Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago-Libertyville by IHG

The rooms were bigger and cleaner than I expected, and the bathrooms had extra towels stocked. Staff were welcoming and friendly at any hour. I’ve already told a friend about the hotel and will keep recommending it.

We spent four days here and found the beds extremely comfortable. The area is handy for restaurants, shops, the Navy Base, and the mall. Breakfast was delicious, and the staff kept everything in good order and stocked. Coffee, tea, and hot cocoa were available all day from a self-serve machine, which was especially nice on cold days and nights. The staff were helpful and very nice, so at first we were really happy with the stay. One thing to know is that the walls are thin. We could hear nearly everything outside the door, from the room above, and from next door, so it may not suit light sleepers. Also, smokers should know what happened to us. We smoke outside and never smoked inside the hotel, but we were charged $250 for smoking in the room. We’re furious after a nice four-day stay ended with a charge for something we didn’t do. When we called, they said there were sensors in the room, which still makes no sense to us. Keep that in mind if you stay at these hotels.

Ali’s directions worked well: stay in the left lane and make a U-turn to turn left on the way to the PIR. We left at 7:30 and were seated by 8:30, though for better seats you should leave earlier. If you take the shuttle, expect to stand in an outdoor line. This is a comfortable place to stay for a Navy PIR ceremony, about 12 minutes from the RTC. The room was clean and had no odors. I’m picky, but felt at ease, and the staff were great, especially Ali. Breakfast had good choices and freshly ground coffee was available 24/7. Libertyville is a nice area.

We’d been traveling from Arizona for more than 30 hours and tried to get into our room early. The front desk greeted us warmly and checked whether they could accommodate us. They couldn’t, but invited us to have breakfast while we waited. We got into the room at noon, and from the moment my wife and I arrived, everything was the best we’ve experienced. The room was super clean, breakfast was great, and the staff were wonderful. They treated us like family and always said hello and goodbye, including to the new sailor graduates. If we’re back in Chicago, we’ll stay here again.