Designer laura... Under no circumstances should you stay at this hotel, the Traveler's Rest, in Niles. You will not feel safe. I made a reservation through Hotwire, hoping that the 2 star was, as it had been, the Extended Stay in Skokie, certainly a decent place to stay and well worth the past Hotwire price. When this hotel came up, I was horrified. I grew up in nearby Park Ridge, and knew the area well. I remember this hotel as a complete dive. When I got to Chicago, I drove by to make sure that this was the place in my memory bank. It was, and I didn't even bother to check in. The place still presents as a dive. In an attempt to be fair, I did stop by during my stay to assess the rooms. They were small, but clean and reasonably equipped with a small fridge and microwave. But the presentation of this very old motel, with its rusting stairways and rubber matted walkways, and the down and out appearance of what appeared to be long term residents, leaves me feeling unsafe, even if the police station is across the street. Hotwire asks that you critique their hotels. I lit into them for rating this a 2 star facility. As they do not list anything less than 2 stars, in my view this hotel should not have been available through Hotwire, unless they are beginning to scrape the barrel bottom for business. As it is, for myself, I have written off Hotwire.
