IL Chicago North Shore Embassy Suites Deerfield

[AaronJB]

Price paid: $49

Regular rate for specific room type: $189.

Tripadvisor reviews have been discussed many times on the board. I've noted that in many cases, different prices create different expectations and views. At $49, this property is a tremendous bargain. At $189 ($169-189 does appear to be common pricing during weekdays in the Summer), there's no way that this property - an Embassy Suites behind a suburban office park (although restaurants and local sights are not far and this property offers a shuttle) - can justify the price, as $189 can go pretty far on a non-busy day for a hotel in the downtown area. This Embassy Suites property does discount rates on the weekends, and occasionally appears for $70. As someone who is primarily interested in a deal, it's saying something that I'd consider paying $70 regular rate.

However, at $189 this property could be absolutely, positively, not a speck of dust, 100% perfect and $189 is still too much.

Given the area - offices and major corporations nearby (Kraft is not far, for example, and there are a bunch of others - this particular Embassy Suites property appears to draw a primary audience of business travelers. The high regular rates of this property and many others in the area during the week during the Summer may be due in part to the expected business travelers (as personally, I have to imagine $189 per night for an ES in the suburbs is not going to be an "impulse buy" for many, and it's too bad that rates run this high during the week, as this likely turns away travelers who are looking for a downtown alternative), while weekend rates at this property and others nearby are often considerably less expensive.

The atrium of this property varies a bit from most ES properties, as there is a pair of waterfalls, a nice koi pond and a small river running through the center of the area. Understandably, this may not be of interest for some people, but personally, I found it one of the nicest aspects of this property, and being able to sit in a little gazebo above the water and read a book with the sound of running water in the background was wonderfully relaxing.

The room was a 1king exec, which is slightly bigger than most rooms at this property and goes for $10 more per night. Very large living area w/faucet, couch, chair and sizable table. The rooms look out into the atrium (as they commonly do at ES.) Nice bathroom, with microwave and refrigerator next to the bathroom door. Large bedroom area, with comfy bed. Both bedroom and living room have 30-32in HDTV's. The room - aside from a couple of minor, slight dings in the corners - was spotless. Decor seems to be a little geared towards business travelers, with darker, richer colors.

No views, really; there's a lot of trees and the views aren't terrible, but there's really nothing of great interest.

There is a Gino's East Pizza location in the atrium, although I wouldn't go in expecting the quality of the original location. Still, given that there is nothing else right there, it does present an alternative to going out and having to drive somewhere. Personally, I'd recommend going somewhere and grabbing something before arriving for check-n, and then throwing it in the refrigerator in the room. The seating for the nightly reception and morning breakfast (both of which are the same as other ES's) is on the other half of the atrium area. It's very nice to be able to eat breakfast and have nightly snacks right near the koi pond (which is quite well-maintained.)

The pool and fitness area are behind the reception area. The pool is pretty small.

Service was very nice; there was a brief mention of PRICELINE at check-in, but didn't seem to be in a negative way. I'm actually a little upset though, as after the check-in person said PRICELINE, I should have asked if I could upgrade to a suite (as a joke.) Check-in was quick, but largely because there were very few people there. Judging by the amount of people I saw in the evening and morning, the property was maybe 15% +/- full.

Overall, for $45-50 I'd stay here again gladly and at $70 I'd still consider it. $99-129 (maybe $149-179 if there's an event or convention nearby) is a far more reasonable full price for this property. And again, that's not because this isn't a great property, it's just that there is - in my opinion - a price that can't be justified for a suburban ES, no matter how nice it is.

As of 7/23/10, the only other "known" 3.5* in the Deerfield zone is the Marriott suites, and the only "known" 4* in Deerfield is the Hyatt. While things may change over time, as of 7/10, 3.5* Deerfield is a rather "foolproof" bid.

Pictures will be posted soon.