01: Introduction: Domestic United Airlines 747-400’s in Global First and economy class
02: United Airlines 737-900/ER Economy Plus (premium economy) San Diego to San Francisco
03: United Airlines 747-400 economy class San Francisco to Chicago
04: Hilton Chicago O’Hare airport
05: United Club, Concourse B, ORD
06: American Airlines Admirals Club, ORD
07: United Airlines 747-400 Global First (first class) Chicago to San Francisco
08: United Airlines A320 economy class San Francisco to San Diego
I’m a sucker for any hotel with decent views of a busy airport, so that’s why there was no other choice for this trip than the Hilton at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Yes it’s a Hilton, and I know that I’ve said many times before that I’m actively trying to avoid the Hilton and Hyatt brands in favor of non-chain hotels for the purpose of making this blog more interesting. But how could I possibly resist when this particular Hilton offers views like this from the guest rooms?
Before I get into those views, I need to back up for a second and start from the beginning in order to make this review easier to follow. Don’t worry – more window view pics are coming later…
Finding this Hilton from inside the terminal at ORD was rather easy. There are signs that say “Hilton” at all exits, so just keep following them until you reach the front door. I should mention that this hotel is accessible in two ways from the terminal: the first is an underground walkway, and the second is outdoors (by simply walking across the roadway to the hotel entrance). Either way is simple, but I do appreciate the fact that there is an indoor/underground option to avoid inclement weather outside. But if the weather is nice (as it was during my trip), it’s a very nice and easy walk across the roadway.
The check in desk was quite busy by the time I arrived (just after 5pm on a Saturday afternoon), and I ended up waiting about 10 minutes for the next available clerk. No worries though – the staff was very friendly and polite (as would be expected), and I had my room card keys within minutes.
Walking through the hallway on the 8th floor to my room reminded me quickly that I was not in an overly-luxurious property (the hallway decor screamed “airport hotel”), and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The only reason why I mention it is because I paid nearly $230/night for this room so I was hoping for something a bit more upscale.
I quickly realized the value of staying here (and the price I paid) immediately upon entering the room. The view of the airport was amazing! The floor to ceiling windows were well worth the price of admission and I knew right away that I’d be spending a lot of time in front of them watching ORD at work. And that I did – I shot tons of pics and thousands of gigabytes of video from here, and I’d go as far as to say it was one of the best views I’ve ever had at an airport hotel. The Marriott at IAH was nice – but this Hilton was much better!
The decor of the room was nice. Not “wow” nice, but just nice – typical of a Hilton I suppose. Of all the airport Hiltons I’ve stayed at, I’d give the “style and design” win to the one at Knoxville Airport in Tennessee. This one here at ORD seemed a touch dated, but it was quite comfortable nonetheless.
Room service options were good. The menu was extensive, and I found the food to be decent.
So all in all, how did I feel about paying $230/night for this room? Pretty good actually – once I saw the view.
That view is what made this experience so memorable for me, and if you want the same thing, make sure that you request a room on a higher floor (7 or above). Without the excellent view of the airport, I definitely would’t have been so happy with the cost considering there are a plethora of other good airport hotels surrounding O’Hare airport that are much cheaper. None are located as conveniently as this one of course, but it’s possible to save a lot of money by choosing something just a bit farther away.
Josh Walton
Loved it! This was your best hotel room review yet! )I like lots of pics) But I have a few questions: 1. If the sole purpose of your stay was to fly the 747, why two nights instead of just one? 2. How often do you travel? and finally, 3. What is your reason for your attachment to Hyatt and Hilton? Keep up the great work, and I’m looking forward to the rest of this series!
SANspotter
Hey Josh – thanks! Glad you liked the review! Yeah, I’ve been meaning to add more detail to my hotel reviews for a long time, and I started doing that with this one. By the way, I have a quick video review for this hotel that I’ll post tomorrow on YouTube. Here are answers to your questions:
1). I wanted to take things a little bit slow and spend some time around the Chicago area before coming back (I used to live near there). Two day out-and-back trips are difficult anyway, so it was nice to add in an extra day of down time.
2). I try to do a trip once every six weeks or so – less than that is not enough and more than that is too much for me.
3). Haha…I don’t really know, other than the fact that Hiltons and Hyatt’s are everywhere and are usually located in the best locations. Plus, they are very predictable, meaning that I don’t normally have to worry about having a bad stay if I choose one of these big brands. It’s a bit more risky with boutique hotels.
Anyway, thanks for the questions!
Lawrence
This airport hotel seems nice. If you want a real treat, though, take a flight down to Tampa and stay at the Tampa Airport Marriott. It is truly a nice place, with great, friendly staff, good food, a classy bar onsite and good runway views, especially from the top two floors. The hotel is literally inside the land-side part of the airport. You can be off your plane and in your hotel room in less than ten minutes.
SANspotter
Yes, I’ve actually stayed at the at the Tampa Airport Marriott before – and I agree that it’s really good! Hope to make it back someday…