Hotel Blake, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

This was a nice place to stay during the NeoCon convention. It was a pretty average hotel, but the staff was very friendly. They also had a breakfast café attached which was convenient. Other than that, there weren’t any special or noteworthy amenities, but I’d return for the reasonable price.

Have been here twice. The 2^nd time was such late notice as I was struggling to find a hotel to stay at. The staff was so accommodating and polite given my circumstances. They are so helpful with making your stay comfortable and also the prices are very reasonable given that it’s downtown Chicago! They even let me keep my luggage at the front desk after my check out time while I went out for lunch. There’s also a café connected to the building that serves delicious brunch and the hotel is in walking distance of almost everything downtown. If you need a comfortable and clean hotel that isn’t too overwhelmingly big this is it! Perfect location and price for what you get.

Great environment and atmosphere just walking into the lobby. Rooms are pristine, spacious, and very well coordinated. Bathrooms are beautiful with double sinks and very nice open shower.
Staff has been extremely welcoming and the gentleman «showtime» hasn’t allowed us out of the building without inquiring into our destination and assisting with direction, suggestion, or discounts for our destination.
Great 1^st welcome to the city of Chicago and definitely a hotel to stay at and for us one to return to.

— The location is perfect for tourists. It’s a walking distance (10−25min) to pretty much all of the tourist attractions such as the skydeck Chicago, the bean, the art institute of Chicago, field museum, and shedd aquarium.
— There’s 7 – 11, Starbucks, and a couple of restaurants nearby. So it is convenient.
— The service is excellent and friendly.
— The lobby is luxurious and fancy.
— The room was fairly decent and nice. Despite the fact that we didn’t spend too much time in it because we went out all day. It’s just a place for us to literally sleep.
Overall, I would highly recommend this hotel. And I’d love to come back and stay at this hotel when I have a chance to visit Chicago again.

This hotel really worked out well for us on a last minute 48 hour trip to Chicago.
The location was conveniently located near an L stop. We were able to get here from O’Hare without changing trains and it was a short walk from the station to the hotel. We were able to walk almost everywhere we wanted to go from the hotel. We only grabbed a taxi once during our stay and it was easy to find one outside the hotel.
The check in process was easy and the lobby plenty large enough to act as a space to meet up with other hotel guests. Our room was simple, but clean and had everything we needed. The room and bathroom are on the tiny side, but that is pretty typical for city hotels. We didn’t mind since we spent most of the trip exploring the city. The price was very reasonable for a city hotel. I’d definitely recommend this to someone looking for a deal on a basic hotel within walking distance of many attractions and transportation.

Stayed here on a trip to Chicago with my mom. We had a great experience! The location was nice (close to public transport and sights), staff was friendly, and the hotel was very clean. The fitness center is also awesome. I’d for sure stay here again.

It’s so nice that everyone makes you feel like your in a small hotal. They remember your name what a small thing that is nice.

I booked this hotel through Hotel Tonight in the very last minute before arriving in Chicago because my original housing plan fell through.
PROS:
— Location — Personally don’t think I can find a better-​situated hotel for the price I paid! The Hotel is located 2 blocks away from the LaSalle stop on the blue line, takes about an hour to get to /​from O’Hare airport. Additionally, it’s a short walk away from Millennium Park and the Art Institute — two highly touristy spots for any first-​time travelers like myself. Finally, in addition to it being close to the Blue Line, it’s also not too far from the L train and the brown line
— Super accommodating — Originally, the hotel had a 3pm check-​in policy but after explaining my situation that my flight would get in around 11, the Hotel made sure I could drop off my bags if I had places to go before 3 and in the meantime, would try to set up the room for the night. When I arrived, I was surprised to find out that the room was already ready to go! I got a room on the third floor that looked out to a great brick wall but it was clean and cold, great for a rest stop on a hot day
— Front desk & doormen — OMG, possibly the happiest and most friendly people I’ve ever met! The doormen always greeted us and asked about our day /​what we had planned. Them and the front desk are great sources to finding the true local treasures! With their help, I found out that there was a Garrett’s popcorn store right on Jackson that wasn’t too far from the Hotel, that the Monadnock building was one of the first sky scrapers in Chicago and that the coffee spot inside is a must-​try. I tried to hit up all these spots before catching my flight but Garrett’s didn’t open until 10AM and my flight was 10:45. Luckily, the one at ORD opened at 6AM
— Quick service — The staff is super good with sending up whatever you need in lightning speed. At one point during my stay, I called to ask for more fresh towels, and I got some almost immediately after I hung up the phone.
CONS:
— Room felt dingy — while it was neat and cold when I walked into my room, I immediately noticed that the shower wasn’t clean — there was a hair or two here and there just chilling on the tiles. Additionally, the duvet cover was not a real cover — it did not wrap around the blanket completely but instead imagine an apron thrown on top of the duvet. I could see the stuffing distributed unevenly that was right above my sheets — not a pleasant sight.
— Housekeeping at odd hours — I haven’t stayed at too many hotels but it felt really weird when housekeeping showed up at around 4PM on a Tuesday…
— Where’s the Ice Machine? I could not find it and tbh probably didn’t put in enough effort to. I just learned from reading the review below that it’s on the 12^th floor… that was probably why I couldn’t find it on mine…
— Shower took a while to warm up — but once it did, the water pressure was just right.
Overall, I liked staying here & I liked the staff! I’d probably just bring my own sheets next time.

Front desk and concierge very friendly and accommodating. Shout out to Showtime who gave us great tips. Loved the location. Walking distance to financial district, Millennium and Grant parks. Safe area with nice neighborhood bars and restaurants. Large bathroom but no shower massage and broken toilet paper holder. Mattresses were ok but have slept on better. Delicious coffee and teas available near the lobby as well as flavored water. Prices varied based upon the day of week but averaged out to $ 250 night.

Beautiful hotel, all the staff was exceptionally wonderful and friendly. Will definitely be staying here again.

Hotel Blake, your concierge/​front desk worker Tim is incredible.
All the staff was lovely, but Tim went out of his way to give me location recommendations for late-​night shopping, put up with my absent-​minded return upon return (upon return…) to his desk with total enthusiasm and just suburb friendliness. As a service worker myself, I know very well the skill it takes to reach this level of customer service, and Tim exemplifies that talent just phenomenally.
He was incredibly genuine, so patient, and such a pleasure to work with. Thank you, Tim, and thank you Hotel Blake for hiring such a fantastic guy. Tim shaped my opinion of Hotel Blake in the best possible light, and I’ll be recommending this hotel hands-​down every chance I get. Tim and the rest of your staff are above and beyond. Thank you so much for such a sincerely great experience.

My sister and I had a fantastic time at Hotel Blake. All the door men were great but the tall blackman (forgive me for forgetting what you told us to call you.) was absolutely fantastic from the moment we walked into the building. Front desk Ray was a wonderful guy.
The room was wonderful the bathroom big and spacious.
We ate at the meli café and they were fabulous too. Somehow we lost our theater tickets. They looked into their garbage to find them while i went to the business center in the hotel to reprint them. When we returned from the show they asked to see how we were and the gentleman from the café came to talk with us.
The location was quiet and a block from State street so it was a great location.

Some of the biggest things I look for in a hotel is safety and comfort. The hotel Blake offers both of those in spades. The staff is not only helpful, but genuinely friendly. Getting cabs is incredibly easy with the help of the doormen.
I should also mention that the location is superb. Surrounded by restaurants, including the wonderful Meli’s Café, and with and extremely convenient 7 – 11 just down the street. I could not have been more pleased with the surroundings.
The rooms are very clean and comfortable. And the bathroom is cavernous! I was extremely happy with this hotel and I highly recommend it!

Great location, grand entrance and a hotel bar/​lounge right in front. I had a excellent time at this hotel. The doormen were excellent about hailing cabs, assisting with luggage and answering questions about Chicago to a non-​local guy like myself.
There is a 7 – 11 and a chase bank on the corner to the south. A couple streets down is Epic Burger, Panera Bread, Starbucks and a college. The name of the college eludes me right now.
The rooms were standard sized and clean. I didn’t experience any noise. The traffic outside wasn’t as bad as what others claim. But if you want peace and quiet from street noise get a room in Idaho or rural Iowa. Enjoy want Chicago, especially downtown and its offerings.
I was given a room with a view of the street which i appreciated. I didn’t like that the soda machines and the ice machines weren’t in a central location. That was my only gripe. I would go back and stay in a heartbeat. I need to see or experience other rooms to up that 4 to a 5 possibly? If the Blake is reading… how about a promo code or 2 eh?

I had high expectations for Hotel Blake. Their website was nice, and I had previously been in the lobby when eating at the connected Meli Café on a previous trip.
I was pretty disappointed in the quality of my stay. The beds were so squeaky that any toss or turn made a disturbingly loud sound.
Every time it was flushed, the toilet handle had to be jiggled a certain way to keep the water from running constantly.
The soda and ice machines, located all the way on the 12^th floor, were a mess. The soda machine literally had 8 choices that were all sold out, and the ice machine dribbled out a couple of pieces of ice and nothing else but water both times I tried it.
I had to trek to a nearby gas station for my desired bottles of water, and tried tucking the comforter under the mattress to soften the squeak.
There are a lot better hotels in the area for the price. Thankfully the place was clean, and the staff was super nice. But, this will be my last stay at Hotel Blake.

I wish I could label some reviews as «STUPID» like the one complaining about police sirens and street traffic. Duh. You’re in downtown Chicago not in some boondock town where everything shuts down at 5:30. Our apologies if emergencies and crime and people’s lives don’t stop as soon as you go to bed. This place is awesome. It’s clean, well maintained and their bathroom stuff is bath and bodyworks. Enough said.

For $ 98/​night we paid, here’s what we got;
You can hear the noise from the streets. Police and ambulance sirens. Car horning. (We were on the 4^th floor).
Since we decided to just sleep a little longer than put some time wandering around looking for a place to eat breakfast, we did room service and just ordered on their cafeteria; Big mistake! We paid nearly $ 50 (including tip) for pancakes that I didnt even half way eat because it taste like sour dough, and my husband’s dry french toasts.
The bathroom is weird, no bathtub, only shower with only half glass enclosure (just imagine). The toilet with the loudest flush I’ve ever heard in my life, if you pee in the middle of the night just wait till you flush or end up waking up the person sleeping.
Paid extra $ 30 overnight parking lot across the street because they dont have their own parking lot.
The only good thing is, it is close to where our appointment was. That’s where my one star’s for.
Not going back again.

How amazing our stay was! My girlfriend and I stayed here for a week and it was fantastic. We were greeted by a gentleman at the reception desk who had glasses and blonde hair? Who was extremely friendly and had our room available before check-​in time. (around noon?)
Our Deluxe King Room was fantastic and HUGE! The ceiling was extremely high, which was great and we had plenty of room. The bathrooms were extremely clean with Bath and Body products, while the furniture, desk, Tv, etc all seemed pretty modern and new. The Wifi, although it disconnected here and then, was pretty fast (30mb download speed I believe?). Everything in the room was fantastic, just dont drink the water bottles.(Hate when hotels put out waters or snacks just to charge you 4 dollars a bottle.)
The location is fantastic. Next to a 7/​11, a starbucks, some places to eat, and about a block away from the Red Line.
Nevertheless, the staff at Hotel Blake should be praised. My girlfriend and I have been to 5-​star hotels in NY, Cancun, etc and the service staff, quality for the price, and room were all on par with some of the best. Definitely would recommend! Thank you!

A wonderful boutique hotel right in downtown. I had a great stay experience here and would return with no hesitation. My room was spotless, bed very comfortable and seemed to have been recently renovated. The valet cost $ 48 for an overnight park which I thought was steep… but not overly so.

Do NOT let the bad reviews prevent you from staying at Hotel Blake. I was there in October 2014 and have mostly good things to say. Like you, I was freaked out by the stories I read here on Unilocal.By the time I read them, I was on Amtrak and it was too late to cancel. But from the very second I walked into the hotel to the moment I left, I was treated like a queen. I was a woman alone, so I was especially worried. But the women at the front desk assured that all was OK, and it was. My room was big and gorgeous and immaculately clean. The housekeeping staff was polite and helpful. I did find the shower to be quirky — the faucet goes in an unexpected direction. I had to take a cold shower on day one because I couldn’t figure it out. Duh! I got it on day two.
I thought the bellmen were too flirtatious. It put me on edge because I was already nervous. They could tone it down a bit. One of them (who personally escorted me to my room with my suitcases) made a comment about my wedding ring when he and I were alone in the elevator. He was impressed by how shiny the diamonds were. Of course, this made me panic because I had been reading about the thefts that have supposedly occurred. That night, I put the ironing board in front of the door because I was so worried.
In the end, nothing at all happened or even close to it. Hotel Blake is fun, clean, and friendly. Whatever happened there is over now (as far as I can tell). I highly recommend it and I will for sure stay there again when I go back to Chicago. I do think the room service food could be improved. The eggs were a little cold :)

We booked this hotel without looking at Unilocal reviews. So when I came to leave a review, I was surprised to see so many negatives. We had a great experience at Hotel Blake.
Our room was clean and without any issue.
The staff was super accommodating and helpful, even in the face of some rental car issues that we experienced. They were always ready when asked for city suggestions. The valet staff, was always prompt and went out of their way for us.
And location, location, location. We loved finding ourselves just a few blocks from Millennium Park. The hotel is close to train stations and great restaurants within walking distance.
I would definitely stay here again.