Is parking available at the hotel?

Yes, free self-parking is available on-site. However, parking is limited.

What are the check-in and check-out times?

Check-in is from 15:00 to 23:00, and check-out is at 11:00. Early or late check-in/check-out may be available upon request, but additional charges may apply.

Where is the hotel located in relation to local attractions?

The hotel is located in Oak Park, within a 5-minute drive of Concordia University Chicago and Dominican University. It is approximately 10.2 miles from Willis Tower and 10.5 miles from the Art Institute of Chicago.

What are the policies for children staying at the hotel?

Up to 4 children aged 18 years and younger can stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.

What are the policies regarding extra beds and cribs?

Cribs are available for a fee of USD 10.00 per day, and rollaway beds are available for a fee of USD 10.00 per night. Advance request or confirmation may be required.

Carleton of Oak Park Hotel in Oak Park

Average nightly price at Carleton of Oak Park by month, last 12 months (USD)
Month	Average price
January	$138
February	$130
March	$134
April	$135
May	$140
June	$140
July	$138
August	$154
September	$138
October	$156
November	$139
December	$140

What guests think

At the Carleton of Oak Park, travelers highlight a charming historic feel, a highly walkable Oak Park location near the Green Line, generally clean and spacious rooms (many with kitchenettes), friendly staff, and the uncommon perk of free parking.

On-site restaurants receive frequent praise, and the neighborhood offers many dining options. Common drawbacks include dated or worn features, inconsistent housekeeping, musty odors in a few rooms, weak A/C or heat noise, and occasional Wi-Fi issues. The historic layout means small elevators and some stairs that complicate luggage or mobility, and there’s no breakfast service or on-site gym. Expect a comfortable, character-filled stay in a superb, transit-friendly suburb.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Free parking is a consistent plus. The historic layout brings small elevators and some stairs that complicate access, and there is no on-site gym.

Related guest reviews

4

Alex

Jul 9, 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

Area was ok. They don't actually have a gym, so that's kind of misleading. They can get you passes for a Y nearby. Not sure if it's free or not. Worst part is they have minimal housekeeping. Your rooms will not be cleaned. Maybe if you request it but no guarantees.

10

Connie

Aug 22, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

External doors not well lighted to indicate where to enter besides the main entrance. After turning on Pleasant St was difficult to see where the entrance was. May be related to construction across the street from the main entrance.

10

Donna

Mar 24, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Only elevator was broken last day

10

Jennifer

Aug 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice to have accessible parking

10

Michael

Sep 7, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Includes parking.

8

Jonas

Jun 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean, nice vibe. No smell, quiet. Excellent location, train is right there. The shower faucet could be less wobbly. What quite unpleasant you surprised me that there were no USB ports to charge the phone.

10

Christopher

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location and free parking. The hotel is one block from the L station with a 35 min ride into the city center. Good food nearby, clean room, good staff. I would totally stay here again.

10

Donald

May 21, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great hotel very well appointed. Too many stairs.

8

Brian P

Aug 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The place is in a neighborhood with 2 restaurants connected to it. It is really close to the train station and heart of the city which is walkable. Lots of restaurants and stores to go to as well. The hotel has a lot of charm and historic significance. The elevator is quite small and can probably fit 2 people with a luggage or two only, but it's doable. The room itself was quaint. The bathroom was small and tight with its 2 sink, closet (which you can only open if you close the bathroom door first), toilet and bathtub. The towels were thin (like a motel would have). The black and white tile floor in the bathroom brightened the place. The air conditioner was a bit loud and the view we had was the alley and the motel side of the hotel. There is a small room with a microwave, small fridge, sink and coffee maker. There is no utensils, paper towels or anything to use, so bring your own. We did enjoy staying here because of the location (nice and safe area), history and comfortable room.

10

Ridhard

Sep 18, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Very nicely maintained old hotel from the 1920's judging by the coved ceilings. Very clean. Good beds. Like a visit to the past. Steam heat. Air conditioners. Be aware, lobby is six steps below street level, and a portion of the hotel requires a fight of stairs up to the lowest elevator level. Il that is a problem for you, requst rooms in the portion served by lobby level elevators.

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Cleanliness

Generally clean overall, but some reviews note musty odors and occasional bathroom or housekeeping lapses.

Related guest reviews

8

Maureen

Jul 23, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We loved the location & the room. The bellboy was wonderful! However, the shower was not as clean as we expected. There were long black hairs on the shower floor

8

Susan

Sep 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The only reason I did not give 5 stars was because our room had a very old, musty smell that never went away. My guess is not all the rooms had that smell, but since we only stayed for one night, we did not ask for a new room. But we loved the room, decor and hotel overall and would stay again. Definitely recommend.

10

Terry

Sep 13, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Very clean

8

Renee

Sep 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

My room was very clean….cozy… the only complaint was the musty smell.. I always bring a candle with me and I did use it.

10

Nancy

Oct 18, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Loved your cute boutique hotel Spotlessly clean Comfy bed Clean white sheets Beautiful libby

4

Ajiah

Jul 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Unsafe, bedsheets weren’t clean enough

10

Laurie

Jul 21, 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

The location was great and the staff were wonderful. For the price, this is a great deal. My only complaint is that the rooms were not cleaned very well.

6

Monika

May 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The Egg Harbor restaurant was the savior!! The hotel itself was dirty, the coffee maker in the room actually fusty !!! Rooms fo not have convenient cell phone charger plug points. There is no restaurant or breakfast service. The view from hotel windows is a back dirty alley!! The hotel felt like it belonged in an Agatha Christie murder mystery. Vintage feel. Which was the most appealing part

8

Casey

Apr 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Overall nice stay. Room was fairly clean although there was hair in the tub. The bathroom door had a hard time staying closed and squeaked so loud. Walls are thin but it is an old building. Bed was super firm, so if that's your thing you'll like it. Me being a side sleeper it was a bit hard.

10

Kathleen

Aug 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Carleton of Oak Park. Lovely building with a beautiful lobby!. Our room was spacious and clean; the bed quite comfortable. Easy-to-use shower/tub with two sinks...and fluffy towels. Loved the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture photos in the hallways. Great location too. We took a nice early morning walk around the neighborhood. Love the old buildings, the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired touches, the public art and the murals. Free parking. There are restaurants inside the hotel for breakfast and dinner, as well as several within walking distance.

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Rooms

Many rooms are spacious, quiet, and comfortable, often with kitchenettes. Downsides include dated decor, small bathrooms, thin walls, and HVAC or Wi-Fi issues in some rooms.

Related guest reviews

10

Katherine

Dec 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice, spacious room. Great location, within walking distance to downtown Oak Park. Quiet.

10

Debra

Nov 28, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Room was clean, quiet, beds are very comfortable. We love the free parking and having two restaurants so close to get take out food with ease

8

Jamie

Sep 1, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice Old school but nice! HVAC could improve

8

David

Sep 15, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel is fine. The internet connections are terrible in my room. Struggled to do a Zoom board meeting from my room on the second floor.

8

Christine

Oct 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Love the large rooms!

10

Ed

Aug 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very nice. Room was small

8

Brian P

Aug 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The place is in a neighborhood with 2 restaurants connected to it. It is really close to the train station and heart of the city which is walkable. Lots of restaurants and stores to go to as well. The hotel has a lot of charm and historic significance. The elevator is quite small and can probably fit 2 people with a luggage or two only, but it's doable. The room itself was quaint. The bathroom was small and tight with its 2 sink, closet (which you can only open if you close the bathroom door first), toilet and bathtub. The towels were thin (like a motel would have). The black and white tile floor in the bathroom brightened the place. The air conditioner was a bit loud and the view we had was the alley and the motel side of the hotel. There is a small room with a microwave, small fridge, sink and coffee maker. There is no utensils, paper towels or anything to use, so bring your own. We did enjoy staying here because of the location (nice and safe area), history and comfortable room.

8

Susan

Nov 11, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The Carleton is a lovely old place in an excellent location. You are steps from all that downtown Oak Park has to offer as well as the Green Line for trips into Chicago. It's a bit run down and could have been a bit cleaner. I appreciated the larger room with the kitchenette.

8

Casey

Apr 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Overall nice stay. Room was fairly clean although there was hair in the tub. The bathroom door had a hard time staying closed and squeaked so loud. Walls are thin but it is an old building. Bed was super firm, so if that's your thing you'll like it. Me being a side sleeper it was a bit hard.

10

David

Apr 21, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Large gap between door frame and door to my room...noisy heating unit...no fan in bathroom.

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Service

Staff are widely described as friendly, accommodating, and quick to help. Staffing shortages sometimes limit housekeeping or lead to uneven responsiveness.

Related guest reviews

6

Kelvin

Apr 1, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Each time we have stayed, when had an issue with our room, they would reply with words “sorry about that”. We pay for comfortable stays, not words of comfort.

2

Pedro

Jul 11, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

The hotel is old and in need of renovation, the area around the hotel is very nice, with many restaurants. I do not recommend staying in this hotel until they sort out the staffing issues. We stayed at this hotel for four days and only got housekeeping in the last day. The other days the staffing shortages were used as excuse for not providing housekeeping services, this is not acceptable as one, when booking accommodations is not informed of the lack of housekeeping services. When staying at a hotel one expects the beds to be made and the restroom to be cleaned every day. Anything else is not acceptable. Hence I recommend avoiding this hotel until the staffing situation is addressed.

10

Lauren

Sep 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff was very accommodating and helpful !

10

Veda

Oct 5, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Staff were very friendly and were very receptive to an issue we had. They had someone at our room within minutes to fix the issue.

10

Dwight

Nov 18, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

I checked with the hotel the night before arrival and found that for the second time in two months Hotels.Com had cancelled my booking in error. The staff member, Ronnie, rebooked my room and even offered a better rate than I had for the minor inconvenience.

8

Daniel

Jul 25, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Reserved 3 nights online. After a day or two I was going to call for some questions. Several phone numbers came up online. None was good. FINALLY found the one ending in 5000. Fix problem. And you’re short of staff. I’m from downstate and was surprised at so many “will hire” signs I saw almost everywhere. Not enough $ to pay enough so they can get by on it or there are other reasons too many won’t work. Put my review to good use. Haha. Helps me understand myself.

2

Arshinder

Dec 14, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Left few clothes in the room drawer.. never found… reception and house keeping were very indifferent

2

Andrew

Dec 4, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We reserved 4 rooms for ourself and family due to the location. It was convenient to our sons wedding venue. We received late check-in upon arrival because they were short staffed and our room was not ready. The night before the wedding, our room key did not work. The front desk said they couldn’t get us into our room until the morning due to a battery issue with the key box. They have us another room for the night however, we had nothing but the cloths on our backs. We slept in contacts, no toiletries, no cloths for the wedding, no medication for the night due to everything being in our locked room. We were able to get into our room the next morning and hurried to get ready. We requested a one night refund for our room and inconvenience. We were told it would be handled since we spent over $1400 in rooms. You can imagine our surprise when a check for $50 arrived in the mail as compensation. I was not surprised that the manager never returned my two phone calls to discuss. I recommend everyone avoid this dump. The staff was rude and unhelpful. If I could give zero stars I would.

10

Tim

Jun 22, 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Easy check-in. All the front desk, staff, friendly and accommodating, plenty of towels and coffee from housekeeping. We'd definitely stay again.

8

Joseph

Dec 3, 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

The staff person we saw the most was Charlotte (at the desk). She does a fine job being friendly and helpful.

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Location

Excellent, walkable Oak Park location near the Green Line and Metra, with easy access to Chicago and local sights. A few guests mentioned sketchy spots near a station.

Related guest reviews

10

Patricia

Jun 1, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The location is perfect for visiting downtown Chicago. Just a 20 minute ride away on the green line of the L train.

10

Patricia

Sep 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Ideal location for just about everything! We enjoyed a play downtown Chicago afterwards only took us 15 minutes to get to the hotel! The hotel is within walking distance to many restaurants and extensive shopping!

10

Richard

Jun 12, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent location. Very close to the train line. Very nice area for shopping and restaurants and close to Frank Llyod Wright houses and studio.

10

Richard

Sep 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Easy access to the L Green line gives you access to all of Chicago. But there is enough in Oak Park alone to make it a destination. The Carleton is my choice in the greater Chicago area.

10

Melissa

Aug 30, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We enjoyed our stay at this cute older hotel. Has a lot of charm and Oak Park is a lovely area to explore. Great access to the CTA green line trains for an easy way to explore the city. Thanks!

8

Daniel

Aug 8, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Close to the train with plenty of options for food.

10

Christopher

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location and free parking. The hotel is one block from the L station with a 35 min ride into the city center. Good food nearby, clean room, good staff. I would totally stay here again.

8

Brian P

Aug 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The place is in a neighborhood with 2 restaurants connected to it. It is really close to the train station and heart of the city which is walkable. Lots of restaurants and stores to go to as well. The hotel has a lot of charm and historic significance. The elevator is quite small and can probably fit 2 people with a luggage or two only, but it's doable. The room itself was quaint. The bathroom was small and tight with its 2 sink, closet (which you can only open if you close the bathroom door first), toilet and bathtub. The towels were thin (like a motel would have). The black and white tile floor in the bathroom brightened the place. The air conditioner was a bit loud and the view we had was the alley and the motel side of the hotel. There is a small room with a microwave, small fridge, sink and coffee maker. There is no utensils, paper towels or anything to use, so bring your own. We did enjoy staying here because of the location (nice and safe area), history and comfortable room.

10

Katherine

Sep 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great price for location. Stayed in motel section. Would definitely stay again

10

Kathleen

Aug 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Carleton of Oak Park. Lovely building with a beautiful lobby!. Our room was spacious and clean; the bed quite comfortable. Easy-to-use shower/tub with two sinks...and fluffy towels. Loved the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture photos in the hallways. Great location too. We took a nice early morning walk around the neighborhood. Love the old buildings, the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired touches, the public art and the murals. Free parking. There are restaurants inside the hotel for breakfast and dinner, as well as several within walking distance.

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Dining

The on-site Italian restaurant and pub are popular and well-reviewed, with many eateries nearby. There is no breakfast service and hours can be limited.

Related guest reviews

10

Wendall

Nov 27, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice place. The restaurant/bar closes too early.

8

William

Apr 2, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Old hotel, but reasonably clean and great location. Nice Italian restaurant and great old neighborhood bar downstairs.

10

Robert

May 20, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Loved everything about the area and hotel, other than no breakfast service. The Cozy Cafe just two blocks down was a great alternative, though.

10

Joyce

Oct 31, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had a wonderful dinner on Sunday with Giovanni and your Italian restaurant and it was really great. Food was great and Giovanni was funny and entertaining.M

10

Lori

May 19, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Property was clean. Room was quiet. Beds were very comfortable. Two dining options on the property. Within walking distance to other restaurants and shopping.

10

Lucy

Aug 9, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Good, safe place. Helpful staff. Nice location for a city. Shopping and a large park nearby! No breakfast though.

10

Shawn

Jul 24, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Hotel is beautifully kept, staff is great, connected restaurants great service with outdoor seating.

10

BRIAN

Jul 28, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very convenient for visiting Frank Lloyd Wright sites in Oak Park. Train station less than a block away. Located in the Pleasant historic neighborhood in a classic building, we enjoyed the classic lobby vibe. Room was basic but clean with a nice kitchenette. We loved the plentiful free parking and the on-site bistro with outdoor seating

10

Lucy

Aug 14, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Breakfast not available, restaurants for lunch and dinner. Lunch was good, I didnt have dinner there.

10

Cory

Aug 1, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Loved the look and feel of the place. Great location. Free parking a huge plus. Oak Park was lovely. The Italian restaurant at the hotel is fantastic.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
1 $177	2 $155	3 $155	4 $155	5 $126	6 $167	7
8 $159	9 $158	10	11 $123	12 $125	13 $164	14 $164
15 $125	16 $155	17 $121	18 $125	19 $155	20 $164	21 $168
22 $121	23 $121	24 $155	25 $178	26	27 $169	28 $133
29 $155	30 $121

Carleton of Oak Park

Prices for Carleton of Oak Park

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Exterior Entrance, Motel Room

Deluxe Double Room, 2 Double Beds

Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed

Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed

Guest reviews of Carleton of Oak Park

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Carleton of Oak Park

Prices for upcoming dates