Wingate by Wyndham Gurnee

I didn't wake once during the stay, which is unusual for me. My room shared two walls with the elevator, with a short hallway as you entered, and I worried it would be noisy. It was completely quiet, despite a couple of rooms having TVs loud enough to hear in the corridor. The pool is smaller than most and only a few feet deep, but the water was surprisingly warm, unlike 99% of hotel pools. There was no hot tub, but I'll forgive that for the pool temperature. The rooms were in great shape and very clean, including the bathroom, which was up to date and had a nice deep tub for soaking. The hallway carpets were a little worn, but the furniture was all in good condition. My smaller single queen room was what I wanted as an introvert among a group of seven others. It had a comfy chair and ottoman, a desk, and a larger dorm-style fridge with a small freezer. The double queen rooms had smaller fridges without freezers. The iron and ironing board were clean and worked perfectly. Everyone in our group slept well and said their beds were as comfortable as mine. The staff at the desk were personable, efficient, and friendly. We needed three nights in town with other family members. Breakfast was the usual sort: generic scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes, a good gluten-free option. I didn't try the pancakes, so can't rate them, but the sausages were surprisingly good and I ate quite a few. The apples were tasty, maybe Fuji, not the undelicious Red Delicious, which I appreciated. Yogurt rounded it out, and there were bananas, cereal, and other choices. There are plenty of decent restaurants with bars within walking distance, and the nearby mall had good shops for a stroll in the frigid winter weather. My only disappointment was that EWTN wasn't available on the TV. It would have been nice to have during a sad family gathering. It's free with Direct TV, so perhaps management could consider adding it if possible. Yes, I'd absolutely stay here again if I'm in the area. Thank you, Wingate, for a pleasant stay.