I am a Days Inn patron, but the DI was down with an electrical virus and the lovely reservations manager there suggested the Willows for my stay. I had a lovely room with the back view, but it was quiet, neat, and perfectly suited to my tastes - operable windows, best neighborhood in Chicago, easy access to all of my usual haunts. The free breakfast was a great perk, and I had a small fridge, another necessity. Lack of a safe was my only quibble. If you are looking for a truly calm experience in a real neighborhood with a boutique, not over-the-top atmosphere, the Willows is a great choice. The access to Bally Fitness, also offered by Days Inn, is a wonderful added attraction.

I visited Chicago to hang out with friends and I selected The Willows because: 1) It is in my old neighbourhood (Lakeview), which I love and 2) it is convenient to get to Boystown, Wrigleyville, the Near North, The Loop, and Evanston: all locations I wanted to visit on this trip. I loved the architecture of the hotel and my room was quite large. The free breakfast is continental, but it is ample. The service was efficient, but not overly warm. I have stayed here once before and will definitely stay again.
Some general recommendations:
1) Book on Expedia or another travel website. This is my second time at The Willows and both times the rates on their website were more expensive than on Expedia.
2) From O'Hare, take the Blue Line to Logan Square and then bus #76 to Sheridan. Get off at Diversey and Clark. It is only one block away from the hotel.
3) Explore the local neighbourhood on foot. There are wonderful shops, especially walking north on Broadway. Be sure to try Intelligentsia Coffee on Broadway.
4) If you are going to the Magnificent Mile, walk to Diversey and Sheridan (only a couple of blocks from the hotel), and take the 151 Sheridan bus south. It will drop you off right on Michigan Ave.

I recently was in Chicago for a weekend stay on my way to another city, and I booked the Willows for a 30% off rate of around $100 per night. I had read all the reviews, so I had reasonable expectations of what I would be getting. The hotel is very well located, near shops and restaurants, Halsted Street, and the metro. The staff were all very courteous and helpful, and the availablility of hot coffee and tea in the cozy lobby area 24/7 was a nice touch, as the high on a couple of days that I was there was around 15. My room was number 200. The advantage was that it was one of the few front facing King rooms... probably the one in the photo in their website, but was much smaller than you would have guessed from looking at the photo. Still, it was clean and efficient. The only complaint was that it was adjacent to the stairwell, and I was awakened a couple of times by footsteps I did see the suite, which was much bigger, but did not have the view of room 200, so if traveling alone I would stay with the King room. I honestly have nothing negative to say about this hotel.... If you want a more neighborhood feel in a small hotel, then this is a great place to stay. One other note for travelers - the traffic from the airport is terrible on Diversy, the road towards this area. I would definitely consider taking the train in... take the Blue Line to the Logan Square Station and cab in around 3 miles to the hotel, or if the weather is ok take the Blue line all the way downtown, connect with the Brown line to Diversy, and walk about 6 blocks to the hotel.

This is one of the hidden gems of Chicago, especially if you want to feel like you're living in a Chicago neighborhood. Boutique by nature, with rooms that are nicely kept, large and comfortable (albeit somewhat aged) and easy access to restaurants and shopping. Here's the problem, though: the staff is ambivalent and, sometimes, outright rude. This is really disturbing to me, as I love the hotel itself. I stayed for several days on the most recent visit, and nearly every staff member was outright dismissive. Frequently, there's no one at the desk (which made me wonder if this is really something the management should know about), and when there is someone, it's a guarantee that he won't greet you and won't ever smile. Bottom line is that this is an above average property downgraded by a personnel problem.