DoubleTree by Hilton Libertyville - Mundelein

Housekeeping was one of the best things here: it’s one of the few hotels of any brand where daily cleaning actually happens, and it’s done well. The hotel is clean throughout, the air conditioning and bathroom extractor work, and the shower is good. The breakfast buffet is very good and reasonably priced, with a friendly team. It’s rare these days to find an excellent Doubletree. The staff are friendly, and this hotel is a real credit to the Hilton group. With so many of their properties falling short, Hilton should use this one to train the rest of the Doubletree hotels.

We always have breakfast here when we stay, and the food is excellent despite the restaurant looking dated. There are two sisters who’ve worked there for years, and they’re fantastic. We really enjoy seeing them each time, and plan to keep coming back to see what the remodel brings. We visit three or four times a year because the location works well for us. It’s a large hotel with the usual Doubletree amenities, including breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and those warmed cookies. The rooms are clean and a good size, with bathrooms larger than average. There are plenty of bedside outlets, but the rooms and dark hallways need updating to meet today’s standards. The front desk is often empty when we check in or stop by, and we have to wait for someone to come out of the back room. It happens most of the time, which is a little annoying and odd compared with other Hiltons we use. Once staff do appear, they’re always welcoming and nice. The website says a remodel is starting, and we saw several storage containers in the back lot, though there was no sign of work underway. Once the refresh is done, this could easily be a five-star Doubletree.

The shower pressure was so weak that a simple shower took far too long. My ground-floor room facing the parking lot also felt outdated and not properly cleaned, with debris near the curtains, as shown in the photos. It was nothing like what I expected from a four-star property. There was no one at the front desk when I arrived, so I waited 20 minutes, then walked through the lobby to look for someone. Nathan, the receptionist, eventually came out of the restroom. Not a professional first impression. When I asked if I could move to a higher floor, Nathan said the hotel was sold out, on a Wednesday. I contacted Expedia to request a refund but couldn’t get one, so I had to stay. For a Hilton’s price, this was unacceptable. I wouldn’t return or recommend it.

Some rooms come with breakfast vouchers and some don’t, so we ended up paying for breakfast. The bathroom drain clogged and overflowed after we showered, but they promptly sent maintenance to fix it.