Yesterday I was talking with a friend who was planning a trip to downtown Chicago for the first time in many years and wasn’t familiar with the parking situation, inspiring this post.
Takeaway: Parking in Chicago is expensive. Avoid parking at downtown hotels to reduce the sticker shock.
Hotel Parking
The cost to park at hotels in downtown Chicago has always been high but has gotten absolutely insane since the pandemic. It is not unusual to see rates of $50/night or more for self parking. In fact I’ve seen rates of $75/night or more. And this isn’t just for five star hotels. For example, self parking at the Residence Inn Downtown Loop is currently $56/night.
Occasionally, hotels in the area will offer packages that include parking that are more reasonable. For example, late last year we stayed at a hotel near the Willis Tower that included parking for an additional $25/night so I booked the package. Particularly if you prefer to get your parking from the hotel this is worth a look.
Alternatives
There are three alternatives we typically take advantage of to keep our parking costs down when visiting Chicago.
Don’t Park With The Hotel
That probably sounds inconvenient, but usually it isn’t a big as there are typically multiple parking garages located within a couple blocks of all downtown Chicago hotels. I personally use the Best Parking app on my phone to find more reasonably priced options. That Residence Inn that is $56/night for parking? On a very quick search I found something two blocks away for $36/night. It’s also worth noting that a number of the hotels don’t actually have their own parking and you have to go to an offsite garage for the rates they have anyhow.
Stay Farther Out And Use Public Transit
This is less convenient but can be worth it. Chicago transit day passes are $5 per person and the train (the L) and bus system are relatively good. This can also be a good way to get around downtown if you don’t want to walk everywhere (hint: downtown Chicago is not small, and distances between major attractions can be significant.) If you stay far enough out (such as Oak Brook) it is possible to find free parking but you’ll need to balance that with the time it takes to get into the city. In the past the sweet spot for us was staying in Chinatown. However the SpringHill Suites we liked in Chinatown has recently started charging for parking. At $20/night for some of the parking in the Chinatown area it may still be worth a look, particularly if you are looking to get your dim sum fix during the visit!
Stay Farther Out and Drive In For the Day
Similar to the second option above this can also mean significantly cheaper hotels since rates in the Chicago suburbs are usually cheaper. Be aware that hourly parking can be expensive in downtown too, so if using this option it is best to use an app like Best Parking to find reasonable rates.
