Courtyard Chicago Arlington Heights/South

We’ve stayed here many times because my family is nearby. We live out of state and are Marriott Bonvoy members. The hotel is updating half the property and the entrance, which was long overdue, and I’m looking forward to seeing the new rooms and outside lobby entrance. This location has a lot of potential, close to O’Hare and fabulous restaurants. My son and his fiancée booked a room and said it was clean and just fine for them. The Christmas decorations and lit fireplace are lovely. I’d recommend this Courtyard Marriott for a stay or time away from home.

The beds were comfortable, and the pool was warm, though on the small side. The rooms could use updating, and there weren’t many TV channels. The AC kept shutting off, so it wasn’t working right and we were hot all night. We didn’t get much sleep.

The staff were nice enough to move us to another room, and I’m hoping for a coffee replacement on the way out. Still, using Marriott points here really irritates me. For a Courtyard, and compared with Marriotts at every level that I’ve stayed in, this has to be the bottom. I’ve stayed in nicer Motel 6s. The first room smelled of cigarette smoke and deodorizer. Since people ignore rules, smoking rooms with penalties might make more sense than making every room non-smoking. The furniture looked like it came from Salvation Army, with chipped wood and a sagging couch with bare spots. The second room was half the size, just a bedroom with no living area, and the shower had only two settings: hot and hotter. The pillows were nasty, and there were no non-allergenic options. There’s no free breakfast as advertised, just a $10.00 credit, enough for coffee. The shop doesn’t open until 7 a.m. The coffee I got earlier was probably made at 4 a.m., and by 6:45 it was room temperature at best. Management doesn’t seem to do much.

After two bad hotel stays elsewhere, this place made up for them. The pool was heated, the workout room was very clean, and there’s a Starbucks inside the hotel, which I was glad to find. There are plenty of restaurants and things to do nearby. We were welcomed by friendly staff and had a clean room. I stayed for a few days, and my friend and I will definitely come back to the area and stay here again.