Illini Union Hotel

The 2-bed room was not large. Not a lot of counter space. The bathroom? Smallest I've ever seen in a hotel room. Sink, commode, and tub squeezed into a small space.||They used to give a $5 voucher for food you can buy from several vendors in the basement. Nope, not anymore. Want an early breakfast? McD and Dunkin a block or so away.||The TV? There's a card in the room. Hit the QR code and a ton of TV stations/channels comes up. Forget it. Most don't exist on your screen. For the money I spent for the room, you would think they would hook up with a TV provider that was "decent." Worst selection of TV stations I've ever seen in a hotel room! And, the remote? So basic as to be useless. A "guide" choice would have been helpful.||The only plus? You're on campus and have a parking spot. Other than that, a very poor excuse for calling itself a "hotel."

4 months ago

We have spent this year touring colleges for my son. We were happy to stay at The Illini Union Hotel to truly experience what it would feel like to be a student on the campus. The hotel is situated directly in the Student Union, in the center of campus. Being from out of town and not knowing the area at all, we were happy to be in walking distance of the entire campus and downtown area. It does feel a little like you are in a dorm more than a hotel. The room we had was nicely updated with the school colors, we had a beautiful view of the quad, but the bathroom was really old, although clean. We visited during a heatwave in late August and thankfully the room had great air conditioning! Although you are in the student union the 2 days we were there it seems liked only the Starbucks was open even though classes were already in session. Front desk wasn't helpful in recommending anywhere else to eat or where to go. It was too hot to really wander around even at night, so we ended up relying on trip advisor reviews to go somewhere about a 10 minutes drive away to eat. Would have been nice to have some information on the hours of campus eateries and local restaurants just so we knew where we could go. I'm sure many prospective students stay here for their tours and a little information could make the stay much more enjoyable.

7 months ago

Just a great campus experience, primarily if you get a room facing the quad. The rooms aren't fancy by any means, but they are neat and clean and have everything you need. Lots of great amenities in the Union and you can't ask for a more central campus location to stay.

a year ago

Rented a room to stay overnight, mid-week, following our prospective-student campus tour. Tour ended around 12:30 and concierge didn't offer to help get us into our room early, even after taking the hour long walking tour that followed our four-hour drive to get here this morning. She did however offer to go ahead and give us our parking pass and told us to check back at 3. The clerk who checked us in at 3:30, however was very welcoming and cheerful, helping to recommend places to eat nearby worthy of our one night in town. Our room was great, with a view of the Quad. It looked the same as in the photos I viewed on the university's website. The reviewer who complained of them being little more than made-over dorm rooms must not have had the same dorm experience I did in college. The room was plenty spacious, with a decent flat panel television that had enough channels any person could find something to watch. Bathroom was small and a mix of modern and more "vintage" run-of-the-mill fixtures. I do wish our "family suite" had a small couch or easy chair.

2 years ago

This is a student-run hotel on the U of I campus. The location can't be beat and has some nice add-ons for any prospective student and their parents. Rooms were immaculately clean and the all-student staff was great! Very savvy and attentive young people running this facility. I think there were perhaps only 2 non-student staff (management) and they were also great.||||Only complaint was plumbing in the bathroom. The hot water took a long time to run and water pressure was low unless you wanted ice-cold water (hot runs at a trickle). Also, our toilet sprung a leak. We were only there for 1 night so the leak was no big deal, and management took note of it needing repair right away. It's an old building (but very beautiful) so these things are expected to be broken sometimes in building of this age.||||But still a good value for the price and I enjoyed seeing some young people/students doing some great experiential learning. The rec room in the basement is nice.

2 years ago

A buddy and I recently decided to pay a return visit to our alma mater, the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana and decided to stay at the Illini Union Hotel. You can’t beat the location - in the middle of the campus on the north end of the “Quad” and a block from campustown.||Our double room was booked directly through the hotel and our Saturday night stay set us back $145 77. We had no problem getting a weekend room since it was spring break. No problems with check-in and the front desk staff was very friendly.||Free parking is available next to the building. There is no pool or exercise room directly on the premises. The basement has a bowling alley though.||Our room was adequate in size and tastefully decorated. We were also able to score a room overlooking the Quad facing the Auditorium. It had a flat screen TV, small fridge, coffee maker, safe and iron and ironing board. There also was a desk/chair and a separate wing chair.||The bathroom was clean and contained the usual amenities, including a hairdryer and a selection of tetra green toiletries. (A nice touch - Braille on the toiletries’ caps.) Shower pressure was fine. ||We had no complaints about the beds and appreciated the four pillows on each bed.||The room rate included a $5 voucher for each of us toward breakfast at any of the food places in the Union. (There’s a Starbucks on the first floor and a food court in the basement, but only the Starbucks was open on Sunday due to spring break.)||All in all, a good choice. But if you can, ask for a room with a view of the Quad.|

6 years ago

Me and a few friends checked in at the Illini Union Hotel. The person who checked us in was Abigail Stites. I posted a picture of Abagail Stites below. Abigail the Assistant Manager, had a bad attitude at check in. She acted like she didn't want to be bothered with us like she didn't want to be at work, but she took it out on us. Then she slammed our hotel keys down on the counter. When we got to our room the room was old and outdated not clean, hair in the tub, trash leftover from another guest and the beds were not made. Just Horrible. When we went downstairs to complain, Abagail did not even apologize, and she called me a N****R, she didn't think I heard her, but I did. I told her to just give me a refund because this is not how you treat guests at a hotel. With an attitude Abigail refunded us and still did not apologize. We left and stayed somewhere else we will never go back there to stay again. I heard that Illini Union Hotel was racist, but I didn't believe it until I actually experienced it. Along with the racism this hotel is not clean, old and outdated, needs a lot of work. I wouldn't recommend anyone to stay at this hotel.

a year ago

The room and bathroom are on the small side and the decor is a little dated. The bathtub drained very slowly, so you were taking a bath by the time your shower was done. You could hear voices and door noises from other rooms. The big draw for this hotel is location. The union is in the heart of the campus, and you are in walking distance of most of the university. Room includes a refrigerator and a safe. You get a $5 voucher for breakfast at the Einsteins, Starbucks or other businesses in the Union per person. Guests also have free access to the CRC or the ARC fitness and rec facilities, which both have a lot to offer, but are not very nearby, at least a 10 to 15 minute walk. A parking pass for a lot next to the union is included, which helps a lot on this campus. The lot was pretty tight and nearly full, but we managed to find a space each night.

5 years ago