As it was our first visit to Chicago, we didn't really know what to expect and chose this hotel largely on the basis of Tripadvisor reviews. Imagine our horror, then, when after booking a couple of not-so-good reviews appeared. We need not have worried. From the moment we entered we were charmed by it. Our room may not have been enormous, but it was quite satisfactory and the kitchen would have been very handy if we had had more than the few nights available to us - as it was, we did not want to spend time self-catering and decided to eat out instead. My wife's son, however, really hit the jackpot as for the same cost he had a suite all to himself and despite bribery and threats he refused to swap! Although not dead centre of the city, the location is great, facing the Lincoln Park Conservatory and Zoo, and once we sussed out the local bus routes we were able to get to most parts with ease. We had just come from a much more expensive hotel in Louisville and preferred this one. We loved it!

We stayed at the Belden-Stratford for 3 nights at the end of February. The lobby was gorgeous and the staff was very friendly. The room we had was quite large, but the bathroom is small. All the furnishings and decor were quite shabby and very dated. The room was clean as was the small kitchen (the oven was ancient). The restaurant, Mon Ami Gabi, was great. We got treatments at the Vera Voli spa, and while the decor there is very tacky, the massage and facial were excellent.

Bottom line, the lobby appearance didn't carry over to our room.

The room was very large and comfortable but the service was ridiculously bad. We got lost on our way to the hotel and when we called the hotel we got a very surly employee who ultimately put us on hold (without asking) and then declined to give us directions (suggesting we just ask someone off the street). great. this level of unfriendliness was certainly consistent with the rest of our stay. Basically, if you like the zoo, its a great location and the rooms seem fine. but if your plans take you anywhere else its not particularly well located. Also, the "fitness center" is very very small, on the basement level, and the very limited equipment is quite old.

It’s unfortunate that some sites bill the Belden Stratford as a 4-star hotel, because it certainly is not. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed our stay. The room was clean, the hotel is in a great location and the staff was friendly. But I think a 4-star hotel should offer something special, and our room definitely did not.

Judging from other reviews, it sounds like some rooms are very nice, but I can only speak for ours.It was dowdy, cheaply done and a little threadbare. It was nice to have a kitchen, nice to be across the street from the zoo and conservatory. But anyone who comes to the Belden Stratford expecting to be wowed by 4-star luxury is likely to be disappointed.