Lisa Arnett

There’s no shortage of spectacular hotels in Chicago—even if you’re traveling on a budget. And affordable doesn’t mean dull, either. In fact, while our cheap hotels list comprises a couple of lovably basic spaces ideal if you’re spending your days sightseeing, there are also some surprisingly chic entries—which feature pools, top-tier restaurants and rooftop bars—that won’t break the bank, either.  What are hotel prices like in Chicago? Chicago is by no means a New York or an L.A. when it comes to prices, but it’s hardly fair to call it cheap, either. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of stylish but affordable hotels, which each have a starting nightly rate of $200 or less.  Which area is best to stay in Chicago? Both Wicker Park and Lincoln Park are charming neighborhoods to live a little more like a local, but if it’s your first time in the Windy City, a stay in River North or the Loop will also do you in good stead. You’ll find hotels across the city in this list of all the top cool but cheap stays.  Chicago’s best budget hotels at a glance: 👙 Most underrated: The Talbott 🗺️ Best location: The Allegro Sonesta Hotel 👛 Cheapest: Villa DuBois Guest House 🤩 Coolest: The Robey 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best hotels in Chicago How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world—new openings, old classics and everything in between—to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. We have reviewed many

You could easily spend a city break in Chicago barely stopping at your hotel other than to sleep, but we know just how tiring rushing about eating, drinking, shopping and sightseeing can be, so why not book into a spa hotel for a hit of rest and relaxation while you’re there?  When it comes to curating menus of intriguing ancient treatments or modern wellness techniques, designing impressive fitness centres or building gleaming swimming pools, Chicago has got its spa hotel game down. New additions to this list for Fall 2025 include the Palmer House Hilton, theWit and The Langham. Chicago’s best spa hotels at a glance: 💎 Biggest splurge: Four Seasons Hotel 👛 Most affordable: The Palmer House Hilton 🏊 Best pool: The Peninsula Chicago 💤 Best massage: Eurostars Magnificent Mile 🏋️‍♀️ Best fitness center: The St Regis Chicago 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best hotels in Chicago Which area is best to stay in Chicago? Chicago is a sprawling city, but where it’s best to stay varies hugely based on the kind of trip you’re planning. First-timers would do well to be right in the action, opting for the River North or the Loop, whereas travelers after something a little more homely but still well connected should consider Lincoln Park or Wicker Park.  🛏 Check out the best Airbnbs in Chicago

Don’t dismiss Naperville’s food scene as a load of chain restaurants, pickup bars and spots frequented mainly by North Central College students. Its food scene has been booming over the last few years, and if you don’t know, it’s time to get to know.  From the Water Street District to further afield, this city is awash with great foodie spots; whether you’re looking for Peruvian sandwiches, fluffy falafel or plates of curry and paratha, you’ll find it all here. Oh, and there’s more tasty options (plus easier parking) in strip malls along 75th Street or tucked among big-name chains on Freedom Drive off I-88. For bargains and splurge meals alike, read on for the best restaurants in Naperville.  RECOMMENDED:🍴 The best restaurants in Chicago📍 The best things to do in Chicago🌸 The most beautiful cities in the US This guide is by Illinois-based writer Lisa Arnett and Brock Wilbur, who was previously Time Out’s Midwest editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

Booking a highrise hotel in downtown Chicago may be the default, but if experiencing the city like a local is more your style, consider The Robey. It’s situated right at the six-cornered intersection of Milwaukee, North and Damen avenues, where Wicker Park and Bucktown converge.  After the Great Chicago Fire, this area was settled by the city’s German, Polish and Norwegian immigrants in the late 1800s, and later evolved into an enclave for musicians, artists and other creative types (the Rolling Stones famously played a surprise show here in the late ’90s). Though these spots aren’t as gritty as they once were—as evidenced by the number of daycares, dentistry studios and medspas—they still deliver plenty of cool options for dining, drinking and shopping.  The location’s convenient, sure, but what makes The Robey so special is that it spans two historic buildings, now adjoined: the triangular Art Deco-style Northwest Tower (the first building of its size built outside of downtown in 1929) and the Hollander fireproof warehouse built in 1905. The combination gives the hotel a quirky layout that packs plenty of personality into a relatively small footprint. Here’s what I thought of my stay.  What are the rooms like at The Robey? The 89 single-bed rooms in the Tower hint at the building’s former life as an office building. It’s all Mad Men-meets-boutique hotel with hardwood floors, moody charcoal paint, white window sheers, and furniture that leans mid-century. Rooms with multiple

If you’re in town for a show at one of Chicago’s many theaters (or you just have a penchant for the dramatic), a stay at The Allegro offers a dose of Old Hollywood glamour and a location that’s hard to beat. The lobby’s grand double staircase, velvet settees and Art Deco starburst ceiling lights will have you embracing the main-character energy of it all, and because you’ll be within walking distance of all the theater district’s major stages, you won’t have to bother with navigating public transport, or in most cases, even hailing a cab. What are the rooms like at The Allegro? The glamorous Art Deco vibe of the lobby also translates to the rooms, with metallic wallpaper and gold satin Euro shams. Heavy draperies drawn back with golden cording flank the windows like miniature stage curtains, and petite velvet ottomans are a nice touch for extra seating or propping up your feet. Some rooms, like the two-room corner king suites, have a sitting area with sofabed and enormous jetted tubs in the bathrooms.   What is the food like at The Allegro? Taking up one half of the second-floor lobby, Legato Lounge is the hotel’s bar and restaurant. The dinner menu is quite compact, with just one entree option each for steak (10-ounce ribeye) seafood (pan-seared branzino with delectably crispy skin), and pasta (mushroom bolognese, the sole vegetarian entree), plus gussied-up hot dog and burger options as well as a lobster roll, a turkey sandwich, and a caesar. Though the choices are a bit li

A hub for designer shopping and posh residences, Chicago’s Gold Coast lives up to its name—and a stay at the Talbott offers easy access to Michigan and Chicago avenues and their thoroughfares from a pleasantly quieter block.  Built back in 1927 and recently renovated, the Talbott is classic Georgian Revival on the outside and whimsically sophisticated inside—think striking geometric tile, glossy wainscotting, velvet upholstery. You’ll be in good company among the city’s most opulent hotels (Waldorf Astoria, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, The Drake) with a more intimate, boutique feel and a slightly more attainable price point. Just think of the savings as more cash to splash at this micro-mecca of shopping.  What are the rooms like at The Talbott? The Talbott’s 178 guest rooms and suites are decorated in soothing shades of ivory and cream with green accents, from emerald subway tiles in the bathroom to jade-hued lamps on the bed tables. Brass-trimmed floral headboards and velvet accent chairs are a romantic touch.  Rotary phones by the elevator and a vintage radio-inspired bluetooth speaker in each room are a clever nod to the hotel’s history, but modern conveniences (filtered water station in the hallway, charging ports near the TV) haven’t been overlooked. There are also plenty of little luxuries—think botanically scented Grown Alchemist toiletries, glass espresso cups for the Nespresso machine, and cool coffee table books.  What is the food like at The Talbott? In-hotel resta

Walking the tree-lined sidewalks of the highrise-packed Chicago neighborhood that is Streeterville, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the metallic mosaic facade of Hotel EMC2. Named for Albert Einstein’s famous equation (E = mc2) and greeting guests with a Leonardo DaVinci quote on the lobby wall, this hotel is far from subtle in its intent to present as both smart and cultured. With colorful art aplenty and a pair of cute robot attendants to cater to your every need, it has more personality and pizzazz than most of the neighboring hotels combined.  Why stay at Hotel EMC2? EMC2 opened in 2017 and is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, a network of independent operators with a boutique hotel feel. If you’re in town to visit Chicago’s art, history or science museums or top-notch cultural institutions—whether Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet or Lyric Opera—chances are you’ll fully appreciate the theme at play here. Details throughout channel the art-and-science concept, from the swirly amoeba-like pattern on the hallway carpets to digital frames displaying a rotating array of sketches and paintings. Some of the hotel’s most clever details (like the three destination elevators named R, G and B) might be lost on visitors not in town for a design conference, but they’re a smirk-worthy Easter egg for those who clock them.  What are the rooms like at Hotel EMC2? The hotel’s 195 rooms have either one queen, two queens or one king bed, some with views of surroundi

If you’ve always wanted to use the word ‘undulating’ in conversation but never had good reason to, it’s time to book a stay at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. There’s no better way to describe the wave-like balconies that ebb and flow around the blue-glass facade of the building—one of the most stunning contemporary additions to a city known for its architecture. With the Chicago River to the north, Lake Michigan to the east and three pools on premise, you’re surrounded by water every which way. And whether you plan to take advantage of all things aquatic or keep your feet firmly on land, Radisson Blu Aqua provides a proper home base for work or play in Chicago. Why stay at the Radisson Blu Aqua? Opened in 2011, the Radisson Blu Aqua comprises the first 18 floors of the 81-story Aqua Tower in Lakeshore East, a microneighborhood of highrises just north of Millennium Park and east of the Loop, the city’s business district. Floors 19 through 81 belong to Aqua at Lakeshore East, apartment residences that share the building’s cushy amenities with the hotel.  Don’t expect under-the-sea decor, though. Inside, the nods to the water theme are limited to aqua glass in the bathrooms, blue lights in the hotel bar and meeting rooms named after bodies of water, from Mediterranean to Bering. The lobby is all concrete floors and exposed brick columns and shimmery modern chandeliers, accented with printing-press block-letter signage (a nod to Chicago’s Printer’s Row neighborhood) and rows of cha

After you take an obligatory selfie in front of the twinkling Chicago Theatre marquee, shift your gaze just to the east and you’ll see theWit Chicago with its neon-yellow zig-zag of glass running up the facade. This 27-floor tower was built in 2009 in the northeast corner of the Loop, a neighborhood named for the shape the elevated train (called ‘the L’ for short) makes as it coils around Chicago’s downtown business district. Newly renovated in 2023, theWit is all freshened up and ready for business travelers, wedding guests and bachelor/ette party revelers.  Why stay at theWit Chicago? With the Chicago River on one side and the lights of storied State Street on the other, theWit is well-situated among the city’s top attractions for travelers. One of the Chicago Transit Authority’s busiest L stations—State/Lake, originally built in 1985—is right outside theWit’s front door, making travel to even the furthest corners of the city pretty convenient. True to its name, the hotel is full of witty and whimsical touches, from the angels-wing chandeliers in the lobby to a custom art installation on the second floor featuring famous figures known for their wit, from author Emily Dickinson to actor Jackie Chan to comedian Steve Martin. Though the entire city is at your doorstep, theWit offers plenty of entertainment within its own walls, like live music Friday and Saturday nights in the first-floor restaurant, bumping DJ sets in the rooftop lounge and personal training sessions in the f