9 Benefits of Chicago Fully Furnished Short Term Housing vs. Hotels

A hotel never really stops feeling like a hotel. Give it three or four nights and the cramped desk, the single chair, and the takeout containers stacking up on the dresser start to grate. If you're putting up a business guest in Chicago for a month or more, it grates on them too.

Getting people out of that situation is what we do. When someone's in town for 30 days or longer, a furnished apartment beats a hotel room on the things that actually matter: space, cost, privacy, and whether the place feels like somewhere you want to come home to.

Short version: for a Chicago stay of 30 days or more, a fully furnished apartment beats a hotel on cost, space, privacy, and comfort. Here are nine specific reasons we'd hand over the keys.

Corporate housing, professionally managed furnished apartments rented for 30 days or more, is the standard alternative to long hotel stays recognized by the Corporate Housing Providers Association.

1. One rate, and it doesn't move

With a furnished suite you pay one flat monthly rate for your whole stay. A downtown hotel rate does the opposite: it moves constantly. Lollapalooza in August, the Auto Show at McCormick Place in February, a convention weekend, a Tuesday in October versus a Tuesday in January. The number changes, and it changes after you've already committed to the trip.

We quote one monthly rate for your dates and it holds for the length of the stay. Utilities and WiFi are inside that number. So is parking access where the building offers it. There's no nightly tax stacking on top, no resort fee, no rate jump because the city got busy. You'll know the total before you book anything.

2. Real square footage, real finishes

Every suite comes fully furnished. You get a dishwasher, a full refrigerator, a stove and cooktop, a microwave, and an in-unit washer and dryer. You're not living out of one room the way you would in a hotel. Our places have room to spread out and good light.

3. You're already downtown

Staying outside downtown means trading a lower rate for a commute that eats your morning and drains you at night. We keep you in the middle of the city, a short walk from the L. Grand or Chicago on the Red Line for Streeterville and River North, Clinton or Morgan on the Green and Pink Lines for the West Loop, Washington/Wells for the Loop. You spend your time where you need to be instead of stuck in traffic.

4. A kitchen you'll use

Every furnished suite has a real, cook-in kitchen. Chicago has no shortage of great restaurants, and you should eat at plenty of them, but eating out every single night gets old and expensive fast. The kitchen is stocked with a chef's knife, a sheet pan, a colander, a coffee maker, pots, and enough plates and utensils to host. Cook dinner at home whenever you want a quiet night in.

5. Nobody's letting themselves in

Daily hotel housekeeping sounds nice until you think about it. Someone you've never met has a key to the room where you keep your laptop and your wallet, and they're coming in every day. In our suites, the space is yours. You can leave your things out, close the door, and relax. That's worth more than a folded towel.

6. Leave your stuff and go

Back and forth to Chicago? Keep a set of clothes and essentials in the apartment and stop dragging a suitcase through the airport. Less checked luggage, and less time lost at baggage claim on both ends of the flight.

7. It's all included

In a Pinnacle furnished suite, utilities, high-speed WiFi, linens, and building amenities are all included in one monthly rate. Bring your clothes and a toothbrush; we handle the rest, from towels and sheets to pillows and kitchenware. The WiFi holds up to streaming and video calls, and the rent also covers electricity, gas, water, and access to the building's amenities: pools, hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas, movie rooms, and gyms where they exist. Sign in to your own streaming accounts and pick up the show right where you left off at home.

8. The pets come too

Our buildings are pet-friendly. Some have breed restrictions, weight limits, or pet-specific floors, and a pet fee usually applies and varies building to building. A lot of them have dog runs, and some have indoor relief areas, which you'll appreciate the first time it's ten degrees out and your dog needs to go. Good luck finding that at a hotel.

9. It feels like home, because it is one

After a day of meetings and negotiations, going home beats going back to a hotel. You've been in the noise and crowds all day; now you get quiet and a space that's yours. Buy a plant. Put up a couple of photos. Make it yours. For the length of your stay, it is.

Who stays with us

Corporate guests are only part of who we host. Over the years our suites have become a landing spot for all kinds of people who need somewhere real to live for a month or longer:

• Travel nurses and other healthcare staff on 13-week assignments who want a real kitchen and somewhere quiet to crash between shifts. One booked a spring contract and extended twice before she left.
• Families in the middle of a move, waiting on a closing or house-hunting from a home base instead of a hotel.
• Insurance and displacement stays, for a home being repaired or rebuilt while someone needs a furnished place in the meantime.
• Remote workers who care about fast WiFi and a desk, and want to try living in Chicago for a season.
• Consulting and project teams parked in the city for months at a stretch.

Questions we get a lot

How long can I stay? Thirty days is the minimum. After that we go month-to-month, and we just ask for notice when you want to extend or wrap up so we can plan the turn.

What's included? Furniture, housewares, kitchen gear, linens, high-speed WiFi, and utilities (electricity, gas, water), plus building amenities where they exist. One monthly number covers it.

Is it cheaper than a hotel? Whether it's cheaper depends on your dates and length of stay, which is why we quote rather than post a rate. The difference is that our number is set before you arrive and doesn't move. Hotel nightly rates do.

Can I bring my dog? Often, yes. Most of our buildings are pet-friendly. Restrictions and fees vary by building, so tell us about your pet and we'll point you to a place that welcomes them.

If you've got a guest coming to Chicago, or you're the one coming, talk to us before you book another block of hotel nights. Send us your dates through our contact page and we'll find you the right suite. If you want to read up first, here's what to expect from a short-term corporate housing stay in Chicago.