Chicago, IL -- MDW airport / Holiday Inn Midway

February 2012, Weekday, King guestroom #533

Status perks

 

I received my choice of a beverage in the bar or 500 points--I took the points, of course! I also received a bottle of water.

Guestroom

Even though I did not receive an upgraded room, I loved the guestroom. It was clean and comfortable. The large closet by the door contained regular hangers and a luggage rack. I prefer the suitcase benches, and there was plenty of room for one of those in the room, so maybe those will be added at some point. A counter area across from the bathroom held the ice bucket and coffee setup. Again, there was room under this counter for a mini-fridge, and room on the counter for a small microwave, although they were not present. I have stayed in other Holiday Inns with the same layout as this property that had a microwave and fridge in this area.

The bedroom area included a desk and chair, soft chair and footstool, flat screen TV, night stands with lamps, and plenty of outlets! Along with the ample outlets in the guestroom, there was an ethernet cord on the desk. The Internet connection speed was good in the guestroom, even when using the wireless. The leather furniture was comfortable, and so was the bed. I heard some airplane noise, although it was minimal and did not bother me at all.

Food & Beverage

I had salmon at the bar that evening. The food quality and service was excellent. The service and food I received at this bar was the best I'd had all week. The sides I had with the salmon were homemade slaw and sweet potato fries. I would have preferred the fries a little crispier, although they were still great. The last time I stayed at a Midway airport hotel, I ate at the restaurant/bar in the Marriott, and I thought the food quality and service was better at this Holiday Inn.

Fitness center

This was by far the nicest fitness center I have ever seen in a Holiday Inn. Not the best hotel fitness center I have ever been to, but the best one at a Holiday Inn. The large room contained about eight cardio machines with cardio theater, a flat screen TV, hand weights, a weight bench, scale, water, and towels. The temperature was comfortable and everything worked.

Pool

I did not use the pool; however, it is located next to the fitness center, and looked quite impressive for an airport hotel. There was a ping pong table and a fuse ball table in the pool area, as well as several soft chairs and tables with chairs. The fitness center and pool area looked great, so I took photos to share.

Shuttle service

The shuttle arrived promptly when I arrived in the afternoon. My return trip the next morning took slightly longer. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes, and the front desk agent at the hotel had told me that the shuttle would stop at two more hotels in the complex before heading to the airport in the morning. The shuttle actually stopped at three more hotels after guests got on at the Holiday Inn, and it took us 10 minutes before we even left the hotel complex to head to the airport. I was glad I had decided to go at the earlier time, rather than the next run, which would have been cutting it kind of close for me. After the slight delay getting to the airport, I started to remember that this had happened last time I stayed in the Midway hotel complex. I looked up my Hilton Garden Inn review from last year, and sure enough, that shuttle was later than expected getting to the airport too. MDW is a fairly easy airport to navigate, so this isn't a huge issue. I would suggest choosing the earlier run though, if you are trying to decide what time to go.

Overall
This is the third hotel I have stayed in at the Midway hotel complex, and it is my favorite so far. The other hotels I stayed in were the Hilton Garden Inn (you can find that review in this blog), and the Fairfield Inn.

Chicago, Illinois / MDW airport, Hotel Center Campus -- Hilton Garden Inn

Status perks

I received the usual two bottles of water at check-in. I had arrived a little early, and the agent said that a king bed room on the top floor was not ready yet. He said that I could have a room with two queen beds, or a room on a lower floor. I asked if he could store my luggage, and said that I would be happy to walk to one of the restaurants next door for lunch since I had not eaten. He then said that he could upgrade me to a king room on the top floor and he prepared a new key. He said the room would be pretty much the same as what I had reserved except I would have a flat screen TV and upgraded amenities. I thanked him, and went to my room to store my luggage before going to eat.

Room

The room was a basic HGI room--fridge, microwave, coffee set up, comfortable bed, desk with ergonomic chair, and soft chair in the corner. I wondered what my room would have looked like, if I had not received the upgrade! I looked at the room diagram on the door, and saw that my room was one of the smaller sized rooms. I'm sure the room I received was exactly what I had reserved and not an upgrade. If I received a lower quality room because of my early arrival, that is upsetting because I would have gladly returned after eating for a better room. The bedding, seating, and work area were all comfortable, so I don't have any complaints.

Food & Beverage

The hummus dip in the lounge that evening was better than expected. It was served with provolone cheese (not my favorite, but better than none) and pita bread. I thought the wine prices were kind of high. There were not any happy hour specials.

Fitness center

There were several cardio machines; however, only one working treadmill, which was occupied, so I opted for the stair stepper instead. The room also contained hand weights, a couple weight machines, and cold water.

Shuttle & misc.

I thought the shuttle service left something to be desired compared to what I was told and expected. When I called from the airport after arriving, I was told the shuttle picks up every 10 minutes, and I waited over 15 minutes. When I departed, I was told to be downstairs a few minutes early because the shuttle is very prompt (on the hour)! We left at almost 5:05 AM and then had to stop at two more hotels before arriving at the airport.