Illini Inn & Suites - Hotel Rantoul / Gifford / Champaign / Urbana

Review (I admit I am not sure what the Location star rating is for. The manager said it was for the type of area the hotel is situated. I didn’t fear any crime there or anything like that, not like an inner city hotel. And while it’s not in a big city, more of a small town, they were enough conveniences like gas stations and restaurants and the like nearby; and if you want a larger city, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois is not far away at all. It’s not on a US interstate, but it is very close to a state Highway, easy to get to and away from.) I was at the hotel Friday and Saturday nights, staying with friends who treated me (so I don’t know anything about prices). We were there for a club’s event in nearby Gifford, and club members filled most rooms in the hotel, almost all. My friends mentioned that they had been to this hotel for this annual event in the past, and it has new management now. The three staff I interacted with — a desk clerk, someone else who took care of facility needs & restocking the breakfast area & coffee bar & getting things for guests, and a man who was at least manager and may have been the owner — were fantastic, just fantastic. As a convenient shorthand, I’ll refer to them as clerk, utility player, and manager. They were very helpful, very friendly, very solicitous of our needs, and very generous! I use that exclamation point advisedly, by the way . Really, the facilities and amenities were good, and the staff impressed me more than anything else. And that was a weekend with the hotel filled with friends from across the region (and in some cases from even farther away) packed in and crowding the breakfast area, small lobby space, and conference room area on both Friday and Saturday nights, late. With just a little overflow into the hallways next to them. All these areas are adjacent and open to each other (although the conference room area is around a corner, just no door). During those evenings In addition to the coffee bar — several pump carafes of coffee and several flavored coffee syrups (and probably the usual sugars and creamers and such, but I don’t drink coffee so I didn’t pay specific attention) — the staff put out a case of water bottles for us, free. At one point Friday night, I stepped back to let the utility player pass by and smacked right up against a dehumidifier that I had not noticed was behind me, spilling some gallons of water from its tank onto the hallway carpet. She wasn’t fazed at all, made sure I was okay, moved the dehumidifier off into a storage room, dropped a couple of towels onto the puddle, then came back shortly with a wet-vac to suck up the water. She smiled the whole time, not bothered, and still smiled later when I requested an extra comforter from the clerk and she got it for me. (One of my hosts likes to crank the AC and keep the room really cold while they sleep.) The room was very comfortable, with two queen beds, a bathroom that wasn’t too small, spacious closet space with two closet rods on the side and back wall, a little work area with desk and TV, and a narrow kitchenette space with microwave and full sink. I got the chance to use one of the beds Sunday afternoon (more on that later), and found it very comfortable, neither exceptionally soft nor exceptionally firm. Likewise, the pillows and comforter were luxurious, very pillowy. The bathroom shower had three nice dispensers, one each for shampoo, hair conditioner, and hand/body lotion. ====IMPORTANT!!!==== >expletive!< Google’s review form won’t allow enough characters for my full review, and it can’t be shortened or summarized to give you the full picture. So I created a screenshot of the full review and added that as a photo. Make it as wide as your screen and you can scroll and scroll to read it all. They’re really are several more distinct points to cover. So if you care about reviews and you’re here looking one up, read the rest in the photo.

This is clearly an older building repurposed for a hotel, but it was excellent for the price. Great front desk staff, clean room with plenty of room. Mattress was very comfortable and room was clean. Updated design but old fixtures, and everything worked. Could not have been happier. Don't let the look fool you, it was an excellent choice in the area.

They handled an overwhelming influx of patrons with grace, patience, dignity and fun. Our group booked at least half the hotel . We were loud, and stayed up way too late. The staff and owners hung out with us. The rooms were clean, and efficient. The building itself was an officer's barracks back in the day when the air base was active. Fun fact, said air base was where the Tuskegee Airmen were trained. Reasonably priced, standard breakfast hot and cold. Rightly 20 minutes from Champaign/ Urbana.

When i say this place is a HIDDEN GEM, I MEAN IT. PLEASE READ THIS if you are considering staying here! You won't regret it! Me and my boyfriend got the jacuzzi suite with a spacious BIG jacuzzi right there in the room and the hot water gets HOT and doesnt run out! Oh and above the bed and also above the jacuzzi, there are color changing LED lights with remotes. It was so perfect. There was a big comfy king size bed that even had TWO body pillows on it! And an actual comforter not one of those plastic hotel blankets. 65 inch flat screen Roku TV on the wall! But wait! Its gets better! BREAKFAST OMG. They have biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, waffles, granola bars and muffins, cereal and all that other continental stuff but the hot breakfast is free too and it is SO GOOD. And im honestly not sure what time they stop doing it but we didnt get our there until after 10 am and there was still plenty. And we got our room and all of this stuff for just $124. That was including a $25 fee for our dog too, so if you dont have pets youre looking at around $100, and it was on a Saturday too! The only "downside" to this place is that the "view" isn't the greatest, and it looks a little questionable from the outside. Its directly across the street from the Necrosis haunted house in rantoul. But if you can look past that- which you SHOULD- this is hands down the best hotel i have ever stayed at for its price. If I could give it 10 stars I would! Highly highly highly recommend!!! Thank you illini suites & inn!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Great experience staying the night — I arrived a little after midnight but was still checked in quickly, and the staff member waited around to make sure everything was good with my room. (Clean, had towels, everything was in good working order.) The space was huge, with a full closet, decently sized bathroom, and little kitchenette area separated from the rest of the room. Really great deal considering the space you have available, and the area felt safe. It’s pretty close to restaurants and stores as well.

I'll be straightforward, this place will look a bit shabby when you arrive. The hallways, stairwells, elevators especially. However, the rooms themselves are great. Far, far more importantly though is the service. I have literally never experienced better treatment at any hotel, ever. Absolute recommend.

The rooms are clean and spacious and comfortable. The breakfast was much better than most hotels in this price range. The staff were lovely, friendly and accommodating. Google Maps had some trouble finding the exact road for the hotel but that was the only real issue. Consider adding a box of tissues in the room.

I spent 2 nights with my family because we were on a College tour. The place is clean a very practical, a good price and not too far from the UOI. The people is nice and very helpful. It is good if you are on a budget and want a decent place to stay. Of course is a small hotel and not much to see around, but with a 15-20 min drive you are in Urbana-Champaign. I definitely come back if I need to go back to the University