Freehand Chicago

"The Freehand is a find—it's good fun at a reasonable rate in the normally pricey River North neighborhood. The bunk rooms can fit up to four, but the private rooms are thrifty finds with lots of kicky touches: colorful throw rugs, textile wall hangings, and pillows. A wooden credenza doubles as a desk, and for a bargain hotel the rooms have seriously large TVs. Guests and locals flock to Café Integral, where excellent coffee is served all day, and the Broken Shaker, the hotel's stellar cocktail bar. The innovative cocktail creations here, which skew toward the vaguely tropical, include such unique ingredients as rosé-seaweed cordial and hibiscus-sage syrup, while bar snacks go clever-but-crowd-pleasing: Think plantain nachos, Southwest egg rolls, and crispy chicken sliders topped with Buffalo honey butter."

"How did it strike you on arrival?Backpackers get a serious upgrade at this hotel near the Magnificent Mile, where thrift is a virtue and good design doesn't have to be expensive. Socially minded throughout, from the dorm-like room options to the lobby filled with laptop toters. What’s the crowd like?Thrifty globe-trotters with a thing for design. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.The bunk rooms can fit up to four, but the private rooms are thrifty finds with lots of kicky touches: colorful throw rugs, textile wall hangings, and pillows. A wooden credenza doubles as a desk, and for a bargain hotel the rooms have seriously large TVs. We’re craving some deep, restorative sleep. They got us?Platform bed is nice. How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that worth a mention?Nice retro-looking clock radio with an audio input to broadcast your own music. Please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.Nice bathroom with wood wainscoting and Argan bath products. Maybe the most important topic of all: Wi-Fi. What’s the word?Good signal and free. Anything stand out about other services and features? Whether it’s childcare, gyms, spas, even parking—whatever stuck with you.Broken Shaker cocktail bar is a draw for guests and locals, with flea-market-find décor that channels the tropics and lots of soft lighting. Café Integral has you covered for breakfast and lunch, and some mighty fine coffee anytime. What was most memorable—or heartbreaking—about your stay?Heartbreaking is trying to get to the bar on the weekends, but hang in there. Bottom line: worth it, and why?Good fun at a reasonable rate in this normally pricey River North location makes the Freehand a find." - Elaine Glusac

"Part hotel, part hostel, the Freehand hotels pitch themselves at the tiny intersection of style and affordability." - The MICHELIN Guide

"Freehand Chicago, part hotel, part hostel, the Freehand hotels pitch themselves at the tiny intersection of style and affordability. Designed by Roman and Williams, turned what used to be the Tokyo Hotel into a slightly upscale evolution of the Freehand concept." - The MICHELIN Guide

"Walk into the Freehand, a remodeled 1920s dive, and you’ll think it’s a millennial fantasy boutique hotel with its artisanal cocktail and coffee bars, and intensely curated wood-paneled clubhouse lounge filled with leather chairs, blue settees, and a Wurlitzer electric keyboard for guests to play. You can book a conventional private hotel room here, but it’s the 80 shared quad bedrooms that are the draw—and the city’s best bargain—at this reinvented, upscale “youth” hostel footsteps from Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile. Designed by Cooper Hewitt award-winning firm Roman and Williams, the rooms include deep-blue bath tiles and mahogany wood beds that were inspired by Lake Michigan but recall vintage ocean liner cabins (in size as well as color scheme). Communal rooms, co-ed or female only, have a bathroom, gym-style locker bank and four bunk beds each with a private lamp, reading shelf, and charging station. The clientele includes families with kids and budget-minded elders as well as youthful nomads, all of whom appreciate the guest kitchen and laundry rooms, and, especially, the staff’s friendliness. There is a cafe and a cocktail bar, and daily blackboard posts listing concerts, poetry readings, festivals, and other events and eateries outside the Michigan Avenue tourist orbit."