voco Chicago Downtown - Riverwalk by IHG

Reviews

• EB

  Ed Brill

  3 days ago
  2.0
  Booked for a Friday night staycation in the city. Check-in was efficient. Diamond status unusually netted us each a single marshmallow as a welcome amenity. At 11 PM, there was a ton of activity in the lobby, upper lobby, bar, snack shop, elevators etc. Felt very active, less peaceful. We arrived at our corner room on 22nd floor. Upon entering, we heard music and people. It sounded like an actual live band. I actually doubled back out in the hall to see if there was a rooftop bar above us or something, nope. With the open atrium building design, the hotel should have been aware of a party/event going on in a room, not our job to inform. We decided to turn around and leave. The view was nice but we could not even sit and talk. We stopped at the desk in the upper lobby and told them we were not interested in another room, we were leaving. They said they'd back out the charges. Instead I still got billed for the stay and had to reverse it when phone calls and emails went unanswered. This was my first introduction to the Voco brand and not an ideal experience.
• KW

  K W

  4 days ago
  4.0
  The highlight of our stay was Heidi! We came to celebrate my daughter’s 8th birthday, and she truly went above and beyond to make it special. She upgraded us to a beautiful room overlooking the Chicago River and gave us a $100 hospitality credit that we could use at the snack market, breakfast buffet, or for dinner and drinks. That thoughtful gesture made our trip even more memorable. The staff overall was very kind and welcoming. Another thing I really enjoyed was the location. It was very walkable and made it easy to explore many of Chicago’s top attractions, restaurants, and shops without needing to drive. As for the hotel itself, you can definitely tell it’s a bit outdated, but they’ve made an effort with some remodeling. My room still had popcorn ceilings, while the hallway and bathroom ceilings had been updated. The shower was great, but I didn’t like how the sink splashed water everywhere every time it was turned on. I saw other guests mention issues with the A/C, but thankfully that wasn’t our experience—ours blew ice-cold the entire stay. I was disappointed that several outlets in the room didn’t work. Another inconvenience was having to use two separate sets of elevators to get around the hotel. Overall, while the hotel has a few areas that could use some updating, Heidi’s exceptional customer service and the hotel’s excellent location made for a memorable stay.
• DF

  Denise Ferreira

  5 days ago
  3.0
  For what we paid I’d expect the fridge to work and all the outlets near the bed to work too. Breakfast was expensive and the bar wasn’t open for Bloody Marys. Google Maps doesn’t tell you how to get there correctly either. We had a larger King room but the bathroom was tiny. Hardly any sink counter space for two people and the faucet is too short and water gets all over the counter. Great views of the city though.
• TD

  Tamara Wilkerson Dias

  Jul 19, 2026
  2.0
  I ended up at this hotel after already dealing with flight issues that turned a long travel day into an even longer one. I was hoping to finally rest, but that’s not what happened. My room, on the top floor, sat at 78 degrees no matter what I did, even with the thermostat set to its lowest setting. I called engineering, hoping for a real fix, but was just told to give it time. So I waited, four hours, until 10pm, and the temperature had barely moved, down to 76. I was told this was just how the top floor is, as if that made it easier to accept. Later I found out another guest on the same floor had the opposite problem, and her room was too cold, so it wasn’t the floor at all, just something broken that nobody wanted to actually address. With the hotel sold out, all they could offer was a loud floor fan, which meant choosing between overheating or listening to noise all night. I laid there overheated and exhausted, watching the hours tick down before I had to get up for a 7am flight, too hot and too tired to actually rest. After a day that had already gone so wrong, this was the last place I needed to be let down again.
• LS

  Lynn Smith

  Jul 12, 2026
  5.0
  This has been the most enjoyable and easy going trip for us. Voco has exceeded our expectations in every way! The room is very nicely decorated and the view of the river is outstanding. We arrived early (1:30) and since a room was available, we were able to pay an additional $25 to check-in early. After going to The Field Museum and walking for over 2.6 miles, it was such a relief to come back to an exceptional hotel. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and the food was delicious! We started with the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. It was very creamy with a wonderful mixture of artichoke and spinach. The only complaint is that the chips were not a favorite of ours. Seasoned Pita Chips would have been much more enjoyable. I enjoyed the Porto Sandwich and a Caesar Salad. My husband had the Steakhouse Burger, which was a double smash burger with garlic aioli. He also had their garden salad with a Sherry Basalmic Dressing, which was a refreshing change from red wine vinegar and oil. Overall, the service was amazing, both with the hotel checking in and with the restaurant- Alex was very attentive and very polite! Highly recommend this hotel and the restaurant!