Urban Holiday Lofts

HORRIBLE customer service. Very rude staff. Upon check in (traveling with my parents who don’t speak English at all), not knowing their policies I kindly asked the lady at the front desk to help me fill out the papers that she hand out. She replied (and I quote her) «THIS IS NOT MY JOB, I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO». Way beyond rude, especially to a CUSTOMER!
Rooms are small and bathroom is even smaller. Walls are very thin, you can hear people talk in other rooms.
Got pissed off at the rude attitude following next morning as well so we just checked out and went to a hotel.
All in all I don’t have even one good word or impression about this hostel.

Overall HORRIBLE experience. Some guy named Jason who was supposedly the manager was extremely rude and a total asshole. He got into it with one of my friends starting an argument over parking. I refused to sleep there that night no mater how cheap and affordable the place might be, it’s definitely not worth putting up with the hostile and disrespectful staff. In my opinion, 1 star out of 5 is still too generous. I would not recommend anyone stay at this shithole.

This was a great hostel to stay in. Really close to the CTA train station which made it easy to get around. The wicker park area its located in is also an interesting town with unique stores and restaurants. The hostel itself was very clean and well kept. I was in a female deluxe room with 8 other girls. The beds themselves weren’t too bad except I felt like the bed creaked and made a lot of noise when I climbed up to the top bunk when I was trying to be quiet. But other that that it was great. I didn’t try the free breakfast at the hostel but I know they had it from 8 – 10. The walls were a little thin… we could hear the people in the room above us. The computers were useful to print our flight tickets. And the staff was super friendly and helpful. My friends and my flight was delayed and they were accomdating for our arrival being at 3am.

Wonderful location in the heart of Wicker Park; friendly staff. I felt safe and welcome and was impressed by the common area and amenities (including private bathrooms on the floor). The room next door was a little noisy, but that’s to be expected at a hostel.
Street parking was easy on a weekend.
I also appreciated the brochure provided at check-​in, which included the staff’s neighborhood recommendations. Great personal touch.
The Getaway Hostel used to be my «go-​to,» but I think I’ll again stay at the cozier Urban Holiday Lofts next time I’m in Chicago!

Great for the price and location. The staff was really friendly and helpful. They gave good tips. The rooms had plenty of room, were clean and the bathrooms were alright.
The other customers kept to themselves. People here don’t seem too social, but that could have just been the weekend I went.

i have nothing but great things to say regarding Urban Holiday Lofts. i have stayed twice (once in June 2014 & again, April 2015). both times i reserved my dorm room online. some people have stated that they don’t make the 16% city tax stated on the reservations but that is not true. (and for those of you who travel often, and those that don’t, ALL hotels and hostels across the nation collect a hotel city tax).
rooms are clean, though i wish they would change the check in from 2 p.m. to 12 p.m. they do offer early check in but not to your room. you can pay, drop off your luggage, and take off on your adventure into the city.
they offer breakfast every morning. the lounge is always clean, usually empty during the day, though the noise of the arcade game is a little intense.
if you share a bathroom keep in mind that you will have to wait your turn, you might be sharing with 6 or 8 people. remember to turn in your towel when you check out.
staff has been awesome, regardless of what shift they are on or what time of the night. i noticed a few people were upset regarding staff, especially late night, but the fact is that the bars in Wicker Park don’t close til 4 a.m. it’s a party town. and during sports playoffs it gets much more intense.
love this place. great experiences. i would definitely book a weekend again.

The customer service is a joke. Don’t risk going there and having your exoerience ruined. There’s a guy named Jason who is incredibly rude and condescending. He literally cussed me out and called the cops on me after I called him a prick for being one. There’s another hostel right down the street called IHSP. Its all around MUCH nicer with much friendlier workers. I’m normally not the type to take the time to write a review on Unilocal but I have never encountered as big of an asshole as the guy Jason. I’m not the type to start fights either. Trust me on this one. Go to IHSP.

After staying in this hostel, I’m convinced that a single person traveling doesn’t need to pay expensive hotel rates. I had a fantastic stay. The hostels are extremely clean, and they provide additional towels and blankets for no extra charge. They also have a continental breakfast in the morning, which makes it quite easy to get out the door. Close to the CTA station, which has a La Colombe coffee shop right next to it — if you’re looking for a nice strong cup of coffee to get you going.

Highly recommend this hostel! It’s in a good location with easy access to restaurants and shops nearby. I had a great experience unlike other hostels that I’ve stayed. What makes this hostel unique? It is clean, neat, and appears to be well maintained. The bathroom is modern and clean. It seems like the hostels that I’ve stayed at across the country are older buildings that haven’t been maintained well. This one has. Most of the rooms are on separate floors from the main TV room/​lounge area so you don’t have to tolerate loud noise coming into your sleeping area. The view of Chicago from the main TV room/​lounge area is great. The lounge is also spacious so no matter how crowded it may become, one can find a bit of respite or a place to sit. The staff is friendly, pleasant, and accommodating. I also feel they don’t nickel and dime you like they do at other hostels. I was actually most impressed by the fact that the housekeepers will actually change your bed sheets, if asked. I stayed in a room that had six beds and didn’t feel that I was cramped at all. Loved this hostel experience. Thank you Urban Holiday Lofts!

I had a great experience at this hostel! The front desk people were awesome and friendly. The bathrooms were private (only one person can use at a time) and gave off a homey vibe. The bedroom was nice and clean. However, the floor squeaks very loudly. I was on the top bed and had trouble falling asleep because whoever stayed above us were awake all night and the floor squeaked a lot as they moved around.

We stayed 4 nights while visiting Chicago last week. I was impressed with the location (great neighbourhood, close to the L train, many great coffee shops, bars, shops and restaurants nearby) and the cleanliness. The staff were friendly, helpful and accommodating. Although I was nervous about having to share a bathroom, it was no big deal as one was always free, so I never once had to wait. I’d definitely go back and would highly recommend this as an affordable, clean and well-​situated place to stay.

I love that European-​style hostels are coming into chic for ALL travelers, not just those with international passports. Urban Holiday Lofts is on the cutting edge in that field, I wish there was a place like this in every city. Expect a low-​priced hostel in an excellent part of town, close to train lines, bars and restaurants. There was loud construction all day, we came in on the red-​eye and needed a nap, the front desk provided earplugs. Free breakfast! I would recommend this to solo travelers especially; the crowd was fun and easygoing, the common room was always hopping.

In a nut graf: great location, hit-​or-​miss customer service (some of the guys have attitude issues), epic rates, skip the breakfast, fun aesthetic.
The long version.
1. Location is excellent. I was walking distance from tons of thrift stores, bars, restaurants and the metro. Super happy.
2. The room was comfortable. The walls are thin so bring ear plugs. But I love the fact that the female dorms have bathrooms. When I’ve stayed at HI, it’s been a hassle because to go to the bathroom you have to leave your dorm, walk down the hallway and then use some communal shower. UHL did better here. We had private bathrooms and a fridge. Although I wish they’d offer more hand cloths for bathing. They only gave me a towel. I also had to ask for an extra blanket b/​c it was cold.
3. The customer service was a little strange. One guy refused to help me make a reservation over the phone and acted like I was asking him to do a backflip when I told him I’d rather talk to a person than use their website. Super awkward. Most of the other guys were friendly. Some mysterious staff person cut my lock off a locker for no apparent reason and then confiscated my bag. Because apparently, if you’re staying in locker number 4 and someone accidentally used it, it’s ghastly to consider using locker number 7 EVEN THOUGH IT’S PERFECTLY NORMAL AND COMPLETELY EMPTY. I would have been fine if they had just called me to tell me they were moving my things and replaced my lock.
4. The rate was unbelievably cheap. And they let me keep my bags there while exploring during my final half day. So that’s nice.
So basically if they had just all been a little bit more friendlier and offered ear plugs, I would have given 5 stars.

Great value. Great location. Great staff. Fourth floor room temperature was hot. Common room was closed until 8:00 am. Would love to have had my coffee before then. Would definately recommend.

The four stars is actually a composite.
Location: 6 stars. Amazing. I don’t see how the walkscore is only 91 — this hostel is in a beautiful, well-​scaled neighborhood (as long as gentrifying hipster doesn’t give you the shakes too badly). It is such an easy walk from the el: you can be fairly airplane-​dazed and still find it.
I stayed here on the heuristic ‘Sleep close to where you drink’. Served me well.
Service /​«ease of stay»: 5 stars; no substantive complaints. Staff is friendly; the guide they give you is useful, and there is a door code so there is no outside key to lose or have to leave at the counter when you go out.
The lounge is fabulous and lofty with cute things and a comfortable couch. If you want to prepare your own meals, there is an Aldi’s nearby (such good things for so little money! Or maybe these are just midwestern prices. Who knows.)
Breakfast is adequate as a day starter, if only the coffee: (the hostel staff has not heard about this thing called ‘protein’ [[i.e. hardboiled eggs]] and is still serving the 1990s ‘ALL CARBS’ breakfast of champions, but I understand the cost benefit decision. Someone could scald themselves boiling those eggs!!!
Oh, showers work, are clean, and get proper hot water. Thought I’d mention it. Towels — supplied! — are big and absorbent (I wasn’t about to say ‘thick’).
Sleepability: Alas, only two. ‘Hostel’ is French for «50% chance of not sleeping,» but there /​are/​things that hostels can do to put you on the ‘sleeping’ side of that probability.
This one hasn’t done so. It’s a ‘loud’ building: walls are thin. This matters because guests tend to be young and so are you so, and so when you get in at two in the morning, the six boys (gratuitous ad hominem: studying business in Uni) next door are also listening to music and forgetting their door cars, so you lay awake, ears still woolly and ringing from the show, also trying to block out their noise.
But you know this before booking a hostel, right? Bring earplugs, etc., and you’ll be able to spend your travel budget on fun things instead of lodging.

Its really difficult to review such place but i will try my best.
Pros: Cheap, Clean, very close to public transportation, super friendly staff
Cons: very very small (u can hardly notice the entrance), i dont recommend shared bathroom (its annoying), rooms has no isolation and always u can here some noise
Long story short, if u are traveling by urself and want to save some money this is the place BUT if u are planning to stay more than one night and have ur partner with u, i think u should try something rlsr

I’m always surprised whenever my friends are surprised by the fact that I choose to stay at hostels when I travel, whether it’s within the states or around the world. All the hostels I’ve ever stayed at have been clean, friendly, accommodating, and very affordable – Urban Holiday Lofts is no exception.
My friend booked this place on hostelworld, which contains all the information you need to get to the hostel. For the phone addicts, it’s also searchable on Google maps. This place awesomely reimburses you for the cost of your CTA ticket to the hostel (a heads up: it’s $ 5 from the O’Hare International Airport). Also, true to the description, they charge an additional 16.4% tax when you arrive to pay for your stay.
Jason, who is very sociable and has a good sense of humor, was at the front desk when I checked in. Whoever checks you in gives you a great list of eateries and bars in the area (along with a list of rules) and a short tour of the hostel. My bed was in the standard 6-​room female dorm, which had 3 bunk beds and no A/​C (they had a ceiling fan and a heating system). My floor had 4 bathrooms, which can be congested during the evenings when everyone wants to shower. There’s washers and dryers on-​site that will cost you $ 1.50 each, and you can purchase detergent from the front desk.
Complimentary breakfast is from 8 — 10 AM, and it consists of bagels, cereal (Aldi’s version of Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran), bread, milk, coffee, and tea. Breakfast is hosted in the upstairs common space, which also has two computers for general use. Towels are provided, and lockers are available in the shared dorm rooms ($ 1 lock rental for your entire stay). And I should mention that the location of this hostel is bombdotcom. Though not in the heart of downtown, Wicker Park has great nightlife, and the CRT Blue Line, from which this hostel is 5 minutes away, runs ²⁴⁄₇. 24 frickin’ 7.
Oh, before you leave, drop by the nearby Aldi grocery store to pick up some awesomely named German chocolate at awesomely affordable prices. Just beware of the weight of all that chocolate in your bag and how that could detrimentally affect your back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Stayed here the past 4 days while in Chicago for Riot Fest in a room with 4 beds and a «private» bathroom. The door to our private bathroom was a sliding door with a 2 inch gap on both sides, so you better be comfortable with the other people in your room. The website for this place does it’s job, because it makes it seem like it’s going to be way nicer than it is. «Luxury linens» apparently equates to Ikea sheets and bleach-​stained /​tattered bathroom towels. The common room is ok but they lock it at night. Website also claims «daily housekeeping», but no one even emptied the trash in our room during our 4 night stay, and we had to get our own fresh towels when needed. At breakfast they would run out of things and keep extras locked up, so you’d have to ask if you wanted more to be put out.
Some complaints other reviewers have touched on, but I feel the need to reiterate:
This place is old and every time anyone moves on the floor above you, you hear loud squeaks, etc. I had to buy earplugs, because I got about 2 hours of sleep the first night with all the noise from the floor above every time anyone moved.
The eastward facing rooms are super bright by 7 am and all the garbage /​construction trucks in the alley behind the rooms will be sure to keep you awake starting at dawn.
The amount shown for your stay when you book online does not include the 16% tax, so be ready to pay way more than you expected when you get there.
To end this on a more positive note, we really enjoyed staying in Bucktown. It is an awesome neighborhood where you will never run out of things to do, but UHL is not the best bet for your money as far as accommodations go.

This place was fantastic as a no-​frills crash pad. My expectations were exceeded. Not only was it super clean and safe, but it also had a warm and friendly atmosphere. If you love walking around and exploring, the neighborhood is a good starting place. There are some great restaurants and shopping within short walking distance. The train is also very close so you can go downtown quickly as well.
Perks:
Free internet that actually works well (unlike many places I’ve stayed)
Free coffee and breakfast
The bathrooms were so clean I hardly noticed I was sharing
Access to a refrigerator, laundry, TV…
There’s a neat little market right next door
Quirks:
If you are on the top floor it is indeed quite a tiring trek up all those stairs! (no elevator)
If you are a smoker you will not only have to go outside (normal) but also go to the alleyway on the side of the building. Smokers were huddled there in the cold and rain :/

Great place to stay! Perfect if you really want to explore the city.
Located in a GREAT neighborhood. Lots of restaurants, bars, and shopping. Close to a train stop.
The staff was very friendly and helpful as far as giving suggestions of places to go in the area.
Our room was very simple: Bunkbed (full on bottom, twin on top), bedding, desk, and chair (no TV to keep you from exploring). This place is considered a hostel, but suites w/​private baths are available (thats what we had). We were right next to the common room and didnt have any problems w/​noise. Now, the minute I heard «hostel» I had doubts. But this place was *very* clean, modern, and nice.
We only went into the common room once or twice, but it was very cool: full kitchen, bathroom, coffee and tea, lots of seating, TV, games, computers, and a pool table. The free breakfast consists of bagels, cream cheese, cereal, and oatmeal. If thats not filling enough for you, the staff is more than happy to recommend some great breakfast places in the area.
My only complaint would be that the pillows were awful, but we made them work.
The next time were in Chicago, we’ll be staying here.