Location, location, location. Freehand has the feel of a boutique hotel right in the middle of everything in downtown Chicago. The rooms are fairly spartan and don't offer a ton of extra space, but what are you doing trying to hang out in a hotel room when there's so much to do outside it? Freehand's lobby cafe serves up delicious coffee and espresso drinks, and their bar is second to none. It's not often you have a line out the front door of the lobby on a Saturday night for people waiting to get into a hotel bar.
Excellent value overall, and very quick check-in and check-out.