Hotel Royer Urbana Champaign, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

The only thing we didn’t enjoy was the indoor pool. It was clean and well maintained, and the pool room was heated enough to feel warm and pleasant, but the water itself was very cold. We couldn’t stay in it for more than two minutes. We loved our stay at Hotel Royer in Urbana, a very historic hotel that has been renovated and updated with beautiful old world charm and modern touches. The staff were friendly and went out of their way to help. Nisha at registration found us the perfect room, and Alicia, the front office manager, arranged a late checkout. We enjoyed wandering among the old historic pictures and seeing the hotel’s history. Jody Allen, the food and beverage manager, kindly gave us an interesting tour of how the place used to be and what it’s become. The old library is now a wonderfully unique restaurant, and the former registration desk has been remade as a bar serving their own specially made cocktails. Ryan and Stephanie made us excellent drinks. The restaurant is called the Writer’s Room and is well worth a visit. The menu is inventive, with dishes you won’t find elsewhere and ingredients sourced from local farms. We had a pleasant chat with executive chef Marielli Terrell, who has traveled the world using her culinary skills. Sarah, our friendly waitress, shared some history and old stories about the hotel. We also recommend breakfast there. It’s an elegant and beautiful place, especially if you love history and old style architecture mixed with modern convenience and comfort. We had a lot of fun exploring and hope you enjoy the photos and videos we took. 🤩🤩🤩

On arrival, a wonderful young man greeted us warmly and gave us complimentary waters. I’d reserved a King room with a couch and a walk-in shower. I did get the King bed, but not the side room with the couch or the walk-in shower. When I went down to sort out the mistake, the nice young man called a couple of people. They told him to give me free entree passes for the restaurant and free drink cards. He couldn’t find any drink passes, so bless his heart, he gave us five free entrees and let us take some snacks from the snack bar if we wanted.

I live about 20 minutes away and took a 24 hour staycation to get a break from the usual and enjoy a different setting. My basic room did the job. It was quiet on the 4th floor, and the bed was comfortable. I slept well with the air set to 68°. Perimenopause is no fun, but you do what you need to stay comfortable. The couch was against the same wall as the TV. I was there alone, but if I’d had a guest, they’d have had to watch from the desk chair or sit on the bed with me. 🤭 The shower was a challenge. Only one door slides open, on the opposite side from the faucet. Turning the water on starts the showerhead right away, with no lever to switch it on. I soaked the back of my shirt. You have to be inside to adjust the temperature, leaning against the wall and hoping you get it right the first time. Otherwise you get a quick splash of cold, warm, or hot water. 🚿 The next morning I had breakfast in the Writer's Room and enjoyed the atmosphere. I ordered Grandma Royer's Morning Feast, and it was wonderful. So was my waitress. There are no mimosas or bloody mary's available as breakfast drinks, so keep that in mind. I settled for black coffee. 🍽 Somehow, a burger, a cocktail, and the food and beverage taxes for those items were charged to my room. I hadn’t ordered any of that the Saturday night I was there. I called the next morning to explain, and within an hour someone called back to say the charges had been credited to my card and apologize for the error. I told her it was okay and thanked her for fixing it. The wonderful CSR thanked me for not being rude. I actually used the word rude, LOL. She didn’t want to say it. Be kind if there’s an issue, and it’ll be resolved to your satisfaction in a timely manner. 🤗 Hotel Royer was a fun getaway, and I enjoyed my stay despite those somewhat odd things.

Keaton and Sam, the two young gentlemen at check-in, were extremely courteous and gave us helpful information about what’s available nearby. It was one of the best check-ins we’ve had in all our years of travel. The hotel is charming and close to food and drink, with great food of its own and a nice bar, perfect for a nightcap.