HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof Chicago - Waukegan

The location was our only issue. We drove right past it twice, so the sign could definitely use better lighting. Otherwise, it was great.

We drove from Detroit for our event, then turned around and drove home because the room was so gross we couldn’t stay the night. It smelled damp and moldy, and there were bugs everywhere, alive ones and squashed ones on the tile and ceiling. The room clearly hadn’t been cleaned before we arrived. I’ve stayed at plenty of Red Roof Inns, and this was the worst. We tried to nap but couldn’t do it. We told our friends with reservations to cancel and head home too.

We arrived around 10 pm, checked in, picked up the kids, and went straight to the room. Within three minutes I spotted cockroaches on the mini split A.C. unit, then found them in the bathroom and all over the place. We left immediately. I went to demand a refund, but the office door was locked. I still haven’t heard back from Priceline about the refund for the room I reserved through them. We ended up sleeping in our truck at a rest area, getting just enough rest to keep driving back to Minnesota. I’d sleep in a vehicle before staying in that roach infested dive again. Disgusting. Priceline is getting the next shitty review. If zero stars were an option, that’s what I’d give.

The bedding and towels seemed clean and fairly new. The rest of the room was rough: grease marked the walls by the kitchenette cooktop, and the refrigerator was so loud I had to unplug it to sleep. In the bathroom, the shower seal was cracked and moldy, and the floor flexed when I stepped in, scattering paint chips. At least the water pressure and temperature were good. The walls were paper thin, so we heard every movement upstairs, including a baby crying through the night. We were there for a couple of nights while our RV was being repaired. In my 63 years, I’ve only stayed somewhere this bad once before. It was freezing, 19 degrees with a biting 25mph wind, and although there’s a lobby, it was locked. All business happened through a sliding window in a passageway like a wind tunnel. I shivered through check-in and couldn’t warm up for the rest of the night. The heater only blew cold air whatever the thermostat setting, so we brought our own space heater for the second night. The property needed serious upkeep too. The walkways were badly stained and had trash and cigar tips scattered around, and the building exterior badly needed pressure washing. Some rooms seemed to have long-term residents, judging by plants and decorations in the windows. Bicycles were chained to poles, and there was traffic in and out of the parking lot even late at night. It’s rated two stars, which already feels too generous. From the cold check-in to the broken heater, mold and general disrepair, this was awful from beginning to end. I can’t recommend it. It’s hard to understand how it’s still open in this condition. Stay somewhere else.