Review of Freehand Chicago 4*

I guess there are other Freehand establishments, and this Chicago location is a newbie. On one hand, I'd have to give it an A for effort. Though I couldn't figure out why I was uncomfortable there. The hostelers, a mixed bag at best, were the same as anywhere. The Chicago staff, were, well, Chicago staff. The décor, hmmm. The décor. Sort of looney tune décor. I love all the woodwork, that conveys establishment, heritage, and longevity. Kind of a mix of FLW prairie and native american. The whole thing throws a long time traveler off balance though. At first you want to behave like your at the Hilton, or maybe Hyatt express. Business like, and all that, because of the solid decor. Most hostelers really have no purpose to their travel, so business like behavioir is “old”. Is it casual, sloppy then, like most hostels end up being? Yes, in casual, no in sloppy. All in all, its not really a true hostel, or not a very good hostel. Many hostelers are eating lunch and dinner, from a cereal box, or having a cucumber. Or, alternately, a big group, requiring a big kitchen and dining room. As for being a good hotel, Ok for a boutique hotel, perhaps. In the final analysis, the place was kind of designed for me. Someone that would enjoy the cost benefit of a shared room, and also enjoy the big effort to create a more pleasing décor. So, now I get it, its an upscale hostel. I'll bump up my overall rating to a 3+, but since there is no 3+, I'll give it a 4. P. S. Music in the lobby lounge is way too loud. You really can't talk to anyone, and many are from another country, which makes chatting difficult to begin with, so with the loud music, and language barrier, theres a lot of shaking heads, and “I didn't understand”…