Howard Johnson Inn and Suites Elk Grove Village O’Hare

The staff is really nice and helpful. But the hotel was kinda old and smelly.
Booked here for a couple of nights on our recent vacation to try to save some money, the rates were very good and they offered free parking. It’s located 15 miles from the airport and about an hour or more to downtown chicago area, really not very convenient as we later found out.
The check-​in process was very easy and staff was very helpful. However, the hotel is just old and run down. Our room smells like urine, carpets are nasty, dirty and smell like old socks. The bed sheets were old and the blankets looks like they have never been washed. I was itchy the whole time we were there.
Definitely do not recommend!

torn between 2 and 3 stars, 3 stars based on price. Carpets were sticky and room was shabby in need of a facelift. Safe did not work after maintenance guy wasting nearly an hour of our day he said he would need to have the safe company fix it (stayed 7 nights never fixed), day 1 coffee maker did not work, mini fridge broke down (they did replace both), WiFi was impossible including broken down lobby computer. Worst; pull out sofabed had a torn up piece of foam as a mattress and had to have the dirty stained blanket replaced.

This place is nasty. The bathroom was nasty, it looked like it still had someones old vomit still around the toilet. The floors were sticky everywhere we stepped. Someone kept banging thier door for an hour at 5am. I paid 72.00 for this shit. I would have paid an extra 15.00 to go the the Marriott to be more comfortable and peaceful. I will never come back.

I don’t always go for cheapest price, but when I do, it’s usually because I felt it was a better deal at the time I booked it. Of course, there is a reason places like this Howard Johnson are so cheap. I will give it to the staff here, they were great people and always very courteous and helpful. If this rating was based solely on customer service, I would be inclined to give it no less than 4 stars. Sadly, I did not pay specifically for the customer service. I paid for a place to stay while visiting Chicago. My room wasn’t too bad, it was just not as clean as I felt it should have been. The worse example were the towels, they had residue stains on them and made my skin feel itchy. I found holes in the wall (mostly the bathroom) and the window was clamped shut. I could not even open it halfway to allow a breeze in. My room said it included a rollout bed but I guess HoJo’s version of a rollout bed is a low quality sofa top that fits on the heater/​ac unit area. Overall, I have to say I didn’t truly get what I paid for. Yes, paying as cheap as I did should not surprise me on some things that this HoJo would not offer but this place really needs an upgrade in materials (stained towels is just unacceptable). The quality of everything was just. too cheap. If you are desperate to save money, I would say hold off and wait for something better, you’ll save more in the long run. The only thing that saves this HoJo is the customer service. Those guys were great, they deserve to have an establishment that reflects their professionalism and friendliness to customers.

Worst experience of my life!!! They were so rude I was going to check this gentlemen was very rude and disrespectful was screaming at people on the top of his lungs and than when I proceeded to ask for the supervisor he said he was co-​owner and finally got him to tell me who the actual owner was I asked him his full name am he said George I said okay sir what is your last name he went ballistic and said that I didn’t need to know that and if I continue to ask questions he would call the cops on me. Mind you I am pregnant so I’m seriously harmless and I was exhausted and this man treated myself as well as other guests like the scum of the earth. I would rather sleep in my car than to ever step foot in this place again !!!

I think its really important to rate according to price and let me say, for the price, this place is great. Very comfortable bed, clean room, and plenty of towels. I’m not sure if its great for a family vacation of course, but if you’re looking to visit Chicago for a few days it’s right on the money.
In terms of distance… its a fair 20minutes from downtown Chicago and a modest five minutes from the airport.

I booked my hotel and got an amazing room, it was clean, smelled fine, no problems at all, the front desk was always helpful and nice as could be, the only thing I didnt like was the towels to dry offf on, they were extremely small and thin and felt like i was drying off with a hand towel but over all experience was really good, safe neighborhood close to everything. im not sure about the wifi as I tried to connect and It wouldnt let me, but i never called the front desk to ask, so im not sure. hope this helps anyone wanting to stay here, Im def gonna be back

My stay was really disappointing. Upon arrival I was able to easily find a parking spot and was greeted by friendly staff at the front desk. However, when I got up to the 3^rd floor the hallway smelled disgusting and heavily like smoke. My room was small and lacked outlets by the bed, but wasn’t too bad. Everything looked pretty clean until I climbed into bed and saw a spot of dried blood on the sheet. It wasn’t too large, but still grossed me out. I called down to the front desk and told them, asking for another sheet to be brought up. The man did not apologize and said he couldn’t bring one up, that I could go down and get a new one at the desk. It was after midnight (I arrived at the hotel around 11:30pm). He said there was no room service so I had to come down. He insisted that the stain wasn’t there before I climbed into bed. I told him I had just arrived and it was dry, that there was no way it was mine. About 5min later I received my new sheet and a forced apology. Although I was not happy about the sheets being dirty, the poor customer service bothered me just as much.

This was probably the hotel that we got the best deal on while we were on our Chicago trip. This quiet place is decently well kept is conveniently located within a walking distance to fast food restaurants down the street. I booked this place through a website. I talked directly to the front desk before my trip to figure out what buses and trains I had to take to get there. They were really helpful and patient in dealing with me.
As we got to our room, we were surprise to find that was really small, but we didn’t complain with the deal we got. It was so small for two people that you can technically touch wall and the bed at any point in the room excluding the hallway leading to the room door and the restroom. Our room included an ironing board, hairdryer, soap and shampoo, clean towels, and a tv with a decent amount of channels to pass the time. We were kinda disappointed to find that our room smelled like cigarette smoke and find that our comforter had a cigarette burn on it. We were to tired from our plane trip and journey to get to the hotel to ask to change it. The next morning, we had our room cleaned out by one of the housekeepers and they did a really good job changing out everything.
In the morning, they serve breakfast. They brought out several different kinds of pastries, bagels, oatmeal along with milk, water, orange juice, and coffee. It was nice to find that they had a toaster oven to allow to you have a warm meal with jam/​cream cheese.
If you are kinda on the need to save some money and need a place to just keep your things and sleep on your busy trip, this hotel should be your best bet.

I’d say that especially for the Chicago area, it is a good value. Fairly close to the airport and only under the flightpath occasionally when the wind shifts.
There were some oddities in my small room — that the build in ‘desk’ didn’t have a plug anywhere (had to sit on the bed and type on my laptop), and the tv is on top of a tall cabinet.
It is in a very industrial area but there are some fast food restaurants nearby as well as a convenience gas station next door.
This is definitely a case of ‘you get what you pay’ — I think I would have liked to pay $ 10 more a night for a bit better experience.
Pluses:
— Very low price
— Bed and room was clean
— Bathroom was clean
— Staff friendly though not helpful for things like directions
— Internet worked immediately and well
— TV had a LOT of cable stations, which was nice
— Bed was very comfortable
Minuses
— Clientele seemed to have a lot of tattoes and were kind of scary
— Lots of dented walls, torn up carpets, etc.
— Lobby/​eating feels more like a 1980s dentist office
— Ice machine not in a room — open to hallway and noisy
— Desk didn’t have plug anywhere and was very small
— A/​C heater/​fan only had 2 settings — so you either broiled or froze
— Fairly noisy from a heavy usage toll road and planes.
— Gave up getting directions to things like restaurants
— Ran out of soap for the washing machine (which is in the dining area!!)
— «gym» is a small closet behind the office.
— «business station» is a desk with an old computer in a doorway to the staff office (odd). Paper is .15 each.
— Rooms facing the parking lot are very small

I had to select 1 star, but wouldn’t give it any stars. Now, you do get what you pay for; so, for $ 55 a night, it was a steal for the Chicago area. On the flip side, I would expect everything to be clean. There was a fallen tree in the parking lot, trash all around the parking lot, two broken parking lot lights and over grown weeds in the landscaping. The room itself was clean, the bedding was clean and changed everyday; however, there was a hint of a smoke smell (guessing it used to be a smoking hotel). The worst part was the bathroom. Black dirt and/​or mold on the ceiling, multiple patch work on the walls and ceiling. I will never stay at this hotel or any other Howard Johnson hotel again.

On the surface, this HoJo is no different from the rest. Good beds, seemingly good service, and a clean room. However, it seemed like the instant I noticed the sign labeling them as «Independently owned and operated,» letting us know that they only purchased Howard Johnson’s prestigious licensing, the experience began to fall apart at the seams.
I began to see through the sham that is the Elk Grove HoJo with a teenage boy who hung around in the lobby all day. In the morning, when we would go down the elevator to fetch some delectable and rich continental breakfast, he would be sitting at a table, headphones in, expression blank but almost sad. When we returned in the evening from whatever crazy festivities we got up to downtown, he would be sitting at the same table, with the same deserted air. I never found out who he was or why he was there, but it still made me slightly depressed. This is the first reason HoJo lost a star in their Unilocal review.
The second reason is the owner. We didn’t see him until the third time we left the hotel, but lets just say that he looked like Satan incarnate. The shape of his head, his facial creases, and his eerie smile summed up what Beelzebub might look like if he were Indian.
The third star was lost by their toilets. On the whole, the bathroom experience was comfortable. But their toilets, when confronted with any mass larger than a pea, clogged easier than your grandmother’s. The maid, when called up for the second clog, graciously left the plunger in our bathroom in an act that we couldn’t discern as rude or helpful. Since we couldn’t, they lost another star.
I decided to leave the final star for last. Colloquially known as the «burnt pancake incident» (even though it was a waffle that was burned), our 7:30 AM wake-​up call was the worst part of our stay at Howard’s. The toaster in the lobby was clearly labeled for BAGELS ONLY. However, one patron decided that «bagel» is interchangeable with «waffle.» At 7:30, we were greeted with the fire alarm going off. As we grabbed our valuables and rushed downstairs, we saw Baal standing by the lobby with his head down, next to a rather large woman, who was greeting the other lodgers as they entered the lobby with the information that «it was a pancake.» Assuming it was a waffle, as there were no pancakes in the otherwise expansive breakfast selection of HoJo, we left the hotel early, both disappointed and terrified by our journey to what we believe was Hell itself.

For the price, we weren’t expecting much, but wound up with a very comfortable experience. The room was pretty small, but not cramped for 2 people. The shower was well above average. The bed itself was comfy and the blankets pretty nice. We were especially impressed with the cleanliness. Hopefully the mirror above the bed was not two-​way. We will definitely keep this place in mind for future visits.

No complaints except that the walk was a little far to get to since I’m on the 3^rd floor. The room is extremely roomy and the price is great. Shower’s are better than nicer hotels I’ve been to, they’re strong thicker streams. The shower curtains are clean and thick. The orange scented soap is the best I’ve experienced with hotel soap. It’s not too far away from the airport.

I don’t have anything negative to say about this place really. It’s no more than 10 minute drive from anything that one might need. The front desk staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. There is not a flat screen TV or any extra frills, but the beds are comfortable, the showers rock and it’s quiet.

Got a heck of a steal for an emergency booking. $ 41 after taxes on thanksgiving day.
Hotel is generally newer in appearance on the outside. Area is also very easy to get to. Room was a bit small, but we were given notice before the booking. Room is extremely clean and Internet worked with no issues on first try (if you travel much you know its usually a pain to get the Internet to work properly.)
Staff also allowed us to check in early. Check in was at 2PM and we arrived at 11:45AM. Being that we were dead tired from 10 hours of driving this was really an awesome thing on their part.
FYI, aircraft notice is slightly an issue (but that’s expected for an airport hotel). Noise is bearable but if squeaks wake you at night you might have an issue.
Will definitely keep this place in mind for future visits.

a basic budget hotel in a not-​exciting location (in the hotel’s local attractions guide, ikea is listed under dining), but it’s fine if you don’t plan on spending a lot of time in your hotel room. we had a small room on the ground floor with a lovely view of the parking lot and a padded window seat. the carpet in our smoke-​free room always seemed slightly damp, the sink didn’t drain quickly, and the blankets were thin, but otherwise everything was fine. service was great; front desk was friendly. about 15 min. from airport. nearby restaurants include: mcdonald’s, spaghetti warehouse, and a plaza with some smaller family-​owned restaurants. free parking and free breakfast every morning 6am-​9am (danishes, plain bagels, oatmeal packets, oj, apple juice, skim & 2% milk, corn flakes, raisin bran).