| rev:text
| - I loved my 2 day stay at Residence Inn. I grew up in Champaign and came home for a family visit & media promotion. The hotel was in a perfect spot - easy to get around to different parts of town & located centrally off the highway.
Rooms:
I stayed in a studio suite and I loved the layout. Definitely feels like an apartment with a full kitchen at the entry, small sitting/living area with a large desk, large bed, dresser area/closet & super large bathroom. The one bedrooms were also very nice.
I really like the large shower set up with the stationary glass door. The showers have been designed so that the control valve is at the back so you don't have to lean in and get wet. #Brilliant
The bed was super comfy and I like the clean white quilted look of the bed covers.
The room was also fairly quiet considering I was staying near the elevator (Room 414)
My room faced west so there was a nice glow in the late afternoon.
Views - all rooms mainly face other hotels & the parking lot but, let's face it, you really aren't there for the views when you visit Central Illinois - #FlatAsAPancake
Property:
I loved the overall feel of this hotel! very inviting from the minute I walked in. Marriotts design for their long term stay chain, Residence Inn is very well done (I'm a building inspector in addition to a travel blogger and I've inspected over 30 hotels in my career so I'm a big of a design snob).
I loved the high angled ceilings in the lobby as well as the pool area - this gives it a great design look from the outside. The entry lobby with couch/tv area that's super comfortable
The building is 3 years old but is in great shape.
Separate dining "cubbies"/tables- this makes it not feel to much like a cafeteria but there are still plenty of places where people can gather. The only design "flaw" is in the Breakfast area - the waffle area is right in front of the Staff door - this area is where people tend to stand so they don't burn their waffles. I noticed that staff & guests tended to bump into each other as the staff would come out to make sure everything was ok.
The hotel holds receptions several nights a week which is a great way for guests to interact with each other (perfect for long term travelers so they don't feel so isolated). The hotel put together a little mini reception for me and my family so we would experience " #InnTheMix" Such a great way to make people feel at home - gatherings include happy hour style set up as well as dessert menus. Whitney with Food & Beverage and AGM Michael really put together a nice spread.
There is an adorable outdoor seating area between the Dining Room and the pool - complete with chairs, lounges, a grill and a firepit. Many of the guests gathered there at night but it never felt crowded. Was a great spot for us to sit while my nieces played in the indoor pool - we could see everyone but were able to sit in a quiet spot and relax.
Breakfast - all of the food served each day was very fresh. I definitely suggest you get there earlier as it starts to get a little sparse towards the end of the serving time which makes sense - why put out a bunch at the end, right? ;) #EarlyBirdGetsTheSausageGravy. The waffle batter dispenser seems to get fairly messy which is a machine design flaw (it seems like I'm picking on the waffle area, doesn't it?!) This is a full breakfast also and is very Midwestern (yay!) Eggs, sausage, potatoes, sausage gravy (not every day), variety of cereals
Amenities:
Pool - very open & room with the ability to swim laps as well enjoy the hot tub. Great for parties too.
Gym - I wish I could say that I visited the gym after I imbibed at the free breakfast but I didn't (Stretchy pants for me until I get into the gym again!) From my brief tour of the room, it looked very nice & the equipment was up to date. Not a huge room but not too tiny and guests feel like they are on top of each other.
Laundry - nice HE washers & dryers - this is especially great if you are traveling for a long period of time (like many of the guests are)
Guest Dynamic - lots of professionals on long term job assignments in Champaign/Urbana as well as the University. The weekends seem to bring a mix of families.
Parking - plenty of parking (although it was not a football weekend so it may get a little crazier then.
All of the managers I met with were fantastic - each very knowledgeable and helpful. They all interact well with hotel guests and staff alike which I really appreciate. All of the staff treated the guests very well & responded to requests etc.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)