly in reservations and she was very helpful. I wasn't aware there was no parking at the actual hotel, lot connected is 62$ a day. Steve the porter/bellman was very helpful in helping me secure parking. The room was so so, small tub and hard beds. Im glad my stay was only 2 nites. No microwave. No 24 hr front desk like advertised either. Both front desk clerks were very unfriendly.

6/10

Pleasant

18 Apr 2026

Daniel

The hotel is opposite an above ground train and so there’s significant outdoor noise at night if you’re facing that side of the hotel.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Apr 2026

Larry

We were in room 500, great corner room! I love the old charm. Traffic noise is a bit much and it was a Thursday evening. I imagine a holiday weekend in that area would be pretty noisy. But the bed was comfy! Staff is very courteous.
I would stay again, I'll try for floor 12 next time.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2026

Diane

We hope that someone buys The Congress and loves it and cares for it .. it is a beautiful hotel in an amazing location BUT it needs some TLC

Friends

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2026

Anelia McLavy

Room was bright and open. Great view. Doorman Steve was so helpful and friendly.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2026

Graham

Didn't use bar or car park.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

16 Apr 2026

Dawn

We did self park. Parking lot was right behind the hotel. The room and view were fine. Only issue was the tv, safe and refrigerator were all unplugged. We had to call maintenance. Also, the bathrooms appeared clean but there were several hairs in the shower. I hate seeing that.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2026

Rick

history is here

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

16 Apr 2026

Joseph

Air conditioning did not work and was the loudest A/C I’ve ever heard in my life! Hot water didn’t work until maintenance came up and the bed was sunken in the middle. Stay away from this hotel!!!!

Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Apr 2026

iris

To expensive

6/10

Pleasant

16 Apr 2026

Lu

Clean room, uncomfortable bathtub, cheap amenities- heater was broken in room. Light in bathroom dim. Maintenance staff was nice and things are very clean, but won’t be staying here again.

2/10

Poor

16 Apr 2026

Malaysia

No hot water

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Apr 2026

Joanna

It’s in a great location and the staff is always nice.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Apr 2026

Esteban

Room looked great, basically more like a studio than a hotel room.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Apr 2026

Patricia

The whole hotel was very clean. Everyone was super helpful and nice. Parking was close and affordable.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

15 Apr 2026

Derek

Self parking refers to must find public parking, old building in need of some maintenance/updates, end up with a conjoined room where it basically sounded like the people next door where in your room. The location to activities/events and the lake view are the main selling points.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

14 Apr 2026

Scott

a

6/10

Pleasant

14 Apr 2026

Olga

Big roach in the room , the room was to hot and the hotel don’t provide parking space.

6/10

Pleasant

14 Apr 2026

Nancy

We stayed here in order to be close to the Auditorium for our concert. The price is great, but you get what you pay for. It was very average, which isn't a bad thing necessarily.

My only big comlaint is the lack of individualized climate control. There is a unit and you are at the mercy of whatever the Manager decides to be a good temperature to pump out to all rooms.

Per my son the room was \"unbearably hot\" and you can't open any of the windows.

Would I stay there again? Probably not. Next time I may check out the Travelodge.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

14 Apr 2026

Ann

My friend was given a very small room and never got room service. Also, we want adjoining rooms, which they could not give us but put us on the same floor as far apart as was possible. I had requested the adjoining rooms with Expedia long before we arrived. Obviously, you have no clout with them. Bottom line. I would never stay there again.

Self

4/10

Poor

13 Apr 2026

Chris

Shower and sink were terrible. Barely hot water but took fine tuning to find where it would be hot and not cold. We had to fiddle with shower for 20 minutes every morning before shower. Also the toilet handle shot water water out when flushing.

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2026

KAREN

Parking was a little difficult, but the location is great and there was a lot to do in the area. The staff was wonderful and we enjoyed the history of the hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2026

Payton

Everything was good

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2026

Michael

Great location, beautiful architecture and haunted! Wonderful hotel in downtown Chicago with amazing views of the lake.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

13 Apr 2026

Laura

Building is old- historic with fairly well maintained common areas, but also the guest areas

4/10

Poor

13 Apr 2026

Sarah

Great location - but very dated and worn down. Lobby is beautiful, but then you step off the elevator on your floor (we stayed on the 5th floor in the south tower) and the wall paper was torn and peeling, flickering lights, dirty carpet. Room was clean and big, but decor was dated - very Y2K for some reason? Room was also freezing and the heater just kept blowing cold air. Hot water didn’t work and we were told to let the shower warm up for 20-30 minutes before getting in, except when our shower ran it made a terrible screeching noise too. Hallways and lobby reeked of weed too. We were pretty disappointed overall.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2026

Vincent

I didn't have to park, and the bar selection was decent. A little \" pricey \" but expected. And check-out was the BEST !! All I did was submit my room key ...

Self

6/10

Pleasant

13 Apr 2026

Amy

This hotel is old, which is fine, but at least clean the glass, dust the baseboards, clean fingerprint smudges off the door frames and elevators. Small things would make a big difference.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

12 Apr 2026

Christian A

It needs A LOT of maintenance.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Guramrit

Excellent experience. Room was very clean as well as the bathroom. Staff were very nice and accommodating. They provided a fan upon request since the air conditioning wasn’t as cool as I preferred. Overall, no issues.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

henry

Excellent location. Easy access to conection red line Harrison/and blue line ..

Friends

4/10

Poor

12 Apr 2026

Cesar

Staff is super nice and helpful but everything is very outdated bathroom in room flooded in one flush rooms are okay but not the best wouldn’t come back

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Courtney

Parking was $62 per day. Hotel smelled like marijuana and there were people just outside the doors smoking. Made for a very unpleasant stay.

Partner

4/10

Poor

12 Apr 2026

Jennifer

The only reason to stay here is the incredible location in the heart of downtown, in walking distance to so many places.

The hotel itself is historic and could be so incredible but…it’s not. We were in the “Buckingham Tower” which might mean “you got this for a deal on Expedia and it is cringeworthy”. The only thing about our room that matched the picture/description was that it was an interior room with a queen-sized bed. I knew I was getting a good price so my expectations were NOT high, but this was unacceptable. Our nonsmoking room smelled like an ashtray and there were clearly people smoking in the rooms around us because the smell kept coming in through the vent in the bathroom. The heater in the room was non-functional (which was brutal on the night it got down into the low 40s) and the only thing dirtier than the carpet in our room was the stained carpet in the hallway. Just say no to room 4405. You’re welcome in advance.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Diamond

Parking is expensive since it’s not associated with the hotel

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Margaret

Parking was difficult. Website said \"on site\" and it wasn't. Ended up paying $119.00 for 2 days.
Bathroom in room 475 was in bad shape. Remodel jobs was careless. Woman who checked us in was unpleasant. Otherwise incredible location, beautiful lobby.

Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Gregory

This hotel was very nice to stay at although the water/pipe sounds were annoying. The staff were very nice especially in the restaurant and the Gazebo, and our meals were very enjoyable.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Eva

n/a

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Julia

The front doors need fixed. But otherwise, nice clean hotel, the beds were comfy, the room was clean.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Destiny

It’s was clean and easy to check in and out. It was near the city and staff was friendly.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

12 Apr 2026

Samantha

I was disappointed with how staff handled a situation during my stay. I was placed next to a room of young guests who were extremely loud—yelling and shouting around 10pm, which I initially tried to tolerate as it wasn’t too late. However, they returned around 1:30am and woke me up again with excessive noise. Other guests on the floor even called out for them to be quiet, but this was ignored.

I contacted reception and was told security would be sent up. During this time, one of the girls repeatedly yelled and slammed on the internal connecting door to my room, which was quite intimidating as I was staying alone. Around 20 minutes later, I followed up by calling security directly. While security did attend and the noise stopped briefly, it resumed almost immediately after they left.

The following morning, I went to reception to request a room change. The first staff member I spoke to was kind and understanding, however I was then interrupted by someone I assume was a manager. He was immediately dismissive and somewhat accusatory, questioning why I hadn’t contacted reception—despite the fact that I had already done so and explained this. His attitude was rude and lacked empathy, which was disappointing given the situation.

While I was eventually moved to another room, the handling of the situation—particularly by management—left me feeling unsupported. As a young person staying alone, I would have expected a more respectful and understanding response.

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Kiara

The closest parking was $62 for 24hrs and the bed was extremely firm making the sleep terrible but other than that, the stay was great

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Jennifer

Steve, the doorman, was excellent and helpful. The hotel has a charming, old world elegance with a friendly vibe. Great location. Would come back.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Paul

Did not use bar or parking

Family

4/10

Poor

12 Apr 2026

Matthew

The bathroom was very old. No water pressure and toilet leaked. The toilet also did not flush well.

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

12 Apr 2026

Monica

The hotel was okay. Very few staff and those interactions were not the friendliest. The place definitely is dated. Some areas have been redone. Not worth the money.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

skyler

Love this hotel! It’s very clean and very beautiful.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Nicole

Secure paid parking, but pricey, parking area behind property. Did not sit at the bar area, but looked nice.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Julisa

Good

4/10

Poor

11 Apr 2026

Brandon

Storage luggage staff was great and helpful. Had to move rooms due to the shower being dirty and water was not draining. Second room had brown water coming out when you turned the shower on, after 5 minutes it would go away.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Norman

Friendly staff, comfortable bed, great location, beautiful views from the rooms

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Avonne

The elevator is faster than the Artemis II but the stay was great! It was quiet and we had a great stay.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Keyonta

.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Aidan

Very clean and quiet rooms

Self

6/10

Pleasant

11 Apr 2026

Vikas

The best (and perhaps the only good thing) that can be said about Congress Plaza Hotel is its excellent location at a bargain. There's no AC in rooms, water from the shower is luke warm, rooms have not been renovated since the Bears won a SB (perhaps even earlier). But boy - do you get an excellent location at a great price. So if the plan is to spend the money sightseeing this beautiful city, eat at its wonderfully diverse restaurants and not spend the vacay budget on a hotel (or stay 2 miles and an Uber trip away from everything), then this is your hotel.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Caribia

Clean room and spacious. Air was great but I’d like to control it

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

11 Apr 2026

Jason

Stayed for one night. The hot water worked in the evening, but there was none in the morning. It got luke warm (room temp) so enough to take a very fast shower without a shock. Love the actual coffee pot. So much better than single serves. Wifi worked just fine for streaming.

I'd return but it wouldn't be my first choice. I usually go for the cheapest in downtown and this was my third hotel. Not so far out of bounds of the other two, but it might barely be in last place.

Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Apr 2026

Diana

Good in general

6/10

Pleasant

10 Apr 2026

Jose

Parking was terrible and extremely expensive

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Apr 2026

Paul

Room was clean, but cheaply remodeled and nothing really special.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2026

Kelly

Bed was super comfy and location was great.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2026

Omar

Will be Staying Here Again 😎

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2026

Tareska

Not much food to eat IN the hotel, The restaurant was closed alot but there's great food around the property. Staff are friendly, room was great!

Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Apr 2026

muhammad I

Not used

Partner

4/10

Poor

07 Apr 2026

Krystle

Great location but very old and run down..needs updates

Friends

8/10

Excellent

07 Apr 2026

Fausto

The location is great
Towels are small even for a standard size person
Restaurant is not good but rest staff is friendly

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2026

Jacqueline

clean room

Friends

4/10

Poor

07 Apr 2026

Sam

Water was lukewarm. Barely tolerable for a shower.

Self

4/10

Poor

06 Apr 2026

SONIA

The hotel is very run down and smells as soon as you enter rooms are a great size and clean but very thin walls and you can hear everything called security on first night and took over an hr for someone to come no help at all never got any sleep that night all in all I would not stay here again much better places to stay

Family

2/10

Poor

06 Apr 2026

Feriel

Air conditioner was really noisy, they told me there is a free parking when i booked, no towel in the bathroom

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

Travis

Very convenient. Didn’t use the pool.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

Cameron

Great Stay

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

Adam

Property is always well maintained, very clean and tidy

Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

Sabrina

Towels were dirty, staff were hide to find for help, but overall great stay and comfortable place to stay and sleep!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2026

Lonnetta

This hotel is absolutely Beautifulamd have so many onsite accommodation,from dining to gift shopping .Only issue no parking included In stay I think they quoted me 65 a night to park

Friends_and_family Family