Newer hotel close to campus. Lots of restaurants and bars around. We stayed here overnight for an accepted student orientation with our daughter and nephew at U of I. Rooms were spacious and well-appointed. City parking garage is adjacent to the hotel, so parking wasn't a problem.
They lose a star though because while I booked the hotel through Hotels.com, they wouldn't transfer the booking to my husband's Marriott Rewards account so we could get points for it. Annoying, but NBD.
They lose another star for the absolutely terrible free breakfast. Having 3 teenagers, we always book hotels with a free buffet breakfast, and know what to expect. Toast, maybe bagels, some sort of cereal, apples and bananas, sometimes yogurt, sometimes eggs (powdered, I know) and the ever-present waffle maker. It's something to put in your stomach until you can grab something when you're on your way. However, their breakfast was just terrible. Their 'hot' breakfast consisted of hamburger buns with very low quality ham and cheese in between. Even my 18 year-old nephew thought it was gross, and teenage boys will eat mostly anything. Also, it was totally packed due to the U of I accepted student orientation, so other options like yogurt and granola bars were all gone :( I would hope their breakfast offerings are better when they're not quite as busy!