Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Elgin, IL

The updated king suite is the better choice over a double queen room. I like that its bedroom is separate, almost like an apartment, while the double queen rooms feel outdated. The hotel is in a handy spot just off Interstate 90 and Randall Rd. The parking lot is next to Jimmys Charhouse, and Starbucks and other restaurants are a mile or less away. Breakfast is good and runs for three hours, from 6 to 9. The pool is small, and the pool area could use brighter lighting. Staff were really nice and helpful. It also didn’t smell of marijuana or pets, which was great.

The staff were nice, though that didn’t make up for the problems. The pool was being renovated, but the website didn’t say so, and we were extremely upset to discover it. Construction dust covered the area. The vending machines and ice machine were filthy, and the floor was a tripping hazard, especially for kids and older people. Breakfast was all carbs, waffles, cereal, bagels, biscuits and gravy, with no protein. It tasted awful: the biscuits were hard and the gravy was cold. I tried Raisin Bran Crunch, but a different cereal came out, which makes me think the dispensers aren’t cleaned and the cereals get mixed together.

I was so disgusted that I couldn’t eat. The man serving breakfast threatened me after saying I’d used the wrong utensils. He got in my face, yelled “hit me,” and said it was all on camera. A couple of minutes later he went into the custodian closet, came out with a bat, and started twirling it. I called the police then. The general manager texted to apologize for what I experienced and said the employee usually doesn’t act that way. I don’t know what, if anything, they did to discipline him. I’d give the hotel and staff a zero for being unprofessional.

The bed and pillows were pretty good, and the room seemed mostly clean. We didn’t use the pool, so it being out of service didn’t affect us. The room was missing all its towels, and at 6 p.m. there was nobody available to bring some up to us on the third floor. The only elevator also paused for a long time between every floor. The TV had some issues, probably with the remote. The desk phone was dead, but we didn’t look into it since we used our cell phones. We caught the tail end of breakfast, and it was just okay.