The Econo Lodge in Willowbrook belongs to the Choice Hotels chain of motels and hotels, just off I-55 by the Historic Route 66.
It is ideally located for the nearby shopping district and the Irish pub on the other side of the street, plus the Chicken Basket Restaurant which is an old haunt from the heydays of Route 66.
Hopefully this Econo Lodge Willowbrook hotel review will give you an insight into the hotel and the surrounding area, to make your decision about booking a room here easier!
I was in Chicago for a weekend and for the first night I stayed at the Quality Inn O’Hare Airport, then moved here to check this location out too.
The Econo Lodge in Willowbrook has three floors, a swimming pool and a breakfast area and all the rooms open with a magnetic plastic card. The check in process was very quick and the receptionist was super helpful, so I thought it was a great experience.
Econo Lodge Willowbrook Hotel Review
The room at the Econo Lodge Willowbrook, just outside Chicago cost me USD61.93 for the night, including breakfast and free on-site parking.
I have stayed in quite a few Econo Lodges and this was the better type being relatively clean apart from the few smudges on the armchair in the room.
I arrived to check in at 730PM – it took about 5-10 minutes to get my keycard and get up to the room. The parking was free and I found a spot right outside the room, so I could keep an eye on the car all night.
Corridor Room Not Opening
What I did not like was that the back door at the end of my corridor did not open with my card so I had to track around the building and then take the lift to go down.
The problem is that the lift on the premises was super slow, so it took ages to get up to the third floor. Otherwise everything seemed alright, the room was spacious enough and the beds were large and comfy.
As I mentioned already, there was an Irish pub across the road where I went to get a pint then walked across to the Chicken Basket restaurant to have dinner. Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket is full of Route 66 regalia and memorabilia, and an added bonus is that the food was very good and the portions huge.
The Chicken Basket On Route 66
I had a portion of deep fried chicken wings with the lightly spicy sauce plus some mac ’n cheese which was delicious! I went back to the Econo Lodge hotel a little bit before midnight so I basically crashed out and slept like a log until 7AM the next morning.
If you are interested please read more of my hotel and flight reviews
This Econo Lodge had a swimming pool but it was a bit too cold outside for me to jump in and they closed it at 8PM anyway.
The bathroom was clean with a shower and bathtub plus a sink with some free toiletries and a big mirror.
There was also an armchair in the room which was a bit dirty but comfy and I really enjoyed sitting there looking at the traffic passing by, just like in an X-files episode!
The beds were good and the TV worked fine, although I hardly watched it except for the weather forecast in the morning and some news.
Overall Impressions Of The Econo Lodge Willowbrook
I had a pleasant stay at the Econo Lodge Willowbrook near Chicago and I would recommend it to anyone on a trip down Route 66 or staying overnight in Chicago for a concert.