My assumption is that you’re reading this review because you’re trying to figure out if the cost of a room at the ORD Hilton is worth it. I get it. It’s an expensive property.
My advice? Spend the money. It’s worth it for the convenience of being connected directly to the airport.
Not only that, the views from the airport-facing rooms are good enough to make you forget about the fact that you might have blown through your travel budget for the quarter.
A full review of my 1 night stay at the Hilton ORD (O’Hare) Airport Hotel
Disclaimer: I’ve stayed at this hotel 4 times prior to writing this review. It’s not the best airport hotel in North America, but I keep coming back for both the convenience and the views.
- It's the only hotel within walking distance of ORD.
- It's accessible through underground walkways from all terminals except T5. In that case, it can be reached via the inter-terminal train.
- Not only doesn't have a pretty good restaurant, there's even a barbershop and dental office on the lower level.
Getting to the Hilton from the O’Hare Airport
Finding the Hilton from the arrivals level of terminals 1-4 at ORD is easy (you’ll have to take the train from Terminal 5). There are signs that say “Hilton” at all exits, so just keep following them until you reach the front door. The Hilton is accessible via two routes from terminals 1-4:
- Via an underground walkway
- From outside (by simply walking across the roadway to the hotel entrance)
Either way is simple, but I do appreciate the fact that there is an indoor/underground option to avoid inclement weather outside. But if the weather is nice, it’s a very nice and easy walk across the roadway.
The lobby (and checking in)
The check in desk can get quite busy in the early evenings, so be prepared to wait for a bit between the hours of 6 and 9 PM. I’ve never had to wait more than 15 minutes (even though it felt like 45). That said, checking in online via the Hilton mobile app (and being issued an electronic room key) eliminates the need to check in at the desk. I highly recommend it!
Getting to my room
Walking through the guest room hallways will be a very obvious reminder but this is not a luxury property. The hallway decor screams “airport hotel” – which may be a bit surprising depending on how much you paid for your room. I paid $240/night for the room you’re about to see. That’s not cheap.
Three hours and 27 minutes later…
Room overview
Room decor is nice. Not ‘wow nice’ – but ‘mostly nice’ (typical of a Hilton I suppose). Of all the airport Hiltons I’ve stayed at, I’d give the style and design nod to my room at the Munich Airport Hilton (which was spectacular). This one here at ORD seemed a touch dated, but it was comfortable nonetheless.
- Choose an airport facing room (third floor and higher). If you don't, the only view you'll have is straight into a parking garage.
- The inter-terminal train runs directly adjacent to this hotel (on the side facing the airport). Choose an upper floor room if you don't want to hear it running back-and-forth all night.
- Keep your expectations in check - it's a nice hotel, but a little outdated.
The view from an airport-facing room
Basically, the view you’ll get from any airport-facing room (floor 3 and above) is going to be amazing! Well, maybe not quite as amazing as what you would get from the Howard Hughes Suite at the TWA Hotel. But still better than average I guess.
The floor to ceiling windows make it worth the price of admission IMHO – just as long as watching airplanes all night (in your underwear) is your idea of fun.
The view of the airport is it’s one of the reasons why I like this hotel so much. If you want the same thing, make sure to request a room on a higher floor (7 or above) to be able to see over the terminal building.
The bathroom
Say what you will about the pics below, but you do need to know that they’ve done a pretty good job of keeping these bathrooms updated over the years. This is just as nice as what I experienced during my first stay here back in 2016. Everything was clean, nothing was leaking, and I didn’t see any mold. Consider that a ‘win’ I guess.
Room service
In-room dining options have always been pretty good here at the ORD Hilton. The menu is extensive (and obnoxiously expensive), but the quality of the food is decent. I mean, you’ve probably spent a lot of money on the room already, so how much more damage could a $40 bowl of oatmeal really do?
- Use an online booking engine (such as Booking.com) instead of booking directly with the hotel.
- Booking engines are sometimes able to offer the lowest prices thanks to special partnerships they’ve developed with the hotel brands.
- Most booking engines have excellent loyalty / reward programs (which makes it easy to accumulate points for free nights). This is one of the reasons how I’m able to travel so frequently.
Pros and cons of a standard room at the ORD Hilton
Yes, there are a plethora of other good hotels surrounding the O’Hare Airport that are far cheaper than the Hilton. None are as conveniently located as this one of course, but it’s possible to save a lot of money by choosing something just a bit farther away.
I’m not likely to ever do that though. The pros of an airport-facing room at the Hilton far outweigh the cons in my opinion:
Pros
- This is by far the most convenient hotel at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Getting to it without even having to go outside it’s freaking awesome.
- The views of the airport are excellent. You do have to request an airport-facing room however (and they almost always cost extra).
- I’m always amazed at how quiet it is. I’ve never had an issue with noise (either airplanes or people).
Cons
- Holy crap it’s expensive!
- Even though it’s connected directly to the airport, it requires a not-so-insignificant amount of walking to reach.
- Yes, you can hear airplanes late at night and early in the morning.
