Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel

, Chicago, United States
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Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel

3 star

Rooms: 521

350 North Orleans Street River North - Chicago - Illinois - 60654 - United States Hotel Website | | 3128365000
408 Traveller

Reviews - Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel

Good view, disappointed in lack of convenience

from groups4700
We got this hotel on priceline and it was a difficult weekend to book a hotel, so the price was not great. We thought we would end up with a poor quality hotel based on information we found on other websites, but we were pleasantly surprised. We were glad to get a nice room with an incredible view! The downsides: The parking lot is very inconvenient, especially if there on a typical Chicago day...blustery and raining. We decided it was worth the extra money to valet park once we saw the parking lot and the fact that we had to carry suitcases up a huge flight of stairs! Then when you get inside, you have the large lobby that is part of the merchandise mart before you get to an elevator that takes you to the lobby of the Holiday Inn and then you take another elevator to get to the floor where your rooms are. I found all of this very inconvenient (especially traveling with a toddler!). The room was okay, not fancy, but clean. It seemed very busy, so there wasn't any personal attention if you are looking for that.

My favorite breakfast buffet!

from A TripAdvisor Member
Very much enjoyed this hotel. Extremely nice and comfortable. Good location. Breakfast buffet was great as it contained healthy options in ADDITION to your usual (eggs/bacon/sausage/toast), such as yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, cereal, etc. Will definitely come back if the price is right.

Not a bad choice

from clvier1
This hotel is in a good location, a little hard to get to. Rooms are fine, not terribly upscale, but the price is RIGHT (under $100). I requested a view down of the South branch of the Chicago River and they gladly obliged. Open parking lot not the best, though.

Holiday Inn Chicago Merchandise Mart

from hogansdad
This was a nice but not high on amenities. Where else could I get a 3 Star hotel with a room facing the Chicago River with Elevated service right outside my door for $85.00 a night. I used Priceline and let them pick the hotel. Everyone was extremely friendly and the location was excellent. This Hotel was only five blocks from Harry Carry's and the House of Blues. Try it you'll like it.

Great hotel, fantastic view!

from ColumbiaTrekkers
We stayed at the hotel in July 2005, and will definitely return again. Our room had a beautiful view of the Chicago River and "The Loop". The hotel is very clean, and situated atop the Apparel Mart, across the street (but connected by passageway) to the Merchandise Mart. We travel to Chicago about once a year, and usually stay closer to Michigan Avenue. However, we really enjoyed this hotel's location, and its accessibility via the loop trains. Be sure to get a transit pass that allows you to unlimited use of the CTA trains and buses; there is a station adjacent to the Merchandise Mart that you can access without going outside. It's also convenient if you want to take the CTA train directly from Midway or O'Hare. There are also some excellent restaurants nearby on Wells Street.
The hotel has some quirks because of its location. The lobby is on the 15th floor, above the Apparel Mart, but you can pull up to the front of the building where bellmen can unload your luggage and take it upstairs. Also, there is outside parking adjacent to the hotel. So while it may be easy to get lost in this unusual setting, we didn't have a problem getting to the hotel or getting our baggage unloaded.
Finally, as you will note from some previous reviews, people can have very different experiences in the same hotel. But you shouldn't be put off by the negative reviews. This hotel is nice!

AsK Questions Before You Decide

from Tnflaman
The great view of the Chicago River that I had out of my room somewhat offset some of the things that brought disappointment. I reqested a non-smoking room, but the room smelled like a smoking room. Had to call Housekeeping for a spray, but it's difficult to get that smell out of the carpet, etc. They advertise High Speed Internet. For me it turned out to be "Very Low Signal", but it was free. The hallways, at least the one on the 21st floor felt warm as if no air was circulating and the temps outside were in the 80s. My room had a noisy old AC unit. The type that runs all the time and blows the curtains. Had to put a rubber band around the drape to keep it from flowing in the breeze all the time. If the noise of this kind of unit keeps you awake, consider another hotel.

Pets are allowed in this hotel and they state this in their list of amenities on their web site. I saw one person with two dogs, but that was it during my two day stay. If you want to stay within a short walking distance of Michigan Avenue, consider another hotel closer to the Navy Pier. I walked to Michigan Ave., and it is a trip of several blocks, however, the route that I took was along the river and that helped make it seem shorter.

They advertise "soundproofed" rooms, remodled in 2002. I didn't experience any noise from other guests, even though I had a room that could be made into a suite (adjoining room) which is typically more likely to be noisy due to the adjoining door inside the room. I suppose that the noisy AC could also have masked any sound from within the hotel.

Sorriso Restaurant on the Chicago River is about three or four blocks from the hotel and if you like sitting very near the river, watching boats and river traffic, I recommend it.

I received negotiated, relatively lower than normal room rates due to being with a convention group, but I wouldn't pay a higher rate to stay at this property. The staff's courtesy was about normal for a busy hotel. I had to have dinner at their restaurant one night and even though it wasn't crowded, the wait for service and check was too long.

Terrible service

from A TripAdvisor Member
We came here july 2nd, and it is possibly the wrost hotel i have ever stayed at. We made reservations for a king size bed in a smoking room, but they had not held our reservation and we ended up in a full size bed in smoking. Parking is terrible, we spent an hour trying to find a spot. The room service stops at 10:30, which is terrible for travelers who arrive late. Just finding the place was a trip and a half. when we couldnt find it by the directions from mapquest and their web site, we called and got directions from them personally, which put us in some loading dock zone. Over all, it was a terrible stay. the price wasnt bad for chicago though.

Excellent value for money

from Ski_Bum
Overall, a very good hotel, particularly for the money. The room was a decent size, the staff was extremely courteous, and the hotel seemed to be very well run. A couple of nice extras: free wireless internet access, access to the gym, and room service that delivered in about 10 minutes.

The main downside for us was the hotel's location: an area where there isn't a ton of retail shopping (unlike some of the higher end hotels off Michigan Ave.). Also, the A/C was a little slow in cooling down the room, but luckily it wasn't a problem for us since the weather was chilly.

Great stay! 3/05

from A TripAdvisor Member
This hotel is pretty well located- you can get to an EL stop without going outside. The view was great, the river and downtown lights were right there! Got a good rate on Hotwire. A little hard to find by car, and parking is a bit steep, but public transit options are good. There was free WiFi in the rooms. The room itself was nothing particularly fancy, but everything was very clean and in excellent condition. I would highly recommend this hotel.

Great city views/Not convenient to action

from A TripAdvisor Member
Just returned from a New Year's weekend stay at the HI Mart. Trouble finding the place doesn't end when you drive in...You have to travel through a labyrinth to get to the actual hotel and your room because the hotel sits atop the fifteenth floor of the Merchandise Mart. However, that means every room has an outstanding city view. This hotel is PET FRIENDLY, which is always a big plus, especially when staying in major cities. That said, walking your pet is a bit of a chore: Must take hotel elevators to hotel lobby, then walk through lobby to take elevators to Mart lobby, then walk through Mart lobby and walk down numerous stairs to get to riverfront walking area. That area is great for pets, but I suspect some pooches have trouble holding it for the lengthy journey to "go potty." Room was OK--Nothing special. Room service was efficient and a good value and among the best food I've had anywhere in my room. Novel idea: The housekeeping/room service staff actually quickly disposes of trays & food left outside rooms in the hall; this is something that many hotels seem to miss. We got a good deal on the room booking a pre-pay advance purchase direct with HI, but after we got there, discovered that guests who walked in off the street were being charged less (more than $20 less). When I mentioned that to front desk staff, they simply shrugged and said, "Oh, well." What would it have cost them really to give us a break or throw in breakfast to make us happy? That was disappointing.

Top Local Tips for Chicago

The lesser known Bongo Room For a great breakfast experience, try the Bongo Room's newer location in the south Loop. While the original on Milwaukee Ave is always packed, the south Loop location has exactly the same menu with a (usually) much shorter wait time.

Chicago Transit (CTA) They offer a very high quality service. I got a 3 day pass for $12 USD. The Brown Line Train is a block away, attached to the Merchandise Mart. You can purchase your tickets there for a day, three days, a week or longer. Cheaper than one return cab fare. The Brown Line connects with other lines, so not too difficult to get to Cubs games or North Halstead / Belmont area. I found ways to get around this city 24 hours a day. I always felt safe and secure on CTA and the staff was very helpful and knowledgeable.

CTA & free trolleys No matter when you go look into the Go Card thru the CTA if you are not driving - buy it for the number of days needed & pay one price for unlimited use. Also, during the summer months there are a lot of free trolleys to take you to & from the major sites.

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Other names for Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Hotel

  • holiday inn mart plaza
  • holiday inn chicago
  • chicago holiday inn
  • Address: 350 North Orleans Street River North - Chicago - Illinois - 60654 - United States
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