Bike-Friendly Hotels in Chicago: Loaner Bikes and Divvy Credits

A hotel is bike-friendly when it puts a bike in your hands or pays for one. This page names only the Chicago hotels that state such an amenity on their own pages. Each is quoted, with no ratings and no assumptions. For everything else a visitor needs on two wheels, start with the Visit hub.

The Robey

The hotel lists complimentary Tokyobikes for exploring the city’s neighborhoods, and guests contact the front desk to reserve one¹. The FAQ adds the terms: seasonal use of house bikes, locks and helmets, provided by Tokyobike².

Plan on the bikes, not a car. Valet parking costs $49 per night and is limited and first come, first served². The hotel itself recommends public transportation².

Chicago Athletic Association

The Chicago Athletic Association Hotel stands at 12 S Michigan Avenue⁵. It lists complimentary Heritage Bicycles for spring and summer, weather permitting³. The hotel may bring them out earlier or keep them longer than the season³. Its own guest guide repeats the offer for the warmer seasons⁴.

Valet parking runs $84.00 per night per vehicle³.

Arlo Chicago

Arlo Chicago, at 168 North Michigan Avenue, takes a different route⁷. It does not lend a bike. Its list of included amenities reads: “Ride with DIVVY Bikes, up to a $10 daily credit for each guest”⁶. The credit turns the city’s bike-share into a hotel perk. Check the credit at the front desk before you rely on it.

How the Divvy credit stretches

Divvy prices decide how far a credit goes. A single ride costs $1 to unlock plus $0.20 per minute⁸. Per-minute prices round up to the next minute¹⁰. A day pass costs $19.90 per day and includes unlimited 3-hour classic bike rides within a 24-hour period⁸. Divvy is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year¹⁵. Divvy may place a $25 authorization on your account when you take out a bike¹⁰. Annual membership costs $143.90 a year, with a $99 rate for new members⁸.

Classic-bike passes can also be bought at any Divvy kiosk, found at most stations⁹. For fares in full, see Divvy pricing.

Where the hotel bikes lead

The Lakefront Trail is the ride from any downtown door. It is open 24 hours a day, but the parks and beaches along the path close at 11 PM¹¹. The whole trail takes 2 to 3 hours without stops, and it is busiest between Memorial Day and Labor Day¹⁶.

Getting to the trail

The Park District’s Lakefront Trail bike trail is 18 miles long¹⁹, and the trail runs through Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park and Jackson Park¹¹. Entry points include two near downtown. The Ohio Street Underpass is the closest to Bobby’s Bike Hike and Navy Pier¹⁶. Monroe Street is convenient for Millennium Park and Buckingham Fountain¹⁶. Near Navy Pier, Divvy lists stations at Streeter Dr and Grand Ave and at Lakeshore Dr and Ohio St¹⁸. For the route itself, see the Lakefront Trail guide.

If your hotel lends no bike

Rent downtown instead:

• Bobby’s Bike Hike, at 540 N Lake Shore Dr, offers free bike locks and helmets¹².
• Bike and Roll has a Millennium Park location at 34 S. Michigan Ave. (Michigan and Monroe), across the street from the Crown Fountain¹³.
• 3rd Coast Cycles, at 152 N Lake Shore Drive, includes helmets with all rentals, and locks are available^14,17.

Bobby’s online rates show how fares run. A comfort bike is $14.99 hourly with a 2-hour minimum, $34.99 for a half day of 4 hours or less, and $39.99 for a full day¹². A road bike is $24.99 hourly, $59.99 for a half day and $69.99 for a full day¹². An e-bike, for riders 16 and up, is $29.99 hourly and $69.99 for a half day¹². Compare their fares in downtown bike rental. Bringing your own bike is a separate question: where to store a bike covers the overnight problem.