Arlo Chicago

The location was great, the hours of the gym and kitchen met our needs. The room was clean, well appointed and comfortable. My husband loved the espresso maker in the room. Definitely a high-end experience.

The lights under the bed were a disaster. Way too bright and came on and off constantly during the night, reflecting off the refrigerator door into my eyes. There MUST be a way to turn those off. Also, there should be a way to disable the automatic light in the bathroom. I don't put the light on during the night, yet it popped on every time. A real annoyance not to be able to control the lighting in my environment. I did want to mention the $100/night per room security deposit held on a card at checkin. That was a shock. It wasn't a problem for me, but it might be for some travelers and it's something they'd do well to let guests know about before checking in. I could see that being a problem for some travelers.

The location was excellent. We were close to all we wanted to do.

Lobby was loud, some desk staff didn’t seem interested in offering help.

The room was nice. Bed and linens were nice, comfortable and clean. Beds were made daily and room cleaned. The location of this hotel is perfect for walking to all the sights, attractions, shopping, dining as well as getting to the Subway.

When we checked in we were given two bottles of water and were told we could come back daily for more water. It was the hottest few days in Chicago when we were there; however, when we went back for water over the next few days they did not have any. I had to chase down the cleaning staff daily to get additional towels. On one day I had requested hand towels in the morning at front desk on our way out and 8hrs later we still did not have any. Apparently they ran out. When I called to request towels I called housekeeping three times and no answer, then Called front desk twice, no answer. Finally found cleaning staff in the hall to get the towels. Floor in bathroom could have been cleaned better as there was hair left in the shower and around toilet when we arrived.

The Arlo (formerly Hotel Julian) is ideally placed for nearly everything: on Michigan Avenue with only a few blocks from all possible transportation. The rooms are well designed, if small; the beds are especially comfortable. The redesign (from "Julian" days) was minimal, and several staff have been retained. The price, given the location, is very good.

I remain annoyed by the bathroom light, which is motion sensing and evidently impossible to change. Using the toilet in the middle of the night is always a blinding (and awakening) experience. Whatever happened to simple nightlights? Also, the AC setup in our room (1210) is such that a stream of cold air blows on the left side of the bed, while the rest of the room is still. There has to be a better way.

Craig was outstanding help and resourceful for local and hotel information. Not all staff are familiar w Chicago. That'd be my 1st question if inquiring about local activities. Had no clue lalapalooza was down the road and we could have gone. Found out thr last night after it was over. So much to do in chicago though. Close to public transportation.

Staff knowledge on local events and dining and public transit. 2 out 4 ppl was familiar. Could hear city traffic noise from top floor which blew my mind. Didn't disrupt us but I imagine lower floors was louder.

Room is clean and near restaurants and tourist attractions. Gentleman who assisted us at checkout is helpful and cute too! haha 😄

Can easily hear anyone talking outside the room but that’s fine because mostly just housekeeping.

Great location, very clean, excellent staff!

No lock on the bathroom door and it didn't close all the way. OK for a couple, not for work friends due to the clear glass shower.

Had a wonderful stay at the Arlo. The location is very convenient to the L and downtown loop stops, so easy to get here from either airport. It's also close to Millennium park, so a lovely place for exploration. The lobby, staff, restaurant and room were all excellent. Great shower, comfy bed, smart TV.

I don't love the idea of "resort fees" for amenities that I'm not going to use. Since it isn't optional, just go ahead and include it in the room rate so that I don't feel like I'm paying for things I didn't need. Everything else was lovely.

The room was very spacious and it was clean. bottled water was provided but you need to ask at the reception which is fine. The location was great. Very near Cloud Gate and eateries. The taxi fare from the hotel to the airport was about $50. Area pretty safe during the day.

When I went it was around midnight and some random person tried to get into the hotel so the main door is closed to outsider after 9pm (that indicates safety around the area at night). During the day it is absolutely fine. lots of people walking around. You can also get the train from the airport which is $5 though the nearest blue line station is hella dodgy and lift really stank. It was very difficult to contact the hotel and didn't have an email contact on their website for international travellers. But I realised this is common in America.

We enjoyed the restaurant for dinner and cocktails are always great! The front desk staff was pleasant. Our room was not ready at check in time, so the front desk lady bought our party a round of drinks. That was a nice gesture.

Second time trying the brunch experience, it is not the best. Service was better this time around as they are more staffed it seems. The pillows in our hotel room were not comfortable and we stayed in a room right across from the elevators this time around... was woken up both days around 6am with guests in the hallway waiting. Not much you can do about room location. Pillows however in room 607 were not comfortable.