The Best Hotels for First Time Visitors in Illinois

Where to Stay if You've Never Been to Illinois

Visiting Illinois for the first time can be an exciting, yet overwhelming experience. With so many incredible hotels to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to stay. If you're deciding where to stay for your first visit to Illinois, we've compiled a list of the best hotels for first time visitors. We analyzed all of the hotels in Illinois based on price, location, amenities, guest ratings, and more to determine which would be the ideal places to stay for first timers. Whether you're here for just a few days or longer, these hotels offer the perfect combination of amenities, location, and price. For those visiting Illinois for the first time, it's important to choose a hotel in a safe and convenient area to make the most of your first visit. You'll want to be close to the activities, shopping, and dining options, of course. When looking for hotels, consider the amenities they offer. Some hotels may have a fitness center, a bar or restaurant, a pool, or even a spa. All of these features can add to your overall enjoyment if you've never been to Illinois before. Also, guest ratings and reviews are also important to consider when choosing a hotel. Whether you're visiting Illinois for the first time, or you're a seasoned traveler, the best hotels in Illinois for first-timers offer the perfect combination of comfort, convenience, and affordability. So, here's our list of suggestions for your next trip.

(Prices are listed in U.S. Dollars.)

The Ritz-Carlton Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
5-star Hotel with prices starting at $554 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Perfect for First-Timers
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.

Located at 160 East Pearson Street, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago has great rooms from $554 (before taxes). It offers room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking. It has a terrific 8.70 rating out of 10 from previous guests who have stayed here. Only 156.2 miles from the city center, first time visitors will especially love rooms with kitchens, child care, laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, and city views at this relaxing hotel. The room service is especially nice after a long day.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Kitchen
  • Spa
  • Indoor pool
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Hot tub
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family rooms
  • Coffee shop
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator
  • Breakfast in the room
  • Kids' club


Hyatt Regency Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
4-star Hotel with prices starting at $152 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Among the Best Places to Stay for a First Visit to Illinois
  • Great Value: the price is lower than average for 4-star hotels.
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Family-Friendly

A great place to stay is Hyatt Regency Chicago which has nice rooms starting at $152. Offering room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking, it also has a great guest rating of 8.60 out of 10 from many previous guests. It's located at 151 East Wacker Drive. This convenient hotel is also nice because it offers child care, laundry services, city views, kids meals, and car rentals which visitors will enjoy. Also, it's just 155.6 miles from the city center. Unwinding at the restaurant after sightseeing is a nice way to end the day. It's also less than the average price for first time trip hotels, so it's a great value.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Airport shuttle
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family rooms
  • Coffee shop
  • Refrigerator
  • Breakfast in the room


The Langham Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
5-star Hotel with prices starting at $499 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Perfect Hotel to Make the Most of Your First Visit
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Family-Friendly
  • Heated pool

We found The Langham Chicago to be a great place to stay, and the price starts at $499. We loved that is has room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking, and it also has a terrific guest rating of 9.50 out of 10 from previous guests. It's located at 330 North Wabash Avenue. You'll also find child care, laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, city views, and a hot tub which travelers will love. And this fun hotel is just 155.5 miles from the center of town. We love relaxing in a hot tub after a long day, and the one here is really nice.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Spa
  • Indoor pool
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Hot tub
  • Game room
  • Family rooms
  • Heated pool
  • Coffee shop
  • Breakfast in the room
  • Kids' club


Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
5-star Hotel with prices starting at $535 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Great Hotel for First Time Visitors
  • Family-Friendly

With terrific rooms from $535, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, at 11 East Walton Chicago Il Us 60611 provides room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking. Its terrific guest rating is 8.50 out of 10 from previous guests staying here. New visitors will really like this amazing hotel which also offers child care, laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, city views, and cooking classes. It's located just 156.2 miles from the city center, too. We love an indoor pool because you can enjoy it any time of the year.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Spa
  • Indoor pool
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Hot tub
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family rooms
  • Coffee shop
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator
  • Breakfast in the room


Four Seasons Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
5-star Hotel with prices starting at $460 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Perfect for Your First Visit to Illinois
  • Great Value: the price is lower than average for 5-star hotels.
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Heated pool

Four Seasons Chicago has a great guest rating of 9.20 out of 10, and offers room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking. The great rooms here start at $460 before taxes and depending on the season. It can be found at 120 East Delaware Place. Furthermore, it also offers child care, laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, city views, and a hot tub, which is nice for first time visitors. Just 156.2 miles from the city center, this fantastic hotel is a terrific choice. You'll love relaxing in the heated pool after a busy day exploring.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Spa
  • Indoor pool
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Hot tub
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family rooms
  • Heated pool
  • Refrigerator
  • Breakfast in the room
  • Kids' club


The Westin Chicago River North

Chicago, Illinois
4-star Hotel with prices starting at $292 (before taxes) - See All Prices
A Good Stay for Your First Trip
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.

The great guest rating of The Westin Chicago River North is 9.00 out of 10. This place has room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking. Prices for the terrific rooms are from $292, and it's located at 320 North Dearborn Street. We also love the laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, city views, a spa, and bowling which are great for visitors. And since it's just 155.4 miles from the center of the town, the location is great, too.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Spa
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Bicycle rental
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator
  • Breakfast in the room


Thompson Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
4-star Hotel with prices starting at $196 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Perfect for Your First Time in Illinois
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Family-Friendly

A cool place is Thompson Chicago because it has great rooms that start at $196. It has room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking, it also earned a great guest rating of 9.00 out of 10 from people who have stayed here before. It's found at 21 East Bellevue Place. Only 156.3 miles from the city center, travelers will especially love child care, laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, city views, and laundry facilities at this convenient hotel.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Bicycle rental


Hotel Blake an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

Chicago, Illinois
3-star Hotel with prices starting at $162 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Perfect for First-Timers
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Family-Friendly

Hotel Blake an Ascend Hotel Collection Member offers room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking which we really like. The terrific rooms here start at $162 (before taxes). It's located at 500 South Dearborn Street and has earned a guest rating of 9.00/10. This fun hotel is also nice because it offers laundry services, city views, laundry facilities, a tour desk, and a multi-lingual staff which new visitors will enjoy. Also, it's just 154.7 miles from the city center.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Laundry service
  • Coffee shop
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator


Park Hyatt Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
5-star Hotel with prices starting at $584 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Among the Best Places to Stay for a First Visit to Illinois
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.
  • Family-Friendly

Located at 800 North Michigan Avenue, Park Hyatt Chicago has great rooms from $584 (before taxes). It offers room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking. It has a terrific 8.90 rating out of 10 from previous guests who have stayed here. You'll also find rooms with kitchenettes, child care, laundry services, pet-friendly rooms, and city views which first time visitors will love. And this amazing hotel is just 156.1 miles from the center of town. It's always nice to have a kitchenette to cook some basic meals or have an easy breakfast.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
  • Spa
  • Indoor pool
  • Airport shuttle
  • Family-Friendly
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Kitchenette
  • Babysitting / Child Care
  • Laundry service
  • Pets allowed
  • Hot tub
  • Bicycle rental
  • Family rooms
  • Breakfast in the room


Marriott Marquis Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
4-star Hotel with prices starting at $222 (before taxes) - See All Prices
Perfect Hotel to Make the Most of Your First Visit
  • High Quality: guest ratings are higher than average.

A great place to stay is Marriott Marquis Chicago which has nice rooms starting at $222. Offering room service, a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, and parking, it also has a great guest rating of 8.90 out of 10 from many previous guests. It's located at 2121 South Prairie Avenue. Visitors will really like this fantastic hotel which also offers a kid-friendly buffet, hiking, laundry services, city views, and bowling. It's located just 153.7 miles from the city center, too.

First Time Trip Hotel Amenities
  • Room service
  • Parking
More Great Amenities
  • Restaurant
  • Fitness center
  • Bar/Lounge
  • Kid-friendly buffet
  • Hiking
  • Laundry service
  • Bicycle rental
  • Tennis
  • Coffee shop
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator


Also, take a look at the First Time Trip hotels in nearby destinations: Springfield, Bloomington, East Peoria, Normal, and Peoria.

For more terrific hotel ideas in Illinois, make sure you also see Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Illinois, Best Cheap Hotels in Illinois, Best Luxury Hotels in Illinois, Best Pet-Friendly Hotels in Illinois, Best Hotels for a Weekend Getaway in Illinois, Best Hotels for One Week in Illinois, Best Hotels for One Night in Illinois, Best Romantic Hotels for Couples in Illinois, Best Adults Only Hotels in Illinois, Best Hotels for Skiing in Illinois, or Best Business Hotels in Illinois.


How much do hotels for first-time visitors cost in Illinois?

Illinois Average First Time Trip Hotel Price
$153

Visitors will find a large range of terrific first time trip hotel choices when planning a visit to Illinois. The price of these first time trip hotels can vary according to location, type, and amenities. The average first time trip hotel price in Illinois based on data from 410 hotels is an affordable $153. If you're interested in more information about hotels here, see our guide to hotel prices in Illinois.

The average prices of our suggested first time trip hotels by star rating:

  • 5-star hotels: $473
  • 4-star hotels: $184
  • 3-star hotels: $147
  • 2-star hotels: $128


Budget Your Trip
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. On this website you can also find travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.
Share This Page

Some of the links on this website are sponsored or affiliate links which help to financially support this site. By clicking the link and making a purchase, we may receive a small commission, but this does not affect the price of your purchase.