Great find! Michael's restored speakeasy is an amazing experience! The place exudes charm of the past, with an amazing decor filled with period furniture, lighting and artwork. Michael loves hosting and delights in interacting with his guests. For example, when I arrived he said excitedly, "I put some luxury linens in your room and I just some wildflower honey - make sure you try it." That is his character - he has filled his house with beautiful things to charm his guests (jazz whispers through the house until bedtime) and useful things to make the stay convenient (toiletries, kitchen necessities, even things like scotch tape and scissors!).
The location is wondrous - smack in the middle of a lively restaurant district, very close to transit lines, wonderful Miracle Mile shopping and sights like the Chicago Riverwalk. Hard to imagine such an authentic historic place amid the shiny, plastic hotels could be affordable. Bring earplugs as the neighborhood can be noisy on Saturday night. You can find Divvy bike share stands throughout the area - I enjoyed tooling around the lakefront.
Like the other bedrooms, room 3 has a custom paint job, interesting fittings and great artwork. Its unique bathroom has beautiful warm lighting from renovation work done by Michael and his son. The whole house is a DIY labor of love, that still has a few rough edges of a work in progress. I have suggested that he add an uplamp as room 3 only has a re-light window to the corridor, rather than any exterior window. It feels cozy at night, and during the daytime, guests can share the sunny kitchen upstairs, which also has lots of character.
Everything was clean, host communication was very responsive, clear and courteous.
Overall, if you are interested in a place that has a lot of period atmosphere and enjoy chatting with a host, you will have a blast here!