WHERE TO STAY IN CHICAGO WITH KIDS – Our Neighborhood & Hotel Pick

Are you trying to figure out where to stay in Chicago with your family?

I spent a few days in Chicago with my 10-year-old to see a WNBA game and found a safe, convenient area and comfortable, clean, budget-friendly hotel for our stay. 

Why listen to me? I enjoy hotel research, and I’ve got a bit of experience with family trips, having worked in tourism with families (for over two decades, mostly in Italy) and having traveled with my 3 kids on multiple continents. 

My main goals when booking our hotel for Chicago were to find a place that was:

• Safe
• Convenient for things we wanted to see and do
• Easy to reach from the airport
• Not insanely expensive

I don’t always hit the jackpot, but we were both really happy with the neighborhood we were in and the hotel we stayed in.  So, I wanted to share it in hopes that it will help another family (like yours!) find a place to stay in Chicago (without spending hours researching like I did).

Good To Know:  I traveled with a 10-year-old and the hotel we chose works well with elementary age kids and up.  It could definitely work for babies and toddlers too, but I have different priorities when booking for younger kids (like finding a park nearby, making sure there’s space in the room for our stroller, etc).

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What to Think About When Deciding Where to Stay with Your Family in Chicago

As I mentioned above, here’s what I took into account when booking our family stay in Chicago:

Safety – I wanted to be in an area we could walk around in the evening and in the early morning. 

Convenience – I didn’t want to have to use public transport to get to everything we wanted to see, and I also didn’t want to spend a lot of time getting to and from places. 

Transport Options – It was important for us to be somewhere with easy access to trains, buses, or walking routes to sights.  I also wanted to have easy options for getting to/from the airport. 

Price – Chicago accommodations felt pricey (especially coming from a few days in Indianapolis), so I wanted to make sure our hotel satisfied the above requirements but didn’t break my budget. 

The Neighborhood We Stayed In

We ended up staying in the Loop neighborhood, just across from the Chicago River.  I also considered hotels in the River North neighborhood (just across the river).

It was easy to walk along the river and to sites we see.  Anything that wasn’t within walking distance we could reach by train (just a quick walk away). 

There were plenty of tourists and locals in the area, morning through evening.

L7 Chicago by Lotte – A Fantastic Hotel for Families in Chicago

We stayed at L7 Chicago by Lotte, at 225 N. Wabash Ave.

I booked a King Room with River View on Booking.com.

L7 Chicago by Lotte -> info & rates.

Highlights of L7:

• Location – easy to get everywhere we wanted to go
• Views from the window seat in our room
• Kind & helpful staff
• Clean rooms with enough space and storage

Getting to L7 Chicago by Lotte

It’s easy to reach L7 Chicago by Lotte by train, bus, rideshare, taxi, or on foot.

We arrived by Amtrak train at Union Station and from there, walked to the hotel (we wanted to see the city). 

We departed the hotel by train to the Chicago O’Hare airport.  It’s on the blue line and you can catch the train from the Washington stop (.3 miles from L7 by Lotte).

The Check-In Process

We arrived early and left our luggage while we went out and explored.

You can get early check-in for a fee, but they will also try to get you into your room a bit early if your room is clean and ready.  Our room ended up being ready a little early and it was nice to get settled in before heading back out to explore.

There’s a friendly porter available to help with luggage.

Rooms at Hotel Lotte 7 in Chicago

L7 has rooms and suites that sleep up to 5 people (if one of them is a baby, toddler, or small child that can sleep in a cot).  There are also adjoining rooms available. 

We stayed in on the 14^th floor in a King Room with River View. 

Our room was quiet and clean with modern amenities.  My 10-year-old liked the style (reminded him a bit of Japan).

One of our favorite things about the room was the window seat overlooking the river and Chicago skyscrapers.  It was a lovely place to sit during the day or at night, with the city lit up.  The only thing about our stay were were extremely dissatisfied with was the ugly building across the river (owned by the current president of the US). 

Other great things about the room:

• USB wall chargers
• Yoga mat
• Coffee and tea in room (or downstairs in lobby)
• Robes
• Nice toiletries
• Able to close curtains and have it be dark
• Comfy beds
• Sink water is filtered for drinking.

Why the Location Worked Well for Us

We walked to so many places from L7 Chicago by Lotte:

• River Walk
• Sloomoo (read about our experience at Sloomoo Chicago)
• Grant / Millenium Park (the Bean, mini golf, etc)
• Navy Pier & Ohio St. Beach
• Millenium Mile

We also used the subway and trains to reach:

• Wintrust Arena (for a Chicago Sky WNBA game)
• Wrigley Field (for a concert) 

The area was full of people, morning and night.

There were plenty of restaurants around us (including in the hotel), and there’s a 7-11 across the street for snacks!

The Check-Out Process

I checked out at the front desk and left our key (super easy). 

We left our luggage in the luggage storage because we had time between check-out and leaving for the airport. 

More to Know About Chicago’s Hotel Lotte 7

Kind Staff – They helped us get to/from Wrigley Field and get to airport. 

Kid-Focused?  – No, but the hotel is perfectly fine for kids, based on our stay.  My 10-year-old really liked the hotel.  We saw other elementary-age kids at the hotel during our stay.

Luggage Storage – You’re able to leave luggage before check-in and after check-out.

Perks – You can get complimentary water, coffee, tea, and newspapers in the lobby.  My son would’ve loved a hot chocolate option for the hot drinks machine in the lobby.

Would We Stay Here Again? 

Yes, we’d gladly stay at L7 Chicago by Lotte.  It will be the first place I’ll check on a return trip to Chicago with kids.  Our stay at the hotel felt like excellent value by my son and I enjoyed our time in Chicago using L7 as our base.

If the hotel is full when we come back, I’ll try to book a hotel in the same area.

I hope reading about our experience has helped you out.  Enjoy your time in Chicago with your kids!