A restaurant, a coffee shop/cafe, and coffee/tea in a common area are available at this smoke-free hostel. Free continental breakfast and free WiFi in public areas are also provided. Additionally, laundry facilities, a 24-hour front desk, and a library are onsite.
HI Chicago Hostel offers 68 air-conditioned accommodations with hair dryers and complimentary toiletries. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Bathrooms include showers.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Dining options at the hostel include a restaurant and a coffee shop/cafe. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. Wireless Internet access is complimentary. 2 meeting rooms are available. This Chicago hostel also offers a library, a vending machine, and multilingual staff.
HI Chicago Hostel is a smoke-free property.
A complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM.
Cafecito - This café serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Languages
Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Property amenities
Internet
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Parking and transportation
No onsite parking available
Food and drink
Free continental breakfast available daily 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM
A coffee shop/cafe
A restaurant
Coffee and tea in common areas
Restaurants on site
Cafecito
Things to do
Billiards/pool table
Library
Table tennis
TV in common areas
Family friendly
Laundry facilities
Conveniences
24-hour front desk
ATM
Laundry facilities
Lockers
Luggage storage
Safe at front desk
Vending machine
Guest services
Multilingual staff
Tour and ticket assistance
Business services
2 meeting rooms
Accessibility
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
Assistive listening devices
Braille/raised signage
Elevator
Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
More
1 building
7 floors
Built in 1886
Smoke-free property
Room amenities
Bedroom
Bedsheets provided
Bathroom
Free toiletries
Hair dryer
Shampoo
Shower
Soap
Toilet paper
Towels provided
More
Air conditioning
Connecting rooms available
Heating
LED lighting
Recycling
Policies
Check-in
Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: 3:00 AM
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18
Check-out
Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available
Express check-out available
Special check-in instructions
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
It is the property’s policy that children under 18 years of age cannot be accommodated at the property without an accompanying parent or legal guardian.
Access methods
Staffed front desk
Pets
Pets not allowed (service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees)
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Property payment types
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
Special cancellation policies or charges may apply for group reservations (more than 8 rooms for the same property / stay dates)
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, mobile payments, and cash
Cashless transactions are available
Only bookings from non-local guests are accepted; guests whose residence is within 45 mi (72 km) of the property will not be allowed to check in
Noise-free guestrooms cannot be guaranteed
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, a first aid kit, and window guards
We should mention
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation
Alcohol is not permitted at this property
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)
Property is also known as
Hostelling International Chicago Chicago Hostel
Hostelling International Chicago Summer Hotel Chicago
Hostelling International Chicago Hostel
Hostelling International Chicago
Hostel HI Chicago
HI Chicago
HI Chicago Hostel Chicago
HI Chicago Hostel Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
HI Chicago Hostel Hostel/Backpacker accommodation Chicago
HI Chicago Hostel Reviews
Reviews
8.8
Excellent
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
In my total stay, I did most of their tours that was offered. I missed the Friday night party but did make it for the Monday night trivia and came in third place. Of course there was only like five people at that one :-) The handicap accessible 4 bedroom I liked a lot better than the mixed gender 4bedroom. definitely recommend getting to breakfast as early as possible because the protein for the breakfast was rather inconsistent on the quantity. So depending on the day, it may be in short supply. But it was a free breakfast. Nothing is required so I definitely did appreciate it. Either way there will be toast and muffins and cereal and milk and stuff.
Overall, good place but do not trust Food security
This particular night staying out of my trip I did not appreciate at all. But I have stayed there multiple nights and the rest of them were fine. There was just an incident that occurred that I warned them about and then after the fact, I mentioned to them and they were completely and utterly indifferent about the issue
So I do recommend people stay there because I did like the property, but you still need to be warned.
They didn’t have availability in the room that I was looking for for the whole week so I had bounced between 2 room types a couple times and in the smaller rooms you have a communal area with a living room that goes off to the bathroom and then on the other side, a kitchenette Which includes a refrigerator. And then you can access your bedroom.
So I had some food that was in the fridge as well as a mobility scooter that needed to be plugged in because some genius unplugged it overnight. So because they had to move me to a different room since they didn’t have availability I told them I needed to get into the common area of the new room to plug in the scooter and put my food in the fridge. They refused to let me do it they made me put my food in the downstairs communal fridge for everybody to access. I told them I did not want to do that because I’ve had experience before with people stealing. They themselves labeled it. I warned them. I did not like this situation and then my food get stolen. I reported it and they couldn’t care less. Kept claiming policy
Overall, good experience free breakfast tho limite
Other than an incident that Occurred a couple days prior in which the management was completely indifferent and stood on the principles of policy considering it was their fault. Other than that incident, I had a great time. Out of the four hostel options. I definitely recommend this one. They do offer a free breakfast which I did appreciate but the quality varied considerably. It is a free breakfast so you get what you pay for it and I did appreciate at least something. But the first couple days was definitely better breakfast. The first couple days they had a large bowl of boiled eggs along with their toast and yogurt and cereal and milk and juice. Nothing terribly fancy but still appreciated. However, the rest of the days and I’m pretty sure the days of this portion of my stay There was like two dozen boiled eggs and it was like gladiatorial battle to get any of them as opposed to like I said a few days earlier there was a big bowl of them so it was rather inconsistent. But again it’s a free breakfast. Nothing is required so I did appreciate What we did get.
Kevin
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2024
10/10 Excellent
Karen
Dec 21, 2024
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Was really good. If you think about price/quality, very good
Karen
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2024
8/10 Good
Verified traveler
Dec 19, 2024
Disliked: Room comfort
Great for solo travelers!
Good location despite the price, cleaner than I expected. I checked my luggage in until departure. It was $4. There was no mention of this on the website. I would like to have more chairs in the 10-person room. If there is no table or chair to pack your belongings, it will be difficult for the person in the top bunk to pack up.
I enjoyed my stay at this hostel for the price. The staff were very helpful. My roommates, whom I only met for the first time at the hostel were friendly too.
Great hostel in downtown Chicago. Close to the lake, museums and park. Walkable with easy public transportation. Stayed in the 8 ladies room. The room roomy with 4 bunkbeds, lockers (lock not provided), shower, toilet and dual sink all separated. Could use a deep clean.
Kitchen available for cooking with plenty of room for refrigeration. Good hot basic breakfast every morning. Coffee and tea wasn't always available. Occasional group dinner provided with social activities.
Walking tours with local volunteers was very informative. Many international visitors.