Holiday Inn Express & Suites Waukegan By Ihg

“Great staff”

I stayed at this hotel for naval graduation. The hotel was overall clean and my room was what I expected. What wasn’t was what I excepted was the staff. The staff were fantastic. Front desk check in was excellent. The staff were on top of everything. There are two exceptional staff encountered duri… more

I stayed at this hotel for naval graduation. The hotel was overall clean and my room was what I expected. What wasn’t was what I excepted was the staff. The staff were fantastic. Front desk check in was excellent. The staff were on top of everything. There are two exceptional staff encountered during my visit. First the driver for the shuttle to graduation. He got us there quickly and safely. I recommend using the shuttle he is amazing and it saves a ton of time getting there and back. The second safe was housekeeper Minerva. What an amazing woman. She was very helpful. She was such an accommodating and genuinely wonderful human being. She has a great smile and was so nice. Most people don’t take time to notice these staff but what a terrific humble lady. My daughter flooded the bathroom and after cleaning it up I went to find new towels. Minerva was a fantastic help and this hotel is so fortunate to have a staff member like her. I don’t regrets staying at this hotel at all and would recommend it to anyone going to the navel graduation or just in the area.

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“Excellent”

Just a quick shout out to the staff, especially Ann, who was so helpful and kind. I unexpectedly needed to send paperwork to Massachusetts and despite my rush and quasi anxiety, quietly and efficiently took care of everyone. She was excellent in other ways, as well. Elizabeth the manager was also v… more

Just a quick shout out to the staff, especially Ann, who was so helpful and kind. I unexpectedly needed to send paperwork to Massachusetts and despite my rush and quasi anxiety, quietly and efficiently took care of everyone. She was excellent in other ways, as well. Elizabeth the manager was also very present, friendly and helpful. Loved our experience at HIE Wakegan.

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“Great Experience”

The entire experience was amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful. Ms. Ann was customer service was phenomenal. I had just driven 14 hours from Texas. She helped make arrangements for me to check in early so I can get some rest. Top notch service.

“Prime location for attendees of Navy boot camp graduation but lacks in other areas”

This location is excellent for families attending navy boot camp graduation at Naval Station Great Lakes. The front desk offers a flyer with important information regarding the graduation. There is also a shuttle that drops off and picks up right outside the base gate. I found this to be very thoug… more

This location is excellent for families attending navy boot camp graduation at Naval Station Great Lakes. The front desk offers a flyer with important information regarding the graduation. There is also a shuttle that drops off and picks up right outside the base gate. I found this to be very thoughtful because this saves time from having to line up the morning of graduation and wait to have your vehicle inspected prior to being allowed on base. You have to sign up for a slot for the shuttle at the front desk and they fill up fast. There is also a Walmart and several fast food/chain restaurants nearby as well as a casino if you get bored at night. Staff here are friendly and helpful. They are quick to smile and greet you and are overall pleasant. Breakfast buffet, I would say, is above average for this tier of hotel. There is an assortment of bread and pastries, a machine that makes fresh pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal, eggs (although definitely not fresh), sausage patties, biscuits and gravy, and cereal. On the day of the graduation, they live stream the ceremony downstairs for those that did not get a ticket to attend. They also offer a hot dog social at 11:30am for families returning to the hotel with their newly minted Sailors. Cookies and lemonade as well as chips are also on offer. Now on to the bad. The hotel is a bit dated. There wasn't anything falling apart but the decor and furniture have definitely seen better days. Throughout our stay, the right elevator was always out of service, leaving only one operaple elevator. As luck would have it, that elevator went out of service too. This meant that we had to walk up to our room on the 4th floor with kids in tow. I was not too happy about this as I had to go back and forth a couple more times that night and the next morning. When I asked the front desk when they planned on having it fixed, they said it would be sometime tomorrow. I didn't feel that was an acceptable answer because what if there were elderly or disabled people that relied on the elevator? How would they get to their rooms? I feel that having both elevators out of service would warrant an emergency repair call even if it was after-hours. The next morning at breakfast, I brought back cereal and milk for my son. When I poured the milk into his bowl, it was chunky! Obviously spoiled and rancid even though the expiration date was still a week away. This implies that it was not stored properly. I went back downstairs to tell someone in the dining room and they gave me another milk but I was too skeptical at this point. They did say they would throw out the batch that was in the fridge but I wonder how many other people have already consumed this spoiled milk? Overall, I would give this a 2.5 based on its location, the breakfast buffet, and the accomodations for families attending graduation at the navy base. However, if I had to come back I would probably choose one of the several other hotels in the area.

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