My three-year old son and I just returned from a last minute, long weekend in Chicago to see a Cubs game. I'm a big fan of commercial aviation and, since it was just the two of us, I decided to try out the hotel at the airport instead of finding one downtown. I obtained a rate of $60 per night from Priceline.
I couldn't have been more pleased with the hotel from check-in to check-out. First, when I asked if I could check my bags somewhere until check-in time, the desk attendant said he'd be happy to let me check-in -- at 11:45am. He asked if I had a room preference and I asked for one with a view of the runways. We ended up with a king room on the top (10th) floor with a fantastic (if you like this sort of thing) view of the terminals and runways. Very handy for keeping my son occupied. Very little noise from the planes. The front desk also accomodated a late check-out with no problems. You can check in for your flights and print your boarding passes from the lobby.
Room was a good size and nicely decorated. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. Plenty of pillows, nice sheets. Very comfortable modern recliner and a good sized L-shaped desk. Bathroom was a little small, but nice.
There's a pool and hot tub in the athletic club attached to the hotel. Other reviewers noted there was a fee, but we were not charged to use it.
Wireless internet access in the room at $9.95/24 hours.
VERY close to the train to the city. The hotel is connected to the station -- maybe a two minute walk from the lobby with a three year old. As of August 21, it's about an hour or so all the way to downtown, though (there was track construction, so the trains had to crawl through certain segments -- it's probably faster when there is no need to slow down). A little less time to get to Wrigley Field if you get off at the Addison stop and take a bus to the stadium.
As another reviewer noted, the restaurant choices are limited since most of the food is past security. We picked up some breakfast bars/bagels at a Walgreens when we were out the first day and took them back for breakfasts. We were out for lunch and most dinners. There is a small sports bar downstairs that was a little pricey ($10 or $11 for a burger/sandwich), but not too bad given that it's a hotel restaurant. The kid's meal was realtively cheap, though.
Overall, we had a very nice stay and I wouldn't hesitate to return. A cheaper alternative to staying downtown (especially with the Priceline rate) if you don't mind the train ride.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.