Best Western University Plaza

Update: I should have added that the staff was friendly and helpful. The manager quickly offered a fair adjustment when I voiced complaints below at checkout. Was told that rebuild will include a real restaurant be done spring 2016.
Orig review:
Terrible. Beat up, poorly built multistory hotel being renovated on the cheap while people pay money to stay there.
Breakfast is Interstate Trucker motel quality.
No ESPN — was told by ‘Engineer’ that problem was with Direct TV that night.
Faucets, towel bars, etc. are Home Depot’s cheapest.
If you have to stay in downtown Evanston and everything else is booked — it is a place to stay — just know what you are signing up for.

Stayed there with my daughter prior to our visit to Northwestern University. This hotel is in SERIOUS need of updating (holes in elevator walls, DIRTY, old carpet, depressing environment). I realize I was spending under $ 200 for the night and it’s close to a big city but this hotel was gross. The breakfast was OK… wide variety of choices but the eggs were disgusting. Staff was friendly. $ 14 parking charge was reasonable (although should be better disclosed on their website).

We stayed at the Best Western University Plaza for a wedding. The location was great but the hotel is undergoing a major renovation and there are signs of construction everyone. The sound of slamming hotel room doors will surely wake you up in the morning — the walls are very thin and I could hear full conversations of people in neighboring rooms. Amenities are on the «budget» side — cheap toilet paper, old towels. The price is inexpensive but I would recommend you find a different hotel.

For the price and location very good value. My room was good, quiet, clean, comfortable and nice bathroom. There are plenty of places to eat around here. Breakfast was ok — best were waffles for sure. I needed a comfortable place to sleep since I was gone all day. I would stay here again. Used Über from here w no problem.

Hotel undergoing renovation and in great need. Front entrance covered in scaffolding and interior tired, worn and in some places smelly. Garage crumbling dirty and creepy. Rooms with very dirty windows and nothing on walls. Looks like fleabag motel.

This hotel was a perfect fit for a Chicago visit. No, it’s not in the Loop, but you can catch a train to the Loop a very short walk away. And, the rate was half what a downtown Chicago hotel would cost. The staff was friendly and informative, the room was clean and comfortable — they even comped us (unbidden) one night’s parking (a de minimis amount, anyway), because of a snafu with the door lock in the first room. The breakfast area was large, comfortable and inviting. The hotel is currently undergoing a face lift, but that did not impede our enjoyment one bit.

This is hands down the grossest most unwelcoming hotel I’ve ever been to. If you are thinking about coming here, think again. I am here on a trade show/​art exhibit and we wares something cheap and close to the show. This hotel was the cheapest one (without getting into a shady area) and at $ 130 a night I am completely dissatisfied. The whole hotel has a old pool smell (the pool is in the third and we are all the way at the 10^th). There is a gross white chalk like dust all over the hallway walls, and the room was the worst. One of my pillows has someone else’s hair and a hardened white residue on it (yuck yuck yuck) and the air condition quits during the night. The staff is somewhat friendly, also to walk in if you use the parking garage you have to walk down a broken up pair of concrete steps that screams murder house. One star only because I had to have one

Before my stay I read the reviews and was very worried; be that as it may, I had an excellent stay at this hotel. The staff was VERY friendly both upon checking in and leaving. They allowed me a late check out because they said the room wasn’t reserved for the next night. The lobby was nice and my room was spacious with a nice view of a small part of the downtown. It was clean, in a great location, only 2 blocks away from the Dempster stop on the purple line, with a great staff. I highly recommend this hotel. Train ride to downtown chicsgo, the loop, was about 35 minutes and close to downtown evanston. It looks old and jank ass feom the outside, but the inside was nice.

This place looks old and unwelcoming. There’s a bad one-​entrance unsecured parking garage that costs $ 14/​day which is extremely expensive. The gym is pretty old but serviceable and the HDTV makes it bearable. The pool is on the third floor outdoors, but it looks pretty forlorn.
The entire hotel looks pretty creepy and is old, and at $ 120/​night it’s very expensive, especially with the parking. The elevator is so slow it’s a 10 + min wait in the mornings regularly. The only upside to the entire place is its proximity to NU.
Also, the room is small, there is a real lack of electric outlets, and it’s not well-​lit. However when I was checking in the front desk lady changed my room from one bed to two beds free of charge.

I live in Evanston and needed a place to stay for a couple of days while we were having work done in our condo. I walk by the Best Western every day (sometimes two or three times a day.) They have been renovating for what seems like a year or more. First impressions — there is almost always someone sitting on the front stairs smoking. I’d think that they’d try to encourage people to move away from the front door. The common areas are dated and showing some wear and tear. The pool area is large and clean, but not very inviting. Our room was the saving grace — clean, newly renovated, great view, quiet, and comfortable. Close to many dining and drinking establishments for every budget and taste. It’s a short walk to the lakefront with walking/​biking paths and many beaches. There are both CTA and Metra train stops within blocks so you can be in downtown Chicago within 30 minutes. Evanston is adjacent to Chicago and the hotel is about 2 miles from the city limits. I’ve noticed that the hotel rates fluctuate quite a bit, probably due to events associated with Northwestern. Not the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at, but far from the worst. Location is great with plenty to do within walking distance. Rates seemed reasonable when compared to other hotels in the area.

I’ve come here ever summer for the past 3 years for an annual work conference. Close to Northwestern and affordable (we’re a non-​profit), not the best quality, but it works.
There’s a free breakfast: waffle maker, generic cereal & oatmeal, small bagels & muffins, juice. The warm items are scrambled eggs and grits, both not very great.
There’s a gym, pretty old machines, one TV, and usually empty at night. It closes at 10pm, I’ve been asked to leave at 10pm, but another time a staff member came at 10pm, saw me in in it, and left. I just kept working out.
If it’s raining a lot, the entrance from the parking lot becomes flooded and even the carpet inside the door get soggy. The main entrance is also not really inviting and hard to find — doesn’t look like most hotel entrances/​lobbies. Kind of dark and depressing inside.

WORST HOTEL EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD. My boyfriend came to visit me and this was the best/​cheapest hotel somewhat near Chicago. Still WAY overpriced for being 40 minutes from the city. ($ 150 per night on weekdays.)
When we checked in the lady at the front desk told us that the next day, the water would be turned off at 10:00 am for just a short time. At the time we thought that was fine. So the next morning we wake up to no air conditioning in the room. We’re hot, sweaty, hungover, and just want water and to take a shower. Then we remember that the water is shut off. We wait until about 1:00 and ask the front desk when it’s expected to be back on. It took multiple people passing us around til we got an answer of «it’s expected to be back on soon.» We wait and wait and wait. Mind you my boyfriend is in town for two days and this was the day we had everything planned out. And ended up getting to do NOTHING.
THE WATER ENDED UP BEING OFF FROM 10 AM UNTIL 5 PM!!! LITERALLY ALL DAY. ALL of our plans for the day were ruined! Not only that but we were on a 2 hour long phone call with the booking company and best western trying to get a refund so we could go to a different hotel! NOT only did they refuse to give us a full refund for that day, they only compensated us 20% !!! Unreal!
Being a Best Western I don’t expect a Ritz Carlton experience… But no fricken running water and no air conditioning !!! We literally could not even go to the bathroom! We might as well have stayed in an outhouse! Never ever again will Best Western get money from us again. NEVER!!!

I have been at this Best Western many times in the past 4 years. What makes this hotel special is the amazing staff. Just now I called with a concern over a reservation and employee Radiance helped me get it all settled. I have spoken with Radiance before and it’s always a great experience. As a customer, we don’t want to hear why things can’t happen. Radiance gets it done!
It’s an older hotel but well maintained. The breakfast has improved the past few years. The location is great– about a 0.8 mile walk to Northwestern University and a 3 block walk from the subway. No need for a cab form the airport; do yourself a favor and take the subway.

I stayed here for a wedding and while I have little experience in what else Evanston has to offer for hotels, but I have to believe there are better options.
I’ll list off my main gripes:
1. Crappy 1 way unsecured parking garage.
2. 1 of the 2 elevators was broken while I was there
3. There was almost always a substantial wait at the desk despite their generally not being that many people in line.
4. They cancelled my reservation for arriving a day late. Luckily they had other rooms, but what kind of policy is that? They didn’t even call me…
I gave them 2 stars because they have good wifi…

Can’t say that this is the best Best Western that I’ve stay before, because this wasn’t. I stayed here for the weekend for my cousin’s wedding at the nearby church. It’s within walking district to/​from the church and about 30 minutes cab ride from the airport.
This hotel however is close to everywhere, four blocks away from Lake Michigan and Northwestern University, downtown Chicago, restaurants and shopping centers. This hotel even offers free breakfast and wi-​fi in every room.
Overall it’s a great place to stay if you just need a place to crash or if you are visiting the nearby schools. Other than that, I suggest you try booking your room at another hotels.

You know the price was Great for my weekend stay in E-​Town and it was CLEAN, the LOCATION was great and it was update. I wasnt whoa about the place or the continental breakfast but it suited my needs. I would use it again.
PROS:
great on a budget
Location– you can walk right into downtown
it was clean
friendly service
CONS:
not worth eating the continenal breakfast

I definitely don’t expect much at all from any Best Western Hotels. The continental breakfast was crap. The eggs tasted contaminated, and they never changed up food. The best part about it was the waffles because it was the most fresh. Lastly, there was a small roach in my bathroom. A ROACH.
Enough said.

It’s a hotel. It’s older. It’s a little dumpy, but not dirty. The parking is super over priced at $ 14.00 a night in the parking structure. The location is the only reason to go here. When we were here the wifi was spotty and slow. That being said, the employees were attentive and polite, and didn’t really have any problems. There are better things in the area, so you should probably check them out first.

This place is a solid 2 stars.
Overall:
— If you just need a bed to crash in, this place is fine. They’ve got good internet, the beds are okay, but that’s about it. This is an old hotel, and it shows.
Pros:
— Fast and free Internet (a rarity at hotels these days)
— Fitness Center and pool are pretty nice
— Location is great for NU/​upscale Evanston
— Generally flexible reservations/​staff. I booked a smoking room on accident, and they moved me to nonsmoking for free.
Cons:
— Noisy bar next door.
— Noisy air conditioner in all the rooms.
— Generally, very old hotel. Our room had a corner kicked off the dresser, a broken chair, a rickety desk table, a small bathroom, a leak in the bathroom, etc.
— No food on site. No refrigerator in the rooms. $ 1.50 vending machines that don’t take $ 5 bills.
— Towels are very small, and the rooms don’t come with much shampoo and no conditioner.

This is a fine hotel to come, stay, take a shower and walk to downtown Evanston. It will save you money over the other name brand calls. The staff is very nice and was quite helpful to me. The facility is worn in places, and there is no fancy lobby, or beautiful front entrance. The rooms lack available plugs — these days I need to charge several things. The TVs are all TVs — no flat screens here. The Free breakfast is really continental — I suggest you go out for breakfast. The train is 3 blocks away and is good for me. The neighborhood is very clean, Well all of Evanston is clean. Bottom line — I saved about 600 bucks in the week I was here so this is a 5 star value.