Americas Best Value Inn – Monee / Chicago Area

I wanted to like this place because the people who run it seem like genuinely nice people. They, and the upgraded Lobby, are why I’m giving it 3 stars. The linens are scratchy. The rooms a bit dusty and dated. The beds are average. The pool looks nice, but I have 3 very bummed out kids because, even though it is indoors and filled with water, the owners/​managers say it’s not open until April or May (it’s mid March now). My biggest complaint is that there are smoking rooms and the smell of smoke permeates all the hallways and common areas. Yuck. I got a headache from just being in the hotel for 30 minutes. I have a kiddo with asthma and between my intolerance to it and his potentially serious reaction to it, I had to cut our stay from 4 nights to one before we move to a different hotel up the highway a bit — all the hotels in Monee have some degree of smoke smell — even the one that claims to have a no-​smoking policy (Red Roof Inn). I’m pretty picky when it comes to the smell of smoke, but if you don’t mind that (or are looking for a smoking room) you couldn’t ask for nicer people to give your money to.

The staff for the most part was helpful and polite which can go a long way in making any hotel stay pleasant. However, there some things being polite cannot cover or fix. Is it too much to ask that a hotel room be clean? Maybe I expect too much but when I am paying for a room I want cleanliness to be a priority. Perhaps not sparkling but pretty close to spotless. And the very least FRESH bedding and a sanitary bathroom. We had to ask for fresh bedding not once but TWICE, the second time was after the room had been «cleaned».
The bathroom was decent but there were stains on the wall and the bathtub had several hairs from different parts of the human anatomy which shall remain un-​named. I am in the habit of carrying Clorox wipes with me when I travel so that I can actually clean and feel good about using the room. But I would prefer to not feel like I HAVE to have them.
Apparently a previous guest had thought candles would be good in the room– perhaps this lead to the multiple stains around the room, but they were obviously preoccupied and did not watch the candle as there was a large spill with a lot of wax on the floor.
Overall, I would say that this hotel is keeping up with the current trend in the hotel business by only doing the minimum when it comes to cleaning rooms. Its frightening that you will have to wear a full body condom in order to feel safe in a hotel.