Howard Johnson by Wyndham Waukegan Great Lakes

Since I’m used to a warm climate, the cold air that came from the heater each time it started was the one thing I disliked. Otherwise, everything was satisfactory. The location was good, and housekeeping provided excellent service. Thanks to Trudy and Reina for cleaning up after us. I liked that they collected the trash and replaced towels even when no other work had been done.

It’s very close to Great Lakes Navy training command, and lots of families were staying there for the Navy training graduation. Our room was very clean and serviced every day, with fresh towels daily. Breakfast only had coffee, tea, Muffins and yogurt. Since it didn’t open until 6am, we grabbed Muffins to take along to graduation at 5am.

The front desk staff are really helpful and nice, and for what seems to be an older building, the place is well kept. We had a nice short stay, but getting our heavy luggage upstairs was a bit of a challenge. There’s no elevator in this two-story hotel, and the steps are small. The bathroom is extremely small, with the sink right inside the room door. Parking is a little unusual too: a few spots are near the front entrance, but most are around back, and there’s only one way in and out.

The bathroom was the least troublesome part. It was fairly clean and usable, and the shower pressure was decent, but it was a bare minimum setup. The room itself was cramped and annoying to move around in, especially with furniture, and the a/c was very loud. The bed was hard and uneven, the sheets felt scratchy, and I was itching after lying down. Could’ve been the detergent or the fabric, but either way it wasn’t pleasant. I didn’t sleep well. As soon as I opened the door, there was a musty, almost sour smell that seemed to hang around the building. The floors looked worn and felt grimy, so I wanted to keep my shoes on the whole time. For the price, I expected at least moderate comfort and didn’t get it. It’s sold as a hotel, but inside it felt like a dated motel trying to be something else. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re really in a pinch. It wasn’t the worst place I’ve stayed, so it gets two stars instead of one, but it falls far short of what most people expect from a hotel. Save your money and book somewhere else if you can.