Hotels for Boot Camp Graduation

[Jenny]

We're thinking about staying at the Great Lakes Motel about 1 mile from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Does anyone know anything about that motel?

[justme_2009]

Hear is the million dollar question . Hotels , the closest to the base , cleaniness ,
dont want to hear people in the next rooms , so if you can direct me to a few
hotels . reasonable cost $$$$$$$$. Anything I might need to know about
the Navy Base , do's and don'ts that would be nice too .
How early to get to the base , do you drive your vehicle or ride a bus .

Driving from Southern Illinois to GL . 5 - 6 hour drive .

Your input is appreciated .... justpicky

[Michael's Mom]

We'll be staying at Springhill Suites. got a room with 2 queen beds for $75. It's apparently 6 miles from base, easy to get there. i'll let you know how i like it when i get back...i can't wait to get there!!!!

[JayneCA]

I'm trying to book all my flights, hotels and rented car and so far the only thing that has been difficult is getting the hotel. With the reservations I made, it says that Springhill Suites' rooms start at $135/night. Did you call to get that rate? Did they give you a discount for being a military family?

I would like to keep the cost down as much as possible since my pocketbook is not as deep as some.

I will be going to PIR (Div 097) on 2-6-09.

Thanks for the help. I would really like to have as many of my 'ducks in a row' as possible ... and as early as possible.

Jayne (Russ' Mom)

[Mary, Proud Mom of Nick]

$135 seems like a lot of money - did you ask for the Navy discount? We stayed at the Homewood Suites in Lincolnshire twice in the past 11 months and it was $84 per night. Which included a separate bedroom, living room and kitchen area, breakfast each morning as well.

Many PIR familes were there as well, I would check with your hotel again and see if they are giving you the discount.

[JayneCA]

When I booked the flight it asked if I wanted to add a hotel. I thought it would be good to get all the arrangements made at once, but the hotel (Holiday Inn Express on Buckly) added $155/night to my charges for 3 guests. It is reserved, but I would cancel it if I could get in a better rate. I didn't have the option (when getting the flights) to specify that it was for PIR.

[Seabee Dtr]

We also stayed at the Homewood Suites for the weekend. The breakfast was great and it was
close enough to everywhere we wanted to go. I cant remember what we paid but we had a 2 bdrm suite. It was great for our sailor to be able to relax, that was all he wanted was to hang out
at the pool and use the computer to contact friends.

[Michael's Mom]

I called quite a few places from the brochure the Navy sent. I asked for the military graduation rate, and i found a few for $75,, one was $65 but it was for two double beds, and one was about $89. i veered away from the pricey ones. If you need hotel names, i can look them up for you. And it depends what you're looking for, how many beds, etc.

A tip: if you are traveling with kids, don't say you have 3 or 4 even if you do. Just say i'd like a rate for a room for 2 adults and 2 kids. It's not really lying since you're not saying you HAVE 2 kids but... you know what i mean? Hotels balk at too many little feeet running around and they up the price. Also, many have a person limit per room, so if you have 6 people, they have to fit you in 2 rooms.
I have six kids and when they were little, no way could we afford 2 rooms. so i asked for a rate for 2 adults, 2 kids, and asked for 2 beds and maybe a sofa bed. the kids didn't care though about sleeping on the floor!

[Marybeth]

Chiming in a few days late but I highly recommend the Navy Lodge - $65/night including tax - the hotel was clean, quiet and comfortable - you might even want to request a room on the 3rd floor, they have cathedral ceilings and made the room feel much larger.

It's as close to the main gate as you can get (just a few blocks away) - perfect for lining up the morning of the big day.

The staff was great too. The ONLY complaint I have is that the lobby space is small - there wasn't enough room for all the Moms to congregate!! 8-)

[Joey, Katie's Mom]

As for Springhill Suites call the hotel directly and tell you are coming for a graduation. This is how I got a better rate. I also found that the rate on some sites were higher than the Springhill site. Good luck.

[Minerva]

hi, do you know if spring hill suites has a shuttle that takes you to the base and back? Thanks!

[Lora B.]

I just got back from PIR. We stayed atThe Navy Lodge. It was nice.It was 65 a night there was no tax on the room.I dont know what type of taxes there are on hotels in Il. but here in Ohio it is significant. We had two queen beds a desk and a chair with an ottoman. It had a fridge and a microwave, Ironing board/iron, hairdryer, a dvd player,internet(for a fee), computers to get on the internet, vending, and were very friendly and helpful. Free coffee in the lobby and a sitting area. Not fancy but it worked out well for us.It is a non smoking facility. Not far from Flannagans for the Meet and Greet if you are having one.

[sarasmama]

Every time I've been, I caught the airport shuttle from O'Hare to Great Lakes (save that rental car $$!!!) and caught the motel shuttle to the base (free). Easy!! I recommend the shuttle, especially if your graduate is a Grad-N-Go. I stayed at the Red Carpet Inn last time and it was a dump. No restaurants or shopping within walking distance, either. One more thing, my son was a grad-n-go. I took a chance he would be flying out of O'Hare, so I scheduled my flight home for 6:00 p.m. out of O'Hare, too. I was allowed only 45 minutes after graduation to see him, but was fortunate enough to be able to spend the afternoon with him at O'Hare. His flight was at 5:45 p.m.! Worked out GREAT!