IHSP Chicago Hostel at Damen CTA Reviews

I loved that the place is decorated so nicely to give the necessary youth atmosphere that I was looking for. I also loved that there are so many young travelers from all over the world which makes it the perfect place to meet new people. Everything I could have needed was there (hair dryer, common room, tv, internet, etc)

I stayed at this place only 1 night but it was definitely worth the money I paid. Excellent location both to reach the downtown and O'Hare airport (CTA station is like 2 min walk from the hostel). The staff was very friendly and talkative :) There were computers available in the common room - very useful if you need to do the check-in/print out the boarding pass etc. Also they offer complimentary breakfast (get yourself ready for some pancakes! :)

I have done a lot of traveling outside of the US- stayed in more than my fair share of hostels- really great set-up here. Loved it, and would definitely stay again!

I was a bit apprehensive about my stay here at first, based on my terrible stay at IHSP in New Orleans, but this place rocks! Wyatt was very nice and helpful from the very beginning when I exchange emails with him till my arrival. The whole team is incredible! Awesome and welcoming staff that helped me with everything I needed. Common area is huge and fun. Wii, Netflix, kitchen. Top location, everything is around there and subway is half a block away. I can't complain about a single thing! :)

The new building was also good, how it's going to be better when the kitchen is fully operating.

Everything was really excellent though except for the party. We couldnt have a party as long as we wanted . And then compared to second floor , third floor heating system was not enough . However as i said it was really great , and from the hostel , it is not that far from the down town and unionstation . Location is very good .

I had a wonderful stay at IHSP, located in a nice neighborhood. To cook pancakes every morning is an easy way to meet new people ! Claire

This was my first hostel experience, and from what I talked about with others staying at the hostel, it will be difficult to top it in the future. The staff are very friendly. They even have a list of cheap eats broken down by days so you know inexpensive places to eat in Chicago on any given day. There is free pancake breakfast every day, and various restaurants will give you discounts if you bring along your key card for IHSP. Overall, a marvelous experience.

No lockers in the rooms to lock up valuables, and rooms are the tiniest i have been in. The common room shuts down at midnight from sunday - thurs, but some people have parties in their room until 3am. Walls are also paper thin, so if you are looking to sleep more than 5hours a night, look elsewhere

It was great, also the staff and the others guests were so helpful. We really enjoyed our days.

The hostel had a great location. The rooms themselves were very cool. Two things were not made clear before we arrived: 1) the hostel has two separate buildings where people stay. The buildings are about 3 blocks apart. 2) The "all-you-can-eat" pancake breakfast is actually an "all-you-can-make-yourself" pancake breakfast. They put out big bowls of batter and one skillet for the entire hostel and you have to complete for skillet time with 20-25 other people. Not fun.

Very nice staff, nice people, nice place. And besides, cheap!! Thanks!

It's a very nice hostel, nice people as hosts. Really close to a train(subway) station and a Walgreens (supermarket). Only problem was the bed, very uncomfortable in California's room.

IHSP was definitely one of the best hostels i've ever stayed at in the US. The location is perfect, right off the blue line train, in the vibrant district of Damen/Wicker Park. The room was clean, the staff was very friendly, the atmosphere was really good thanks to the huge common room/kitchen where everybody can hang out and have a good breakfast.

It has a great location very close to the 24/7 metro station so you can go to downtown (the loop) and return late and there will be no problem. the hostel has very nice things like pool table, free wi-fi and free breakfast.

Pretty typical hostel setting. Cheap paper thin walls between rooms. You can hear everything from other rooms and people walking down the hall ways. Otherwise, it's a very social atmosphere.

Couldn't have asked for a friendlier place to stay in Chicago, I had a great time staying here. Just remember to take the Blue Line on the Over Ground trains to get to Damen not the pink line because the pink line takes you to south damen and thats not a good time.

I made a reservation for a wrong day with them them, and just notice that after the day that was booked. I entered in contact to see what can be done, and, beside the attention and all the help they gave me, they made a new reserve for me, just charging a small fee! So, I strongly recomend it for everybody that needs a place in Chicago!

The free pancakes were really cool!

The rooms were cozy and warm, a very nice contrast to the cold of the Chicago winter.. especially after sitting outside for the NCAA Hockey Classic. The breakfast pancakes were large and delicious, and the only problem I encountered was the lack of parking, but they tell you where you can park for free. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.