I needed a room for a business trip to the downtown area (which was booked solid). Room was a surprise -- modern, clean, renovated bathroom. Fresh. Amazing bed -- really, one of the best I've ever been in -- soft, plump pillow, great linens. I took a shower at 9pm, and the water temp wasn't hot enough. Free wifi, Aveda products. Would have appreciated a bottle of water in the room, but there are glasses and a kitchen down the hall. Be sure to get here by 9pm -- their concierge closes then, and you don't want to be locked out. Concierge opens at 10am, so there is a key drop.

As a frequent traveler to Chicago (and previous resident), I wanted to get away from touristy Michigan Ave. I chose this hotel simply for the location in Wicker Park.
It's very close to the train and and an easy trip from O'Hare. We had a great time at all of the local shops, bars & restaurants. It's also fun just walking the neighborhood streets. The locals are generally young hipsters and yuppies... which makes for a fun experience. It's only approx $12 for a taxi to downtown / Michigan Ave. Or you can take the Blue Line directly to downtown in about 15-20 minutes.

As for the hotel itself, the staff was very helpful and very polite & the guestroom bed was very comfortable. I might consider staying here again, but it would have to have a much better room rate and/or upgrades to the decor and service.

I would not recommend The Ruby Room to everyone for the following reasons:
- limited "reception desk" hours
- no daily cleaning services unless requested on a chalkboard outside your room
(we has to request fresh towels every morning)
- no elevator, all rooms are 3rd and 4th floor walk-ups
- decor was sparse & rather lack-luster (the lounge chair in our room was very dirty and stained)
- no dressers or drawers for storage
- window curtains where no frills & a bit annoying to open and close
- no views (at least from our room and presumably many of the others based on the floor plans)

Stayed one night. Picked this location to be close to my business meeting location. I found the place (a very old building) charming and different. Yes, you do have to climb two flight of stairs to get to the rooms. Room was large, furnished ok, bright and very comfortable. Agree with the others on the bed, it was great. And the bathroom was completely up to date with a steam feature to the shower which was great. I had room 3A and it was at the front of the building so I could hear traffic late into the night, as well as voices from people walking by returning from bars/dinner outside. I would pick another room the next time, further back. The no TV was a nice break for me (or else it would have been on). It is an old building, so you can hear people coming and going, but everyone was as quiet as they could be. Definitely a different experience (more like staying at a hotel in Europe). The price was good and the front desk staff (in the spa area) were extremely nice. Not the place for you if you need a full service hotel.

This is a very charming Hotel, beautiful designed rooms, great shower... our stay was just great!