Northbrook Hilton

If you like to REALLY like to have a large selection of entrees’, stop by Algauers restaurant in the North brook Hilton on Sunday for their Champagne brunch.
On holidays you will freak out at their champagne brunches huge selection of entees’, different salads, shrimp, roast beef deserts, etc, etc, etc, All good! Their poached Salmon is so good it will make you cry! ALL of their entrees’ are excellent, even if you go their on a Tuesday evening and sit by the window looking over the quiet river there. Very Romantic. White tablecloths, peaceful atmosphere. Servers are on the unfriendly and snobby side– but you can handle that.
This restaurant is IN the Hilton Hotel. Really Excellent food. Beautiful and clean hotel!

This is a great place to stay if you need to be north of Chicago. The room was very comfortable, though the bathroom is tiny. They gave us s free cot for our adult son to stay with us — no charge. Having the restaurants in the hotel was very convenient. Food was ok. The staff is very hospitable and accommodating. We would definitely recommend this hotel.

I had my wedding here on October 10. During the past couple of years, there has been some turnover of the catering staff, but the transition was flawless. For the final couple of months, I worked with Lisa Anderson. Lisa was just extraordinary. Working with her was more like being with a friend than someone who worked at the hotel. She was very personable and put me at ease. They set up all of our items and coordinated our vendors.
The day was pretty much flawless. Yes, there were a few small things that occurred but nothing I would be worried about. Our banquet captain, Ben, was amazing as well. He made sure my new husband and I were taken care of for the night. The food was hot and fresh. I heard nothing but compliments regarding the food. Also, the wine was free flowing along with the bars.
We were given a suite for the day/​night as part of our package. The suite was bigger than some apartments! It also had two bathrooms. It made getting ready a breeze for everyone. People said that wedding planning would be stressful. It is, to a point. I made sure to choose the right team behind me. The Hilton made my day a reality.

First, this is an evaluation of the Northbrook Hilton’s Weddings and Events program. It is not an evaluation of the actual hotel accommodations, amenities, etc.
About two years ago, my elder daughter informed me that she was engaged to a guy named Guy, and they were planning to get married in the fall of 2015. As a parent, I was elated that she was going to find happiness; but as a cheapskate, I only saw financial ruin.
I was pleased with her announcement, and I asked her to look for suitable wedding venues, and not attempt to do something over-​the-​top and pretentious. [My first marriage failed, and the wedding that her family put on was a very overdone affair: think of Cecil B. deMIlle doing the wedding in Goodbye Columbus.] I left all of the details for THIS wedding up to my daughter, my present wife of 35+ years (Mrs. B), and the groom’s family. I would pay the bills.
I DID want it to be her big day, but I didn’t want anything that would embarrass my modest middle class sensibilities, nor send me to the poorhouse.
While planning, she visited at least a dozen venues in the north suburbs and recommended that we conduct the wedding at the Northbrook Hilton (which is actually NOT in Northbrook). I was very pleased with the staff who promptly presented a proposal to us. It was a reasonably classy hotel with a nice refurbished ballroom, good food/​booze/​ambiance, and it sounded pretty good to me, so we signed on the dotted line.
During this two year «incubation» period, we ended up dealing with three (3) different event planners there. The first two managers transferred to other Hilton hotels or accepted different roles at the hotel. Everyone was very helpful, knowledgeable, professional, AND they actually returned emails and phone calls faster than my bank account was being depleted for this affair.
Lisa, our final catering manager, did an exemplary job working with us and keeping everyone calm, cool, and contented. She made and implemented useful recommendations and handled all of the logistics in a well-​organized manner. Anyone who can deal successfully with me is a saint. (St. Lisa of the Hilton?)
In addition to the ballroom space, our bride and groom got a lot of bonus add-​ons:
— A free bridal suite for the first night
— A free room for the groom and his retinue before the wedding
— Accommodations for a free room a year afterwards
— A wedding cake of their choice
— Unlimited champagne, booze, and wine before, during, and after the ceremony and dinner
— A free dinner at Allgauer’s restaurant a few weeks prior to the wedding
— Place settings, centerpieces, chair covers, wine for the ceremony, and a sweet table after dinner
— In the bridal suite, a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and flowers.
— Discounted room accommodations (with breakfast included) for our out-​of-​town guests
Almost everything at our wedding went off without a hitch. The wedding ceremony itself was conducted without any hiccups, the bride did not trip on the stairs, neither Mrs B nor I wept, and everybody seemed content.
There was only one minor goof. Although we prepared a seating chart for the ballroom, somebody set up the table arrangements incorrectly. Nobody (other than me and my wife) noticed the error.
I’ll still award them five stars. What the he11 ?
I guess that everybody had a good time. Several of our guests who are planning to have weddings said they will consider booking their mergers at this facility, and some of my wife’s co-​workers liked the grub so much, that they are going to do their Xmas party at Allgauer’s, which catered our wedding.
I DID eventually weep at the end of the wedding. I saw the bill. But I have that figured out: since I am a retiree, I am sending my wife out to work a second shift for a couple of months. I hear there are some decent paying jobs in the coal mines of southern Illinois.

Hotel is clean and well run, but it does have an old folks home vibe in the rooms. Whatever you do, avoid the food. Subpar to the point I sent it back and my stomach is still paying the price a day later.

The hotel gets the job done. Bed was comfortable. Room was quiet. AC worked fine.
Bathroom tiny and didn’t love the partial wall at the vanity.
Décor of the hotel is confusing. Some areas look old and out dated but then there is random more modern furniture scattered around the lobby and first floor. I feel like someone really wanted to remodel but didn’t have the budget.
Staff was friendly too.

Disappointing! My experience at this hotel has made me rethink ever staying at another Hilton in the future. First off, I can’t believe how unfriendly the front desk staff are. I’ve never encountered this at any other hotel. The bathroom had a few black curly hairs around the corners. I made sure I cleaned everything again before using. Unacceptable! Sure, the place is a bit outdated but the service and the dirty bathroom is what really bothered me.

Our experience with Linda Shafer-​Scheumann was incredibly unprofessional and failed to meet the standard of care that Hilton alleges to have. We had to contact other staff members in her department who finally got a hold of Linda just three days before our event. From the beginning, Linda made many promises that she ultimately failed to keep.
Do not use this venue for any event. It is a poor excuse of a hotel. The staff is inadequate, rude and unwelcoming. They are defiant and unapologetic for the way that they acted towards us and our party.
The owner or general manager does not care for the hotel or its patrons. If it inconveniences them, they will not do it even if it’s for the sake of their patrons. Hilton has lost a good, fully paying customer who will never do business with them again. Please provide your business at any other hotel instead of feeding into the inept Hilton empire.

Sweetie is the hotel guru, and always finds us good deals on cool places. This was a standout– in a quiet neighborhood, reasonably priced, and a bit fancy.
Service was good. We never made it to the pool or restaurant. There’s a little gift shop and snack area, and they had sales on souvenirs.
The room was perfect: great bed, nice décor. Well, the bathroom was tiny– like, too small to stand in and close the door at the same time. But there’s a big dressing area, with the fridge, etc., off to one side.
She hung out here while I was gone for the day, and enjoyed the luxury. Didn’t order room service, but the prices are almost reasonable. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Absolutely the single worst experience in professionalism I have ever been a part of. After having a long and disappointing day with delayed airplanes and forced to stay the night without luggage or car seat we patiently waited for the shuttle to come at door number 3 as we were instructed. After seeing the shuttle drive by once then waiting 15 minutes. We called the hotel back to discover he had left and wasn’t planning on returning claiming that he waited for us for 15 minutes. Now confusion and mistakes happen. But we WERE waiting in the right spot and never saw him. After I explained my situation AGAIN to the receptionist she said that when he gets back she will have him call me. WHY would she not have me speak with someone in charge and not the employee I was having problems with was beyond me.
Well the driver did take the phone and despite explaining that he was our only option for travel as we were without a car seat and LITERALLY begging he basically called me a liar and hung up on me, leaving my family including my 8 month old stranded at the airport.
I have always had great experiences with Hilton and even did that night once we got to one bit THIS was horrid. I called the day manager to let him know the situation. I hope action is taken.

I attended a conference here for the 5^th yr in a row and the staff here has been excellent. They just redecorated the loony and the adjacent hallways and it really has brighten up the place. The rooms are alway very clean and very nice.

Just stayed here for my 3 year anniversary. My wife and I originally stayed here after our wedding reception. The building doesn’t look like much from the outside but once you get inside it is gorgeous. The rooms are spacious and luxurious and clean! They do a good job running this Hotel. Frank Arnieri (Director of Guest Services) totally hooked us up and made sure our Anniversary was incredible. They really go above and beyond here!

Pro:
They let me check in early when I got in on an early morning flight — the front desk guys were SO nice
Great executive floor breakfast (I had fresh fruit and Eggs Benedict!) — the attendant who managed it every morning was absolutely wonderful
Really liked that my Hilton status was acknowledged here
Super comfortable beds
Plenty of free parking
Restaurant on site
Cons
When staying on the Executive Floor — ask for a room the furthest from the breakfast setup. I had a room pretty close to it and I woke up to clattering forks every single morning. My room also always smelled like cooked eggs every morning. I like eggs but not to smell like eggs!
There was hair all over the shower upon arrival
The shower door was broken on arrival so I had to shimmy around the toilet — they fixed it when I let them know about it but housekeeping should’ve figured it out when they were cleaning, no? Although they did let me check in early so they may have been rushing
The rooms are a bit dated
The area has a lot of restaurants (that you need to drive to), and I had an overall good stay here for work!

We hosted our wedding on October 4^th, 2014, at the Northbrook Hilton. Actually, we started talking to Linda in February just to have an idea about the price and menu. When we contacted her back in June she was ready to help us in any way. It was the best choice we made. She was very nice, friendly, and always open to listen us and to advise us to make the great decision.
We made lots of changes on our floor plans and she never got tired with our emails. Always saying: «It is your special day, I’m here to help». We offered our own budget and she worked on the menu with us. Also the cake was included in their package and they designed it the way we wanted. For the sweet table Linda allowed us to bring those from the outside and we could set up the table in our own or even ask the staff to do it without any charge.
The other good thing about the Northbrook Hilton we had the ceremony room and chairs without any charge. Also we got as complimentary free rooms at the hotel for our parents and a nice suite for us in the night after our wedding! As me and my husband don’t drink any alcohol she left a sparkling grape juice in our room with strawberries covered with chocolate and a nice card including a free breakfast and dinner. She really cares about their business and knows how to treat her customers well. One more thing I like to share, in the day of our wedding we were running late and she was there to support us during the morning and was not pressuring us at all.
I really recommend this place to host your wedding. It will be one less thing to worry about because they will take care of everything you ask for.
Thanks Linda. Hard work, nice and good heart!

We stayed there since our flight got canceled and United booked it for us. The staff is very unfriendly, unprofessional, and not helpful.

Nice, clean and professional. The exec suite on 10^th floor had great breakfast options every day. My room had a treadmill and work out ball, which was awesome. I also, used the gym which was pretty good for a hotel. The front desk was able to give me the password for the wifi, but otherwise there may be a fee?
Overall good experience!

Very well kept hotel. Visited here many time for some fantastically gorgeous weddings! The rooms are extra clean and very well kept. Friendly staff all around. Very nice hotel for staying the night, having an event in their banquet area, or having a tasty bite to eat!

TERRIBLE!!! Leftover moldy food in fridge and feces on the toilet. Complained to corporate and they offered a «Room Upgrade» Really you think I’m going to stay in a dirty hotel SMH!!! Disgusting!!!

Attended a 5pm Saturday wedding and the inside is nicer than I would have thought. I did not book a room so this rating is not for that portion of the hotel. For the ceremony the space was perfect although the sound system had some issues at the beginning. Bathrooms were close to all the events for the night which is a plus.
Cocktail hour was in their indoor terrace which was quaint. My three favorite hor d’oeuvres: shrimp on toast point with a little bit of cream cheese spread and tomato garnish was my favorite and just the right size for one bite; bruschetta was flavorful and I was impressed the baguette wasn’t so hard that when you bit down all the chopped tomato fell off (you know what I mean!); mini egg rolls filled with what we guessed as corned beef and hash with a mayo dipping sauce (great twist). Bartenders were efficient and made still drinks.
Dinner — The mini crab cake appetizer was the perfectly seasoned and a great size topped with a light slaw. The salad was light & refreshing. The main entrée consisted of stuffed chicken + beef tenderloin which were cooked past well done (if I chucked the tenderloin across the table it may have caused slight injury haha) accompanied with julienned vegetables which went well with the potato cake. Not sure if the cake was brought in but it was moist and not too sweet — yippie. A dessert table was laid out in the indoor terrace later in the night.
Banquet room — great space, low ceiling, dim/​romantic lighting, beautiful chandeliers, and dance floor sized perfectly for the 200+ guests.
50^th review this year! Cheers to the happy couple.
Side note: If you are travelling from out of town and were interested in going to the city this is probably not your best option. It is close to the Chicago Executive Airport but Rosemont/O’hare have more public transportation routes into the city.

I gotta say, every time I stay at the Hilton I get excited (ooh, the HILTON) and then it’s a big letdown.
First the obvious Hilton crap, the Wifi costs a million dollars, there’s no food or anything, etc. etc. This particular hotel is also quite dated. The rooms are not amazing; our room had a borderline inaccessible bathroom. Still, hardly unbearable. Clean and friendly to a fault. Just… meh.
They do have good coffeemakers.
Also, bear in mind: this hotel is WAY out of the way. Parking is free (if that even needs to be said), but it’s a solid 45 minute drive to Chicago on the best day. Train service is kind of a joke, and on the weekends forget it. That said, you have a decent choice of routes into the city.
I would stay again, but I’d rather stay somewhere else.