Let me start by saying I had NO IDEA about the controversy surrounding the Congress Hotel. My friends and I were looking for a cheap place for all of us to stay last summer on our senior year trip. Chicago was great but the hotel was subpar, not to mention shady. The running water we were apparently lucky to have started coming out brown. My friend's ipod was also stolen by a hotel security guard. It is difficult to explain the circumstances, but we are 100% sure a member of the staff stole it. However, we were unable to prove it beyond our word. When I went down to the basement to talk to security the most I got were blank stares. I shouldn't have expected any better from thieves.

Nicole, 7/31/2009
Strongsville, OH, online or by phone- I can't remember

If you are sacrificing quality just because you don't want to pay more money, shame on you.

Sierra Bamiro, 5/18/2009
Bowie, MD, National Restaurant Association Convention

I switched rooms because it was dirty.

Oben Abright, 5/18/2009
San Francisco, CA, hotels.com

Hot water must be run for 15 minutes to get hot--wasteful. Little or no ventilation. Low water pressure. It's a shame that this hotel is not being kept up well and it's obvious that it's not.

Tim O'Connell, 5/18/2009
Findlay, OH, online

I wouldn't have stayed here had I known there was a strike

Chris Bovee, 5/18/2009
Madison, WI, walk-in

Unfriendly staff and security

Lily Saunders, 5/16/2009
Tampa, FL, Expedia.com

Paying for internet is unacceptable! Especially with a wire. The bathroom has no place to hang things.

Clementine Charlemaine, 5/10/2009
Paris, France, internet

Ok. Good people. Old facilities. Poor lighting near the vending machines, flaking and peeling paint, lack of water pressure.

Bhushan, 5/4/2009
Ann Arbor, MI, online

Not a well maintained hotel. Not up to hotel standard and not what it makes it out to be online, when booking a room.

Kent Thornquist, 5/4/2009
Abilene, TX, online

The price was right for me, which is why I did not complain about no thermostat and the length of time it took for the water to heat up. The staff were not at all friendly, especially the woman at the front desk who checked me in. I ate breakfast in one of the restaurants--- they did not have yogurt but put it on my bill anyway, and just decided not to charge me for my coffee. Hello--- coffee was *not* priced the same as the yogurt, so essentially they thought it was perfectly okay to overcharge me for my meal! Overall, my stay was okay because I was in Chicago for a conference which took place at another hotel, and I was hardly ever in my room. However, had I known about the protests, I would never have booked my stay there. Shame on the owners!

TJC , 5/3/2009
Lawrence, KS, internet