Gadling hotel review – Hotel Arista, Naperville, IL

by Scott Carmichael on

The Hotel Arista describes itself as “eco-chic”, and after my first stay here, I’ve got to agree with that description. The hotel is located in the western Chicago suburb of Naperville. About 45 minutes from downtown Chicago, the hotel is easy to reach as it is right off the expressway.

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How the Hotel Arista does “green”

The Hotel Arista is the first LEED certified hotel in Illinois. Being LEED certified means the hotel underwent a extensive “green audit” by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Thankfully, staying in a “green hotel” does not mean you need to sleep on hay and brush your teeth with ash and salt. In fact, the majority of green efforts at the Hotel Arista were very well implemented, and some of them actually made my stay even more enjoyable.

The green initiatives are twofold – the majority of them are behind the scenes, while others are out in the open.

In the public spaces, almost all lighting is LED, greatly reducing energy usage. Room climate control is only activated when a guest checks in, which means the system no longer needs to heat empty rooms. The hotel restaurant recycles all its cooking oil, and the chef grows his own herbs in a garden in front of the hotel.

In the rooms, wall control panels instantly control all the lights – these panels are next to the door, in the bedroom and next to the bed. With one push of a button, all the lights are dimmed. All rooms feature large floor to ceiling windows, greatly reducing the need for additional lighting. In addition to this, some of these windows can be opened, allowing fresh air into the room.

The toilet is a dual flush model, all bathroom paper products are partly recycled and the sinks feature low flow faucets.

To me, one of the most impressive methods of recycling is that the hotel supplies all its left over newspapers and magazines to a local shelter as bedding for the animals and their unused in-room amenities to a local homeless shelter, along with sheets, table linens and other items. Newspapers are delivered in a cloth bag, hung from the door each morning, instead of plastic liners.

All these initiatives mean the Hotel Arista uses 31% less water, and 21% less energy than a comparable property, and as I mentioned earlier – you never get the feeling you are being forced to be “green”.


Geek heaven

The Hotel Arista takes in-room technology to a whole new level – and was one of the best equipped hotels I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in. My room was equipped with 2 42″ flat panel HD TV’s, one of which offered an easy access connection panel.

The TV channel lineup was equally impressive – offering a huge lineup of HD channels, including multiple premium movie channels. Additional features on the TV included a full hotel amenity guide, bill preview and room service menu.

A third TV is in the bathroom – behind the mirror. A splashproof remote control means you can fill the tub and watch the news.

The desk is equipped with a Cisco 7875 color IP touch screen telephone. The phone was updated with software offering instant access to maps, news, weather, voicemail-to-email interface and a full interactive hotel guide. The bedroom has a cordless IP phone.

Hidden behind the desk was an Ethernet cable offering access to the hotel broadband service. Speeds during my test were excellent – almost 30 mbps down and 25 mbps up. Wireless access is also offered, with a good solid signal and great speeds. The Ethernet cable could do with a label or some other way to let guests know where to find it.

There were no outlets above the desk, so I had to use the only spare outlet under the desk and use my own splitter to charge my phone and power my laptop.

The hotel offers a great lineup of extras for in your room – during your stay (or even before you arrive), you can request a Wii, Wii Fit, a DVD player and a variety of chargers and cables. This is the first time I’ve actually seen Blackberry chargers available for guests.

The Wii in your room is fantastic if you don’t plan to venture outside (and during my stay, the weather kept me indoors). My Wii was delivered in a Nintendo carrying bag, and came with Wii Sports and the Wii fit platform.

Thanks to the front panel hookup, I was up and running in about 5 minutes. There is something oddly cool about playing Wii Sports in a large room with floor to ceiling windows on the 12th floor.

Hotel amenities

The hotel has several on-property amenities, including an in-room spa and an award winning restaurant. A fitness center offers most of the equipment you’d expect from a good hotel health club, including showers and lockers. In addition to this, the staff can deliver fitness equipment to your room.

The hotel lobby is well designed, and features a discrete check-in desk and spacious “living room” with complimentary coffee and newspapers. Hotel staff were always around willing to help with doors and luggage.


In-room comfort

To be comfortable in my room, I only need a couple of things – a good bed, decent climate control and an easy to set alarm clock. The room provided two out of three. Like many hotels, the Arista installed the iHome iPod alarm clock, but since these are probably one of the most complicated to program, I opted to set an alarm on the Cisco IP phone (which was much easier to program).

Climate control in the room was very good – each room had its own thermostat. Guests who hate dry air can request a humidifier.

The bed was great, and the modern look and feel of the hotel meant I got a nice comforter instead of the horrible hospital style sheets found in other hotels.

Next to the bed is a control panel for turning off all the lights, and switching to nightlight mode, and on each side of the bed is a flexible nightlight. With one push of a button, all the lights dim and your nightlights can be turned on.

The minibar had a limited selection of beverages, and several snacks. Prices were surprisingly decent at just $4 for soda and $6 for most alcoholic beverages. Next to the fridge is a small snack tray and coffee maker. The hotel refers to its minibar as the “Nosh Box”, and items are located in the minibar, in the bathroom (bath salts) and next to the bed (face mask, sleep aid, intimacy kit).

Unlike most hotels, the minibar at the Hotel Arista can be designed to fit your personal needs. You can request more (or less) of products, add your own personal favorites, or request your own cocktail kit.

The bathroom in my room featured a stand-alone tub and a walk-in shower. Bathroom amenities are from the Gilchrist & Soames brand, and offered everything from a shaving kit to mouthwash. In other “green hotels”, I’ve noticed a trend towards wall mounted dispensers, but I still prefer good old tubes and bottles, so I was happy to see the Arista stick to these.

One of the more convenient features in the bathroom is floor lighting – dim light shows your way to the toilet for those middle of the night trips to relive yourself.

The Naperville area

Opening a luxury hotel in Naperville may have some people scratching their heads – the location is not exactly conveniently located anywhere exciting. That said – there is something to be said for staying away from the city.

At just 45 minutes from downtown Chicago, it is perfect for a romantic getaway.

For just $289, you get a 2 room king suite, Champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, a couples in-room massage and breakfast for two plus early arrival/late departure. That is at least $300 cheaper than a similar package in a downtown luxury hotel.

Within 10 minutes from the hotel are the Aurora premium outlets, where you can treat your significant other to something from the Coach (or Sony) store. Just down the road from the hotel is the Fox Valley mall, with over 180 stores.

And finally, starting at just $309, you can combine your stay with a round of golf at a local course.


Final thoughts

I’ll be going back to this hotel – even though it is within driving distance of where I live, it offers the kind of peace and quiet in a luxury surrounding we all need every now and then.

Their romance package is extremely well priced, and any couples in the area should seriously consider saying “I love you” in the luxury of their own two room suite.

The green features are perfectly balanced – you know they are there, but you don’t feel they get in the way. There is ample free parking around the hotel (including plenty of street parking).

You’ll find the Hotel Arista at 2139 CityGate Lane in Naperville. Their web site is at www.hotelarista.com.

Big up Kingston – The Spanish Court Hotel

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Hotels provoke strong reactions among travelers. Stay at a really terrible, cookie-cutter property, and it’s likely to color an entire trip. Just the opposite is also true – when a traveler finds himself at truly unique hotel, aligned with the rhythms and particularities of a destination, tempered by friendly hospitality, it can vastly improve any travel experience.

With these two extremes in mind, Gadling recently had a chance to visit Kingston, Jamaica’s new Spanish Court Hotel. We found ourselves immediately taken by the latter of these two extremes. In a city of hotels characterized by their bland, unassuming accommodations, the Spanish Court is truly a breath of fresh air, bringing much needed style, sophistication and casual Jamaican hospitality to a city very much on an upward swing. This 107 room “boutique” hotel also represents something of a Caribbean coup: having been built entirely using local Jamaican artisans and materials it is an entity that is distinctly Jamaican in its identity, from the locally influenced food menu to the black and white photos of Jamaica in the hotel’s lobby.

Over two quick nights earlier this month, we jumped around on the Spanish Court’s mattresses and scrutinized the thread count on the towels, sampled the breakfast buffet and took a swim in the pool. On the whole, we liked what we found. Ready to take a closer look? Check below for our gallery and observations.

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Public Spaces
Upon arriving at the hotel, guests enter the property’s thoroughly modern main lobby. The most immediate impression is of the space’s modern feel and distinctly Jamaican touches. The dark hardwood floors, black and white photos of Jamaican plant life and open-slat room dividers lend the area a distinctly Caribbean feel.

Complementing this are the room’s more modern touches, including futuristic cloth-covered chandeliers and electric blue furniture. You feel as though you’re sitting in a kind of futuristic living room, comfortable yet defiant in its quirkiness and aura. To up the comfort level, the room is scattered with daily Kingston newspapers and coffee table books to encourage relaxation.

On the other side of the main lobby is a small dining area, which plays host to a small breakfast buffet each morning featuring a relatively basic setup of toast, fruit and cereal. Also within the dining area is a small bar where guests can gather for a nightcap or socialize with friends.

On the second floor is the Spanish Court Hotel’s pool area and Sky Bar. The pool is notable for its style, a freestanding above-ground rectangle that forms a single unbroken solid shape. The water laps right to the form’s edges. From the pool deck, visitors can also “drink in” a bird’s eye view of New Kingston’s nearby office towers while enjoying a cocktail at the pool deck bar.

Guest Rooms
Inside the hotel’s 107 rooms, guests are greeted by a similarly upscale experience to the property’s public spaces. Though a little small, all rooms are appointed with a nice mix of style and amenities to maximize comfort. The room we stayed in was outfitted in a color scheme of beige and dark red. On the wall behind our bed was a series of black and white photos similar to what was found in the main lobby. Next to the double bed was an iHome iPod clock radio, ensuring we were able to cue our favorite Reggae soundtrack throughout weekend – always a nice touch.

The bathroom was comparable to the main room, filled with the usual arrangement of towels and decked out in marble flooring. We particularly liked the “rain shower style” shower head, a simple feature many upscale hotels still frequently overlook.

The room was flanked one one side by a series of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the hotel’s courtyard. Since we happened to be on the ground floor, this resulted in a less-than-desirable level of outside noise (part of it was probably the grand opening ceremony). Thankfully the shades and curtains helped to lessen this Make sure when you get a room you ask for something on the second/third level or off the main courtyard.

Gadling was recently invited by the Spanish Court Hotel to visit Kingston, Jamaica’s unexplored capital of music, food and culture. All this week we’re bringing you our observations on all this up-and-coming city has to offer. Though the trip was paid, all opinions remain our own. You can read our previous “Big up Kingston” posts HERE.

UPDATE: An inside look at “America’s Dirtiest Hotel”

by Mike Barish on

A couple of weeks ago I told you about The Dirtiest Hotels in the United States. New York City’s Hotel Carter was ranked number one and the user reviews on TripAdvisor are pretty graphic. The reader comments on my post contained some fantastic stories of other horrendous hotels. However, many readers used the comments to ask Gadling to send me to the Hotel Carter for a first-hand review. Some of you even went so far as to email our editors requesting that I be sent inside the infamous hotel to see if it lived up (or down) to the hype.

Well, we heard you loud and clear. Last night, Room 812 at the Hotel Carter belonged to me. Was it a bug-infested petri dish of awfulness? Was there a dead hooker in the bathtub? Was the dead hooker hot? Stay tuned. I’ll have my full report up later this week.