Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in Illinois

Each year my career hosts their annual symposium in one of the 50 states. This past year, we had the enjoyment of hosting it in Schaumburg, IL, not far from the windy city of Chicago. Our accommodations were at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center located on North Thoreau Drive in Schaumburg, IL about twenty minutes away from Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

Pulling up to the sixteen floor hotel, you are welcomed by simple elegance as you see a great fountain in a pond right in front of the entrance. We were quickly greeted by the hotel staff who offered to assist with our baggage. As you enter the revolving doors, your sense of smell is hit with the aroma of lilies. Walking into the entrance corridor you do not have to search far to figure out where the smell is coming from. A glass table sits in the center of the room with large glass vases filled with gorgeous yellow lilies. A few feet off of either side of the glass table begins two grand white staircases.

After you pass the lilies and staircases through a small hallway, you enter the first floor, which is the convention center floor which houses several ballrooms, an exhibit hall, and at least ten smaller rooms perfect for sessions or meetings. The elegant atmosphere continues as your eyes quickly focus on the carpeting. Yellows, oranges, blues, and light blue flower burst carpeting grab your attention before you follow the signs up the escalators to the lobby and hotel check in area.

At the top of the escalators, you have to stop and take in the contemporary décor and stylish seating areas around the atrium. Centered in one of the main seating areas is a cozy, bright fire pit surrounded by shiny metal and crystals guiding your eyes upward to the high ceiling. Scattered throughout the atrium to the sides of the seating areas, you will find peaceful, trickling fountains that help you to pause and take a moment to relax.

After we forced ourselves away from the comfortable seating and made it to the hotel check in area, we did face a delay. Our rooms were not ready and were not ready until some four hours later. Luckily we had a lot of setting up to do for our event, so it did not bother us at all. However, by the time we did make it up to our rooms, it was well worth the wait.

For those who have rooms on the 15^th and 16^th floors, you have to use your room key in the elevator before you are able to select those floors. The elevators are very quick and do not like to wait very long. So if you do not insert your key in time, you will go all the way back down to the 1^st floor. The 15^th floor has a concierge lounge and the 16^th floor homes the presidential suite.

The room a co-worker and I shared was completely luxurious! The main room had a king size bed, 32 inch flat screen television, couch, dining room table, chairs, large mirror, two huge picture windows, dresser, and an ample amount of lighting. Off to the side of the main door entrance to the room was the bathroom. The bathroom was complete with shower, large since, make-up mirror, scale, hair dryer, and a television in the mirror. This main room also had a small kitchen off to the side, complete with mini fridge, coffee maker, assorted coffees and teas, and microwave. The sink and countertop space was significant and there were at least four cupboards.

Towards the back of the main room there was a door that led to another bedroom that was smaller. Complete with another king size bed, 32 inch flat screen television, lounging chair, dresser, and full bath. The second bedroom had its own main entrance door as well. Both rooms had plenty of closet space as well.

The hotel staff was very efficient in keeping the room stocked and clean with towels and fresh bedding. The turn down service always left behind a clean robe, snacks, and an order card to place a breakfast order. Hanging on the bathroom door, you will see a note outlining that the Schaumburg Hotel is in tune to preserving the environment. They instruct you to leave your used towels on the floor of the bathroom. They will only take the towels you place on the floor and see no reason in replacing unused towels.

The Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center housed very few options for dining. Sam & Harry's Steakhouse, Wintergarden Café, and the Gather Bar. All of which were very pricey. If you have a chance to venture out, less than five miles away, you will find several other steakhouses, seafood restaurants, Japanese, Chinese, and Mexican dining.

Most of our stay, we spent our time using the convention center area of the hotel. In total, the hotel had more than thirty breakout meeting rooms fully equip with wired and wireless high speed internet access. The Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center provides meeting services for those last minute or unplanned changes. The meeting services available were: AV technician, carpenter, copy service, decorator, electrician, laborer, locksmith, photographer, security guard, videoconferencing, and special lighting. Fortunately we only took advantage of using the AV technician and security guard. Both services were amazing and the staff was quick, efficient, and friendly.

Due to our early morning start, our work had pre-ordered breakfast to be served in our office space as we met. The coffee and tea selection was perfect, however the only squabble we had the first few days was the actual breakfast food being very small in size. Towards the end of the week the serving sizes increased.

All and all I would highly recommend planning your stay or convention at the Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center. The atmosphere is wonderful, the staff is very accommodating, and the location is perfectly placed to avoid Chicago's hustle and bustle environment.