My wife and I were looking for a hotel close to our favorite Illinois railfan spot where we could celebrate our anniversary. We decided to try the Comfort Suites.
We called the hotel asking if they had a railfans discount. They said a coupon for a discount was available at the Rochelle Railroad Park. We made the reservation for a jacuzzi suite at $169 for 1 night. We arrived at the Railroad Park and there were no coupons to be found. Arriving at the hotel, we told the front desk clerk that there were no coupons at the park. She gave us a rate of $135 which was better than the best internet rate found online. Very nice.
The room (407) was HUGE but dated. There was a lot of empty wall space due to the lack of furniture. The jacuzzi was older and had only 3 jets. Labelled for 4 people, my wife and I barely fit. The king size bed was located in another room. What was odd was that the TV was in the larger main room, over 20 feet from the bed. Not conducive to watching.
A few maintenance problems were apparent right away--
-the entrance door to the suite rubbed on the frame and made it hard to open
-the strike plate for the lock was very loose
-the refrigerator was iced over and the temperature control knob was missing
-the bulb in the closet was burned out
-the tiling around the jacuzzi was very poorly installed with some tiles being loose and/or missing
-the arched shower bar seemed to be mounted too low. Standing in the shower, I could see over the shower bar!
-pillows were too soft for my wife with no extras to choose from
-there just seemed to be a general overall lack of basic maintenance whether it was the dirty entrance door glass and carpet or the peeling border on the elevator corridor walls
On the plus side--
-the hotel location was perfect
-the free breakfast was adequate
-there was music in the hallways (the first time we have ever heard music in hallways in all of our hotel stays)
-large pool and exercise facilities on-site (we didn't use them)
We have stayed at other Comfort Suites and this one was the worst of them all. We have stayed previously at the Lincoln Highway motel (formerly the AmeriHost) down the street. The price was better there though they have no suites. I think next time, we will skip the Comfort Suites and try the Lincoln.
By the way, I left a list of all the problems listed above with the front desk. I would be interested to see if anything is done with it.
Ken Koren
La Grange Park, IL
