Hotel employees in Chicago

[Luna Baby]

Looking to talk to any hotel employee that might work in the Chicago area. We changed our plans and are going to vacation there instead of Virginia. However, I have a question or two about the hotel when we get there.

Youngest son and I will be flying from Louisville to Chicago O'Hare as a "special" part of vacation for him. He's never flown before and hubby, myself and oldest boy all have. This is just a part we added just for him. We will probably arrive in Chicago 3 hours+ prior to hubby and oldest boy. I do know that the hotel we are staying at will have a shuttle from the airport so getting there shouldn't be a problem. However, I also think our hotel has a 3pm checkin. We'll all most likely be there 2+ hours minimum prior to checkin.

I'm wondering what the chances of an "early check-in" might be and if not able to do that, how the facility might feel about me and the boy "hanging out" in the lobby area. It's set up to look/feel like a living room type area. Boy is very well behaved and I'll have a book with me; he'll have an ipod I'm sure.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

[csquared]

While I am not a hotel employee, I do know that early check-in will depend mainly on if a room is available. The sooner you contact the hotel and ask, the less likely someone else may get first dibs. You could get bumped by a preferred member. Better still, are you a preferred member?

As for hanging out... Does the hotel have a pool? Also, depending on where in Chicago you are staying, you might try a little exploring. The hotel will probably be willing to watch your bags. I am guessing that most of your luggage will be in the car, so it is even less of an issue.

[Luna Baby]

yes, csquared, all the luggage will be in the car-bathing suits and all. I'm only taking a small purse on the plane with me because I'm nervous about flying into a large airport with my boy. Although, if I could fly with my other when he was the same age, to Germany and back with all of our luggage and karate gear, I should be able to handle this! I'll probably call the hotel before we board our plane just to see if they might accidently have me a room available when we get there.

I think there are some areas to walk to close to the hotel, so if nothing else, we can either hang out at the airport a bit and watch the plans come and go and then head over or head over early and walk a bit if they can't let me check in early.

We'll be staying at the Country Inn and Suites, Northwest, on South Elmhurst Road in Mount Prospect (about 6 miles from the airport). Anyone have any suggestions for that particular area, even a cool little diner or something? The rest of the trip has been planned, well in advance, but I'm stressing over this few hours where I'll be "stuck" with no car/no bed........

Thanks csquared!

[ArcticChicken]

Don't wait, call them now (or, y'know, in the morning, whatever). The earlier you ask them about an early check in, the more likely they are to be able to get you one.

[csquared]

Zippy's for a Cheezy Beef! It is only about eight miles up E. Higgins on N. Roselle.

Unfortunately, your hotel is right on the border of a business district and a residential area. You have a handful of restaurants within a couple of block, but nothing really to sight-see.

You could kill some time by taking the CTA down to the loop. Hit State St., maybe a little shopping and head back to O'Hare. Or do a lap or two around the Loop.

[bhskittykatt]

I don't work in the Chicago area, but I second the notion that you should contact them sooner to make the request. They may not be able to get you in early, but it never hurts to ask! They need to know ahead of time you'll be there early though so they can have housekeeping clean the room as soon as the previous guests check out.

[Luna Baby]

Thanks, bhskittykatt! Hopefully, I'll have time to call today while on my lunch break. Co-worker is off and it gets a little crazy in the office when there is just 1 of us and coming upon a holiday weekend scheduling the loads and getting the stuff made to go on the loads! I usually to a "working lunch" when she's off just to keep up with all that there is to do, but I may step out for a short bit today to take care of this call.

We aren't leaving just yet, but soon, and I'd feel better if I knew everything was settled early. If I knew we could do an "early check-in", we might could pack a tiny string pack that my son can carry with trunks and a bathing suit just so we could take advantage of the pool.

[kpzra]

I had an early "check in" one time. My room wasn't ready yet, but I registered in the system and was allowed to use the pool until my room was clean. I was about an hour early though, so it wasn't that bad. I just changed in the bathroom they had.

[Luna Baby]

We're still on vacation, but wanted to pop in and shout a little praise at our hotel staff. Son and I hopped off the flight at 8:30am Tuesday morning---long before our 3 pm checkin. I called and asked for the shuttle....he was there within about 30 minutes or so. Staff checked us in as soon as we walked in the building. Nothing but good things to say about where we are staying.

Love Portillo's. Love it, love it, love it!

Mr. Beefy? Not so much.........

More "touristy" stuff tomorrow, Field Museum and the Art Institute.

I'll post a link to my pics (son's pics, actually) once we return home. No one on my FB list knows we are gone except the neighbor caring for 1 dog and our best friends caring for the other one.

We are having fun learning all about the CTA, rail and busses and have discovered that during rush hour traffic downtown, we can walk faster than the busses travel! We've stopped to listen to the musicians at the airport. I'm not sure whether I should feel sorry for them or not. Some look pitiful but their music is beautiful. Tuesday, while looking for the shuttle area, we ran upon a gentleman playing an electric violin. Absolutely beautiful. The sax player in another area has been pretty awesome, too.