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Hotel Class: 
3.5 Stars - 64 Opinions
1900 S First St, Champaign, Illinois, 61820-6914, United States
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of people enjoy staying here
64 Opinions
We got a double room on a weekend for $100. We found this to be a posh-looking hotel in a great location. Our friends stayed around the corner at a chain place and it wasn't as nice, the rooms were much smaller, and they paid more. Plus, the Congress Plaza has a nice lounge with games and a restaurant that serves a buffet breakfast (excellent for curing a hangover).
Considered one of Chicago's best luxury hotels, The Drake Hotel is a Chicago institution which was even mentioned in the song Chicago. Opened in 1920, it has since been the hotel of choice for visiting dignitaries and celebrities, and has hosted royalty as well as several American presidents.
I have never stayed in this hotel, but did have a drink in its bar. The Drake Hotel offers 537 luxurious rooms, 74 suites, and a six-room Presidential Suite. All rooms and suites overlook either Lake Michigan or the Magnificent Mile. Amenities include an executive desk with direct-dial international telephone service and data port, high speed internet, a hair dryer, an iron/ironing board, a coffee maker, and a well-stocked mini bar.
Guests can choose from among the hotel's five restaurants. All offer exceptional cuisine. The Coq d'Or features lunch and dinner; the Drake Bros.' Steakhouse serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner; the Cape Cod has some of the best seafood in Chicago; the Palm Court is known for its High Tea and evening cocktails; and the Club International is a private members-only restaurant.
For our 40th Wedding Anniversary in August of 2003, Allan and I stayed one night at the famed DeSoto House Hotel in the heart of Galena, Illinois.
Once you walk in the door, you know that you have stepped back in time, and you'll understand why such famous guests as Abraham Lincoln (He spoke from the balcony of the hotel in 1856), Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, and Susan B. Anthony have also stayed here.
When the Illinois Central Railroad came to Illinois, a group of local investors built a grand hotel in Galena to reflect the town's prosperity. The total building costs were reported at $85,000.00. Can you believe that at first, only men were allowed to enter the Hotel through the front door from Main Street! The "Ladies Entrance" was at the side of the Hotel. The tin ceiling, stained glass windows, and the curved staircase are all original. Despite economic famine, fire, and floods, the DeSoto House has survived and is doing well today. It's certainly a reminder of days gone by.
The rooms are oversized with high ceilings, beautiful decor, and antique furniture.
We ate breakfast at The Courtyard Restaurant which is a lovely four story atrium; we ate dinner at The Generals' Restaurant which is named in honor of Galena's 9 Civil War Generals. Allan and I stayed under a deal called Memories are Forever which included the room (We stayed in the Ulysses S. Grant Room which was a corner room with windows all around), dinner for two in Generals' Restaurant, two DeSoto House Champagne Glasses, DeSoto House Champagne, a long-stemmed red rose with baby's breath, breakfast, and Galena Chocolates. Needless to say, it was a remarkable package deal. We loved every minute of it because the room was huge with a lovely up-to-date bathroom; service was fantastic, and the food was delicious. It made our 40th anniversary quite special.
My first experience with The Palmer House Hilton was in the late 1950s when I came to Chicago for the first time as part of a High School Newspaper Convention. Was I impressed? You bet! Am I still impressed today? You bet!
The hotel has been restored to its original splendor. It has the Beaux Arts Ceiling that was meticulously restored by a Florentine artisan; there's the original "1871" brass nameplate on the building's cornerstone. For 125 years, all sorts of people have stayed here from all over the world. I assume they, too, are awed by that beautiful mythological entrance room. The world-famous Empire Room is only open today for special private parties, but it is still just as magnificent.
It's a huge hotel with 1,600 rooms and 88 suites, but it still feels like an intimate European Hotel. The rooms are not huge, but they are comfortable, well appointed, and all the extras make you feel luxurious.
There are several places to eat, depending on your mood. The French Quarter Restaurant, believe it or not, serves American cuisine and a luncheon buffet. Trader Vic's has South Pacific fare and exotic drinks. It's been a very popular restaurant for decades. Windsor's Lobby Bar & Cafe is great for cocktails and conversation. Then there is the new The Big Downtown which is a Bar/Restaurant.
Jacques' is a pit stop for caffeine lovers or someone who wants to get something "to go"!
There is a Fitness Club with Nautilus equipments, massage therapy, steam room, sauna, and whirlpool. In addition, there is an indoor pool and a tanning studio.
The Palmer House is located near Marshall Field, Carson Pirie Scott, and the Sharper Image. You can walk to the Art Institute, Symphony Center, Goodman, Shubert, Chicago, & Auditorium theatres. You will be near the Lakefront and Grant Park.
LAB REPORT:
Package Deals To Europe
RESEARCH QUESTION:
Are those too-good-to-be-true air/hotel packages to Europe, well, too good to be true? You know the ones -- cheap deals to European capitals that pop up on Internet discount sites like Travel Zoo (www.travelzoo.com) and Smarter Living (www.smarterliving.com), bundling air and hotel costs into one preposterously low total. When a $499 six-night summer trip to London recently appeared on Go-Today.com, it seemed too cheap not to go. The trip would have cost at least $1,150 if purchased a la carte: Airfare was running about $750, and a bare-bones hotel would have added at least another $400.
Finger poised to click, we wondered: What's the catch? Was it really possible to visit London for $499 without sacrificing convenience and personal safety, not to mention our dignity?
METHODOLOGY:
In mid-April, we clicked on Go-Today's "London Supersale," which included round-trip airfare to London Heathrow and six nights' hotel for $499 per person double, for travel in mid-July. The price was good for travel on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (a surcharge applied for other days). Luckily, we were traveling with a friend: As with most package deals, this trip was priced on a per-person-double basis, and a solo traveler would have had to pay a $300 supplement.
FIRST EYE-OPENER:
Trips must be booked entirely online. If you want to talk to an actual person, that's another $20. And once we paid for the package, there were no refunds or exchanges. The company recommends buying trip cancellation insurance with your package, because you can't add it after the fact, but we decided to live dangerously. Note: We felt comfortable using Go-Today, in business for 13 years. But if you're unsure about a travel provider, check with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) to ensure there's not a pattern of complaints against the company. Continued below .... SECOND EYE-OPENER:
Watch out for extra charges -- some mandatory, some optional. Ours quickly added up:
$100 more to fly out of the Washington area.....
$115 in government taxes and airport fees.
$10 for mandatory FedEx delivery of e-tickets and hotel voucher.
$65 for a hotel upgrade, since Go-Today's budget choices seemed a bit too basic for anyone past the backpacker stage. It was still an incredible deal: We were paying $64 a night for a three-star room that was going for $172 a night on Hotels.com.
Final total: $789 per person.
RESULTS:
You knew there was a catch.
It wasn't the ticket delivery, which can be dicey with some discounters who work on razor-thin margins. Our e-tickets and hotel voucher arrived in our mailbox within days of purchase.
It wasn't the airlines. We flew brand-name carriers: United and Lufthansa.
It wasn't the hotel. True, our hotel room was small with no air conditioning, but the neighborhood was safe and convenient, the room spotless and the staff friendly. We'd stay there again.
No, the catch was a return-trip routing that not only required a connection, but took us from London to Dulles via Frankfurt, requiring a 4 a.m. wakeup call and, with layover time, adding more than six hours (!) to our journey. We weren't told this before booking -- only after we paid in full and received e-mail confirmation. Go-Today manager Carmen Costello later explained that while the company works with vendors to get the best routing available, it depends on space available. The sale we clicked on, she said, resulted in more than 1,000 bookings in 24 hours, and United, the company's carrier on that trip, sold out of cheap seats. If Lufthansa hadn't agreed to provide a seat from Frankfurt at Go-Today's price, "we would have had to cancel you."
CONCLUSION:
The deal was worth it, offering excellent value with no sacrifice in safety or comfort. In fact, unless staying in a specific hotel is important to you, we're hard-pressed to find a reason not to use these packages.
You see, I lived in Boston for 4 and a half years so i never really had to stay in a hotel. But I did a lot of travelling around North America and I found the best places to stay if you're on a budget, are motels, inns, B & B, or a hostel. I don't have a specific name.
$30 a night, maybe less. most have the essential facilities and are cheap.
Well, I do love my roadtrips, so I usually sleep in my car while someone else drives. But if you need a good rest I recommend a nice hotel. You need not pay a small fortune either! Make sure to grab plenty of the free Discount coupon book lying around most of the Rest Areas. They offer really great deals... I recently got a room for $45 right on the oceanfront!
45-70
US dollars Ocean front.This hotel survived the invasion of Normandie in WWII and is next to the great museum of the D Day Invasion. Great view of the invsion beaches.
This is the small hotel where we stayed our three nights in the amazing city of Las Vegas.It is a very nice and cheap hotel located just behind of the Strip. Very close to all main attractions in the city.The price it was of $36 per night a very nice price isn't? for a doble room with free breakfast in the hotel lobby.
The Super 8 in Longview has a good view of the Texas Lake Country. The hotel is located at Exit 596 off of I-20 and provides easy access to all area events. Each room has in room coffee makers, high speed internet, and large televisions.
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Hi All,
I'm planning to visit Florida for one week around mid of July 2004.
Any suggestions on 3-star hotels and things to do will be much appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Ashwani
Florida is a big state with a lot of cities and hotels.....where in Florida will you be? It will be helpful to know. Also, here are a couple of websites that may help:
www.travelocity.com
www.expedia.com
I personally prefer travelocity, but use both.
Do you tip hotel maids? If so, do you tip per stay or per night and how much?
Right now, I tip the maid $2 per night and I'm wondering if that's too low.
I have been tipping $2 per night on my most recent business trips. I usually leave the money underneath a hotel room pen or room key to let them know that it is a tip. Either that or you could write a short note.
The amount depends upon the hotel you stay in. If it is really upscale, $5. But for normal hotels $2 is fine. And it would be per night as the maid changes from day to day in the hotel. It might not be the same woman.
Lee Ann, Want to come to Chicago this summer? VT meeting planned on the weekend of June 18th. G has expressed interest in coming and we already have SONG from Florida on the list.
Let me look at my schedule..... sound interesting. :)
yes i tip.
no $2/night is not too low.
Agree 2 a night is good. A lot of people dont tip the maids, and its certainly not a requirement, but its nice to do so.
Rebecca,
I worked for the Hyatt Regency at one time years ago. It Is SOOOO COOL that you tip the housekeeper! Almost nobody tips the housekeepers in the U.S. They work like dogs and receive very little in the way thanks. They are often the lowest paid members of staff. I know from overhearing housekeepers’ conversation how much they appreciate it.
If a person was staying multiple days they often made sure to be extra helpful when they were shown this kind of appreciation.
Thanks for noticing the hard work of others. I trust the kindness will find it’s way back to you some day.
Thanks,
Randy
Thanks for the replies, everyone! I'll stick to $2 per night then!
Add a little note also. It will help brighten up their day a little.
^^I also add a note and leave in in a glass..
We will have a 24-hour layover in Miami in February (from Sunday 4 p.m. to Monday 5 p.m.)on our way from California to South America. We have never been to Miami and are hoping to find a resonably priced hotel ($150 range)that will allow us to get a taste of the city. Beach area sounds great - not sure what areas are best for such a short stayover.
The non-beach part of the city shuts down at night. Try the Days Inn at Collins and 21st. It's cheap and decent and right on the beach. South Beach is the fun place to stay. There are lots of restaurants on Lincoln, within walking distance. Even if it isn't swimming weather, there's always a lot going on. I always stay there when I visit my in-laws. You can go for a long walk on the boardwalk or just hang out at a cafe.
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Address: 1900 S First St, Champaign, Illinois, 61820-6914, United States
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