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TRIP REPORT: Fall fun in the Windy City – Into the USA and the Avid Hotel, Chicago O’Hare

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Into the USA and the Avid Hotel, Chicago O’Hare
Fall fun in the Windy City

Fall fun in Chicago Trip Report header - Collage - Economy Class and Beyond

In this adventure:

Into the land of the free

Getting off the aircraft, it was the usual matter of following the signs to the US Border and Immigration. As I looked at the plane lineup as I arrived, there was a sense of dread.

But also – I had checked FlightRadar24 as we were on approach – and the flight I was on was one of the few due at that time.

a man and woman carrying luggage in a hallwaya group of people walking in a hallway

So I kept my fingers crossed that it would be quiet when arriving at the immigration hall.

Lo and behold – my wish was granted and I only had a short wait to be seen.

As usual, the immigration agent confirmed my intentions and reasons for visiting the USA. With the agent satisfied, there was a satisfactory thunk in my passport, and I was allowed on my way to claim my luggage.

a backpack on a luggage rack
Although I have to get another one of these rucksacks from Lufthansa. 

Except for this time, I had a new weapon in my arsenal – I had invested in Apple AirTags some time ago – so I knew where my bags were for once.

an aerial view of an airport
Where are your baggies…

Which makes a change.

What didn’t change was one bag arriving relatively quickly, whilst the other bag took its own sweet time, finally appearing as oversized luggage after all the other baggage had been delivered.

Some things don’t change sadly at O’Hare T5.

With all my bags reunited, I headed over to the Customs inspection point, which was by now very quiet. I presented the documentation and was allowed into the USA without further question.

From there, I was clear to enter the land of the free.

a man walking with luggage in a hallway
To the exit!

luggage carts in a building
Passing the airline desks.

a colorful light fixture in a building
Into the public area. 

It was about 11 am by the time I cleared the front door, I knew I was way too early to check in at the hotel. I, therefore, spent half an hour updating my socials, trying to put thoughts together and planning my next move – which eventually would lead me to the hotel for the first night.

luggage on a cart in an airport

I decided to risk life and limb this time – and take a hailed taxi from the airport to the hotel. That can be risky, as taxi drivers don’t like the short trips – preferring the expensive downtown fares.

However, for $21 including tip, I eventually wound up at my hotel for the first night – the Avid hotel.

Avid Hotel, Des Plaines

a building with a sign on it

Arriving at the hotel, it seemed there was a mixture of a staff meeting going on, along with one rather bored reception staff member.

a glass door of a building

I said hello and passed greetings, checking if I could check-in. Sadly, the rooms were all being cleaned still, so there was zero chance of a room for some time. I politely asked to dump my luggage for a bit, which was met positively.

I also took the chance to utilise the coffee machine that is free of charge.

a coffee machine and a sign a shelf with a variety of condiments

With a chance to unload (in more senses than one) and sort out my baggage to the point that I was down to a small day bag,  I headed out of the hotel…

… and straight to Micro Center. There were… sigh… reasons as I explained in my flight post).

a parking lot with cars in front of a building

a white box inside a brown fabric bag
We don’t talk about iPad, iPad  (it didn’t help that one week later, Apple launched a new range too). 

It also gave me a good trip on L, exploring a part of Chicago I’ve passed through before but never been to. It was a good chance also to use Chicago Buses and L with a Contactless card (as opposed to virtualised Ventra cards).

Whilst I was out, I noticed a debit transaction had hit one of my cards – it seemed the hotel took their payment, plus a deposit.

How kind. This is also a reason why I use modern banking apps, so I can monitor shenanigans like this (typically Curve for this sort of purpose).

a building with a sign in front of it

I arrived back at the Hotel around 6 pm, a room was finally ready for me, and I was able to check in. My elite status was acknowledged, with a choice of snacks from the store, or 500 IHG points.

Readers will know what I went for in terms of a welcome amenity. More points to the battle pile are always welcome.

With two key cards issued, I headed up to the room.

a sign on a wall
We’re clean. Honest. 

The avid hotel range is very much the “pit stop/crash pad” hotel, with IHG positioning this as a mid-level hotel. I’d say it is well below a Holiday Inn Express, but above a Candlewood Suite on a good day.

a hallway with doors and a sign

So what’s the room like? The first thing that grabbed me was the laminate flooring this hotel is designed for ease of maintenance first, rather than vacuuming up the carpet.

a room with a bed and a desk a bed in a room

Otherwise, it is a clean and simple room design, which I can appreciate, dominated by the kind bed.

a blue sign on a door handle
And a magnetic Do not disturb sign.

There was plenty of space for luggage to rest (and I mainly ignored it by sticking it on the floor – I’m a traditionalist in that respect.

The bed itself was reasonably firm, which after a long day of flying, stressing over coaches and travelling around a city I knew in a jetlagged state was more than welcome.

a shelf with a backpack and a bag on it
Iron

a small refrigerator on a counter
Fridge

On one side of the bed, there was a telephone. On the other side, there were power outlets built into the bed, with mains and USB-A power available.

a black and white telephone on a table
Power and USB-A power by the bed. 

a phone on a table next to a bed
But only on one side. 

Meanwhile, underneath the television, there was another set of outlets – this time with USB-A and mains outlet against the wall.

a white outlet with a switch and a light switch

Perfect to charge everything up, whilst I recharged.

The view was nothing special – with a view out onto the Metra tracks (and maybe a station here too? No, that would be too much to ask).

a view of a parking lot from a high point of view

a parking lot with cars and a train
Metra trundling past. 

As for the small room, well it has a shower module which had decent enough pressure, whilst the sink did its thing. As well as the toilet.

a mirror with a light on it a bathroom with a mirror and a toilet a glass shower door in a bathroom

For a new property like this, I was expecting to see bulk amenities being presented (which seems to be the in thing at the moment as hotel brands and chains exercise their eco-credentials.

a box of tissues and a box of toiletries

Whilst this hotel opened in May 2022, that message hasn’t been met by this hotel yet, with them choosing to have individual Dove-branded amenities. Now, I’m not against the individual amenities at all (and in these post-pandemic times, it’s a little more sanitary), but it is interesting to see the paper promises made by chains/brand owners, and promptly ignored.

Internet connectivity was not much to write home about, with it providing “enough” for day-to-day use, as well as allowing me to knock out some jetlagged-infused writing.

a room with a bed and a tv

As for the TV – I could connect and cast to it. However, I prefer local TV or Cartoon Network.

That’s a lie. I prefer Cartoon Network.

Sadly, the choice of channels was limited at the hotel. Not to worry. Local TV is always amusing -especially when the first news programme talks of a carjacking not a million miles away. It is also amazing how many political adverts you can squeeze into morning television without trying.

Speaking of mornings, with a breakfast window between 06:30 and 9:30, I got myself downstairs to experience what this hotel wanted to offer for its breakfast offering,

Most of this is centred on shelf-stable products, fresh bread and re-heated hot items.

What do I mean by this? Let us take a look. There is a centre carousel thing, that had all sorts in it – bars, breakfast cereals, fruit, eggs and bread.

a table with food on it

a group of containers of food on a table  a tray of bread and bagels a tray of candy bars a tray of food on a table

To the side was a hot items counter, which had muffins and omelettes in them. These were pre-made off-site but tasted fresh enough when consumed. They were reloaded once whilst I was there.

a food in a counter a food in a bag next to a coffee cup a food in a bakery

The items were fine – nothing special, but for a “grab and go” or “think about the world whilst political adverts are constantly playing over the local news” moment, it did the job.

With a check-out time of 11 am, I got my skates on typing a few things, as well as packing up the goodies I got the day before.

Checkout was simple as handing my keys and telling them I was checking out. Whilst I did witness a shuttle bus going (another thing that is heavily restricted, as it is not an all-day shuttle), I settled in at reception dealing with the joy of office email.

a group of tables and chairs in a room a table and chairs in a room

There’s never any escape. Even when on holiday.

By the time I finished, I was ready to go to my next hotel – the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.

Overall: For the best part of £100, it passes as “passable” (bearing in mind I was in the full thrust of Trussonomics when travelling and at the mercy of the markets, if I liked it or not). It’s interesting to see how these hotels are springing up, with a limited service model that offers the basics at a “reasonable” price.

The free coffee machine is a good touch – as it replaces the need for kettles and coffee makers in the room.

For a crash-pad night, it was perfect. For anything longer, I would have preferred a few more amenities to hand.

Next: Hyatt Regency O’Hare.

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Comments

  1. Jeff says

    I appreciate your review of a ‘regular’ hotel near O’Hare. It helps in my future hotel decision process