TownePlace Suites by Marriott Chicago Lombard — Hotel in Lombard

As we (myself & my 3 teenage girls) got close enough to see that Beautiful sign: "TOWNEPLACE SUITES-BY MARRIOTT", we were all very close to tears! Yes, I AM VERY aware of how ridiculous all of this sounds! Be that as it may, after our original, meticulously planned drive to Chicago...which would've taken 11 to 12 hours-tops...was hijacked and diverted, we ended up driving an additional 9 (yes, NINE) hours AND adding 5 extra states to our original route! It was a maddening, unpleasant, and exhausting situation which we were essentially forced to endure...but, as always, I've said WAY too much! Nonetheless, I'll bet shedding a few tears upon our arrival doesn't seem quite as ridiculous as it did before, right?!Back to the review! 😂

As previously mentioned, we were beyond thrilled to finally arrive at TownePlace Suites, and it just got better and better! I jumped out of the car and walked into the Main Lobby, where the check-in desk is located. I was greeted immediately by the lady behind the desk, even though she looked very busy at the time. I truly appreciate little things like that! We travel quite a bit, and though it may not seem like much, it really is everything! First impressions are extremely important, in ANY industry. At hotels, the First Impression we have almost always comes from the front desk staff, which can set the vibe for the entirety of our stay. Check-in was a pleasure here! As mentioned, the lady at the front desk was very courteous and helpful. Furthermore, she asked me if I was a "Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Member", to which I answered "no ma'am", not really thinking too much about it. She proceeds to lean over the desk a little and slides a piece of paper over to me. She then goes on to whisper, "if you scan this barcode with your phone, you'll get a little pop-up with a 10-digit number. You don't have to put in any personal information whatsoever. So I scanned the code, got the pop-up with the 10-digit number, which she then asked me to dictate to her. I did as she asked, and within a few seconds she tells me that I've just received $50 off of my stay! For the first time in a very long time, I actually had NO words! 😂 The moment passed quickly though, as I proceeded to thank her over and over again! Like I said, first impressions can make or break a business, especially when it involves customer service...and I can honestly say that the impression that she made on me truly made a difference! From that first interaction on, I just had a great feeling about everything! Does that mean that absolutely EVERYTHING was perfect? No, of course not! Stuff still happens! My point is, the attitudes of the entire staff were basically the same as the 1st front desk lady, and because everyone was so great and accommodating, me and my girls had an amazing stay! 100% Recommend "TOWNEPLACE SUITES-BY MARRIOTT"...

I couldn't believe they had a dishwasher, bowls, cups, glasses, silverware, utensils, plates, a stainless steel pan, a mixing bowl, & a measuring cup. They had a four burner tiny oven, a five-foot refrigerator, a full size ironing board and iron, and they also give you dish-soap and dishwasher soap for these. The showers have mounted dispensable soap with menthol, but their hairdryers are normal sized not attached to the wall, and you will find the usual little collection of tiny soap and lotion with a pair of make-up wipes individually wrapped. Housekeeping was respectful and the front desk people were both sweet & helpful. Breakfast was oatmeal in a crock pot with elaborate toppings to chose from, either boiled egg or scrambled or little cheesy omelets, AND either pancakes or big ole waffles or sausages, and a decent amount of cereals, orange or apple juice, good coffee, any kind of muffin or toast or bagels. and the pickens were not slim. The team was right on it. ||TWO WEEKS! and even though you could hear the other rooms voices they sounded very far away like down the street. I know people whose houses have thinner walls than that. No weird smells, No loud noises, No unpleasant finds, It was absolutely lovely!||CLEAN neighborhood. You don't find masks, or target bags, or what-not blowing around. People are not rude to you outside of the motel. Traffic is not even as brutal as my hometown. People park considerately and don't blow their horns like doorbells. And i feel the need to say i smelled zero smoke from anyplace that i went during my entire two week stay. No smoke of any kind or variety or type. Wish i could live in the area. ||The front desk people gave me any extras that i needed such as new sheets and comforter and pillow cases, and toilet paper. They assured me about the neighborhood. The only attempted theft was a squirrel trying to steal some heat when i was packing my car to leave. (that would have been an ugly ride)||So now you may have a better idea what you need to pack and would like to leave at home if possible. I only wished i had brought a few coat hangers for my clothes because five wasn't...

I would run far and fast from this place to the Courtyard down the street about a mile away. Absolutely not recommended.

When I got there, the main front door was closed at check-in time. What? I've never in my life had to be "buzzed in" at a hotel during normal check in time at 3pm. So, that was odd. Front desk people seemed like they were overcompensating for the weirdness, I just wanted to bypass the desk with a mobile key but that didn't happen. So I was subject to about 10 questions about my trip there (just drove several states away, super tired, probably look as cranky as I feel, can I just have my key?)

Room had a lot of water damage on the walls in the bathroom, a ladybug on the wall (in the dead of Winter?) Bed was kind of low to the ground and no box spring, mattress was hard as a rock. Although on first glance when I walked in, it looked nice. Took a shower and the water pressure barely worked, so the many options on the shower head were basically useless. There were many hairs in the shower that weren't mine.

Breakfast is free and hot, smelled good, although I didn't stop in for any. The whole building needs an overhaul, I don't know what was "fully renovated" unless it's just slapping some new furniture in rooms and calling that a renovation, but it wasn't as nice as it looked online by a long shot. The elevators were squeaky and extremely slow.

I thought I'd just deal with it, as it's located an area where I wanted to be. However, after the third time I walked out to my car and saw people standing right in front of it by the door, smoking cigarettes and also weed, I decided that was the last straw. One of them had the door propped open while smoking also. Some of the people staying there honestly looked like they've been living there for a while. That's all I'm going to say.

Overall, I would not ever recommend this property to anybody. I think it feels unsafe, and was terribly outdated inside. It needed a deep cleaning...