Comfort Suites~Gurnee, IL
Written: Jul 05 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cozy jacuzzi in the rooms, large bed, clean atmosphere.
Cons: Terrible Management and Service.
The Bottom Line: Comfort Suites at this location lacks in service, but makes up for it in the rooms, so it is hard to recommend or not.
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| ImAmes's Full Review: Comfort Inns and Suites |
My daughter and I make our way to Gurnee, IL each year for our annual "Six Flags Great America" trip. Last year we drove the 3 hours home, getting home at 1 a.m. was not only tiring but dangerous, so we decided to stay overnight this year. After calling many hotels in the Gurnee area, we decided that Comfort Suites Hotel would be the best value for us.
LOCATION
Located in Gurnee, IL,, on Grand Avenue, it is right across from Six Flags Great America, an added bonus so you can walk over to the Amusement Park, avoiding the $8.00 parking fee. To get to it, try their website or Mapquest.com- Highway 94 East from WI or West from Chicago will take you to your exit of Grand Avenue. Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills (A HUGE Outlet Mall) are also located on opposite ends of Grand Avenue as well. Hungry? In the Comfort Suites area you can pop into Burger King for some onion rings, or a healthy sub at Subway.
APPEARANCE
A beige building with an over hang for getting in and out of the rain from the hotel, it is not fancy, but a simple looking hotel.
The lobby, made of a deep teal carpet, has a setting of a fake fireplace with three loveseats, colored with burgendy, beige, and hunter green. Next to this waiting area, through an open doorway, is a small breakfast nook dined with cafe style table and chairs.
Opposite this, is the check-in desk, where check-in is at 3 p.m. and check-out is 11 a.m.. The desk is made of a shiny marble, with specks of burgendy sprinkled about it.
The hotel, sporting three floors, is made up of all Suite Type Rooms. Rooms with or without smoking, jacuzzis, and choices from queen and king size beds are what you have to choose from.
OUR ROOM
We walked into our room with high expectations, as we had never stayed in a suite before. To me, it looked like any normal hotel room I have been in- what was so "suite" about it? Well, the king size bed was enormous! You could have fit a family of four comfortably in it, maybe even the family pet as well! I double-checked the sheets to make sure they were clean, and they passed my test, so I felt I had some faith in this hotel.
The teal carpet was plush and great on our toes, while the wallpaper had a mixture of dark greens and burgendy which were in a wild pasley pattern.
The air conditioning was on full blast, blowing the bland beige curtains about. I don't like the one pole curtain rods, where magically the curtains are to open with ease- they never do and wind up cursing at them and leaving them closed.
The bathroom smelled of clean and was lit quite brightly, altho I didn't like trying to fish for the light switch every time I needed to use it- the switch was located near the small closet near the bed- why there? No clue! I got over the whole light switch thing once I saw the large jacuzzi, but the only problem was that it was empty. I know, I know, I sound spoiled, but I found that it was a pure headache to sit and wait for this large tub to fill up-especially with an over-eager child! Once it was filled, it was nice and warm, with tons of bubbles and great for our backs and feet from a long day at the Amusement Park.
EXTRAS
Like I have stated, this Hotel was quite large, yet their swimming pool was VERY small. It was only 3-4 feet deep, and had next to it a very small hot tub too. It was open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and we were fortunate enough to make it in the pool after the park at 10:30 p.m. THe problem with hotel pools after daylight hours is you get all of the abnoxious and rude teens who feel they "own" the pool. They screamed, splashed, and used profanity while the management turned a blind eye. We swam for a half-hour until we couldn't take it anymore, and hoping they would close the pool soon so that we would all have to leave, didn't seem to be happening. We left the pool upset and disappointed, and way to cold to talk to the management, until later.
The other fun extras were the items we found in our suite- a microwave, fridge, blowdryer, coffee maker and free copy of Newsweek Magazine. I read the Newsweek, and the fridge came in handy keeping our juice cool until we got back from a second run at the Park, but the rest was left alone and not used.
Comfort Suites also offered a free continental breakfast, or in easier terms, a bowl of dry cereal and a stale donut breakfast, that was served in their small breakfast nook in the Lobby Area. My daughter and I tried the donuts, but felt they did nothing for us, and retreated to our pop-tarts in our luggage.
HOW WAS SLEEPING
The bed was pretty soft, so it was uncomfortable at times. We had brought our pillows from home, which helped, because hotel pillows seemed to be filled with toilet paper- they are THAT flat and THAT soft!
We fell asleep around midnight, and people still continued to run up and down the stairs, which were right next to our room, along with the back hotel door slamming shut. It finally got quite quiet around 1 a.m.- and we finally got some sleep.
RATE
We went this last weekend in June, and with my Triple A Card, we got the rate of $107.10 quoted and then with tax came to around $118.00. For a suite, that is not a bad price, but bad service is not worth a pretty, or ugly, penny!
SERVICE
This is where I felt the Hotel lacked quite a bit- no service and noone taking the time to help you out. An example, my daughter and I could not check-in until 3 p.m., and even though our Suite was held on my credit card, I fully was prepared to pay cash because I did not want to use my card for the Suite. I asked if I could PAY CASH that morning, so that Kyra and I could go to the park, and then when we returned at 10p.m. that night, we would not have to worry about checking in, and we would just pick up our keys- they said absoultely not, and that the only thing that would hold our room is charging it on the credit card. I did not want to do this, as stated to him already, so we wound up having to walk back from the Park at 3p.m. to check-in- chopping up our day and taking time away from us at Six Flags.
Another example was the pool incident with the obnoxious teens- I mentioned it to the Management when checking out and his response was "Oh, that happens at night"-gee, what compassion!
When my daughter and I were checking out, a couple was trying to check-in, even though it was way to early, almost the same scenario as us the day before, and Comfort Suites had LOST their reservation, and had placed it the night before- charging them for a night they never spent there, and not giving them the one they needed- UNBELIEVABLE!!!
The other odd thing is that they DO NOT provide a Shuttle Service to Gurnee Mills or Six Flags Great America- I don't understand why they don't provide this very helpful and convenient service to their guests. If any of you have stayed in the Disney World Area, or Orlando, the hotels provide shuttles to anything and everything- it's just a nice alternative to walking or driving in massive traffic.
SUMMING IT UP
Basically if you are looking for a nice and clean room, close to Six Flags Great America, and for under $120 a night, then I would say go for it at Comfort Suites! BUT if you are expecting to be treated like a human and with a tad ounce of respect, you will not find it here, and I suggest to try the Holiday Inn down the street!
I hope this helps you in planning your next stay at a Comfort Suites in your area, and I hope that you have better luck than my daughter and I did!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ImAmes
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Member: Amy Joy
Location: Midwest
Reviews written: 174
Trusted by: 215 members
About Me:
Love cures people- both the ones who give it and those who recieve it.
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