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Carleton Hotel
Category: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hotels [Edit]
1110 Pleasant St(between Maple Ave & Marion St)
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 848-5000
- Nearest Transit:
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Harlem-Green (Green Line)
Oak Park-Green (Green Line)
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
21 reviews for Carleton Hotel
Review Highlights
"I'm so glad I had my wedding at this hotel."
(in 14 reviews)
"I had my wedding ceremony and reception at this hotel."
(in 3 reviews)
"...an amazing job with planning our ceremony and cocktail hour."
(in 3 reviews)
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21 reviews in English
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Review from k. m.
Chicago, IL
9/3/2011
I had my wedding ceremony and reception at this hotel. The day was perfect. The banquet manager Annie is amazing! I felt very comfortable with her from the start. She is very organized and professional. She is extremely nice and very caring. She made sure my day was perfect. I'm so glad I had my wedding at this hotel!
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Review from Amy w.
Richardson, TX
10/16/2011
We picked this spot because it is the closest hotel to Forest Park. We paid amost $200 a night and we did get a suite. The suite was very large- but needs serious updating. The carpets were gross, the wall paper was coming loose, the furnture looked like it had been in a Frat house. Needless to say, the only reason we have chosen this place for a second time is due to it's location.
I decided to ask the front desk manager if there were any remodels in the works. She did explain that all of the rooms have been or are in the process of being re-modeled. She also said that the suites were the last one scheduled for re-model. So, my suggestion would be to make sure you request a re-modeled room. -
Review from Kate S.
Chicago, IL
1/4/2012
We had both our wedding ceremony and reception at the Carleton in May 2011. It was the first vendor we booked, and we have absolutely no regrets. Annie, the banquet manager, is organized, professional, and always quick to respond to any emails or questions. I found their policies regarding weddings much more flexible than other places. The hotel itself is beautiful and provides an entire section for your wedding, including a gorgeous bar area with sitting rooms for cocktail hour. The ballroom is a smaller and more intimate than many hotel ballrooms which I preferred for our 100 person wedding. In addition, the prices and catering minimums are much more reasonable than any place I looked at in Chicago. The food is catered by Barclays located in the hotel and was delicious, and we received many compliments on it and the hotel as a whole.
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Review from Emily W.
Berkeley, CA
6/28/2011
I was born and raised in Oak Park, and my dad still lives there, so I had actually never been inside the Carleton until I booked a block of rooms there for out-of-town guests that attended my wedding in June of 2011.
The Carleton is pretty sweet! It is old-fashioned without being run down. Our guests enjoyed staying there. It's in a nice part of Oak Park, with lots of restaurants and shopping nearby (as well as the Harlem Green Line and Metra stops- easy access to Chicago).
I liked the variety of rooms (and prices) that were available for our guests to book. My husband and I booked the hot tub suite for two nights before and after our wedding. The hot tub was really nice and the room was perfect for all of the hair and makeup needs of my bridal party.
The front desk staff was so nice and accommodating of us and all of our guests. Everyone recognized me as "the bride" and was especially considerate of my needs throughout the weekend. Their customer service made me feel special and very taken care of.
We definitely brought the party back to Poor Phil's on Saturday following the wedding, and all of our guests had a blast. Thank you to the Carleton for putting up with us. We had a great experience there during our wedding weekend, and I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone staying in Oak Park! -
Review from Michael S.
Denver, CO
12/19/2010
Perfect for a classy, understated event. Free parking, too. Sure helps when the host and hostess are the classy, driving force behind the event!
(xoxoxoxo Lisa B and David!!) -
Review from Jasmin M.
Oak Park, IL
5/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm surprised to see a review of the motor lodge that says the rooms have an "old but clean look". I'm not sure if the rooms have been redone recently or not, or if the motor lodge that others have reviewed is a totally different section. From my understanding, however, my friend did stay in the motor inn section. The room was pretty modern, with a flat screen TV, kitchenette, and a pretty nice bathroom when compared with your average motel-type rooms. We were both believing he would be staying in the main hotel, yet were both somewhat impressed by the room, which he described as "artsy". For the price, the room was great. I'm not sure if his price was lower because he placed his reservation online or not, but it was a pretty sweet deal.
The room had two beds, a table with four chairs, a flat panel TV, a kitchenette with coffee maker and comp coffee, dishes, silverware, microwave, mini frig, and cabinets. The room had a little hallway which led to both the closet and bathroom. There's no dresser in the room, but a wall with drawers in the back of this little hall. The closet has more than ample space, plus two extra pillows, two extra blankets, iron, full sized ironing board, an extra roll of toilet tissue, and plenty of towels is the bathroom. The only "bad" thing was that I saw no ice machine anywhere. There was however a soda machine outside.
The beds were fairly comfortable as far as motel beds go, and he had no problems with anything in the room, aside from the wifi being slow. Everything worked, the front desk staff was incredibly helpful, and everything was just great.
I've stayed in a few motels, as well has motels pretending to be hotels, and this is by far my favorite. The next time I want to just get away for the weekend, it's nice to know that I don't have to leave the state or even Oak Park, to find a nice, relaxing hotel at a fair price for a night or two. -
Review from Tina M.
Chicago, IL
10/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
I actually live real close to the Carleton but recently had a one night's stay the day before my wedding. I was lucky to stay in the hotel (instead of the motel section) which had a HUGE whirlpool tube. I would recommend staying at this hotel just to enjoy it.
The staff was extremely helpful when my makeup artist needed a special chair to do makeup and they also were nice enough to let me stay a little after check out time. When I was in a rush at the last minute to leave, they checked me out without me having to wait. Thank you so much!
The only down side: I left my bridal gown bag at the hotel (in fact I saw it but was in a rush to leave but didn't have time to go back). I called later that night but the maid service claimed nothing was found. The bag was pretty expensive, but I know it's my fault. My only recommendation is don't leave anything behind by accident. -
Review from shane h.
Greensboro, NC
12/22/2006
I stayed at the Motor Inn section for one night prior to an interview.
Staff was very helpful, prompt, and had a good sense of humor. There are two parts to the hotel - The Carleton and the Motor Inn sections. The Motor Inn section was very old timey hotel and reminded me of the ones i've stayed in in northern Wisconsin.
I could not find the thermostat in the room but that may be because I'm an idiot... the room was a comfortable temperature anyway so it didn't matter to me.
Internet is free but for some reason it didn't work at all. I had to use the internet at an attached restaurant (also free). I couldn't pull up directions the next day because they were both down and it was really frustrating.
I don't really know what else to say about the place. There was a big bed, a TV with cable (thank you espnews!) to keep me company. There was enough soap that I could have showered 183 times and not made a dent in it. Very spacious room. Parking was easy (I came back after 11pm and still had a spot). -
Review from Christiana S.
Buffalo Grove, IL
5/27/2009
Deciding to have my wedding at the Carleton was one of the first decisions I made after getting engaged, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made over a year and a half of planning!
We held our ceremony and reception at the hotel, since we had a decent number of out-of-town guests and I didn't want them to have to deal with driving. (And how awesome is it to be able to party all night and then just be a short elevator ride away from your room?) I know I'm a little bit biased, but my wedding was BEAUTIFUL. Everything turned out better than I ever could have hoped for. My vision for my wedding day was executed exactly; how many brides can say that?
Annie Mammoser is the wedding coordinator at the hotel, and whatever they're paying her, I'm sure it's not enough, because she is amazing. Anything I wanted or needed, she was on it. She made sure all the little details were seen to........ I did not spend a single second worrying about anything on my wedding day. Even everything leading up to that (the tasting, meeting with linen rental vendor, multiple walk-throughs with my florist) was stress-free.
The space is really beautiful (love the chandelier and the bar area), and it's nice to have it all to yourself (rather than being one of several weddings at a larger hotel or banquet hall). We took some beautiful pictures in front of the Marion Street entrance, and all the extra seating area made for a really fabulous cocktail hour. (The only thing I'm kind of bummed out about now is that I didn't get to have any of the awesome hors d'oeuvres we selected since I was so busy taking pictures and saying hi to everyone.)
As far as cost goes - totally a bargain! 102 people for dinner, copious amounts of alcohol and hours of dancing cost us less than $10,000. Try doing that in downtown Chicago. (Not to mention the two complimentary nights in a suite that we were given. The room was amazing, and it was really nice to be comped like that.)
I've now been married for a month, and my friends and family are still talking about the food (really, really delicious!), the candy buffet (set up by Annie, perfectly!), and how much fun they had (possibly due to 5 hours of open bar). A perfect setting for one of the best days of my life (so far). -
Review from Tanya S.
River Forest, IL
10/22/2007
Beautiful ballroom and bar area. Great ambiance. We had about 65 people at our wedding reception and suprisingly the ballroom wasn't too big, however, since the bar area is down a little corridor, people pretty much ventured to the bar to drink and lounge after dinner/dancing. It was intimate, people we're able to meet and talk. Since we had a small party, everyone could fit comfortably into the large bar area.
The food was from Philanders and it was awesome across the board- the fav main dish was the beef and tilapia. YUMMY!
We received a complimentary room which worked out well, we used it as our home base. It was close to the reception area and was very well kept with a old fashioned flair.
I'm very happy with how the reception turned out, I think the hotel is great for smaller weddings and is a wonderful place if you want to get away from the typical Holiday Inn reception. Our course it comes with a price tag, but it was worth it!
One more side note for wheelchair users: I was concerned since a couple of the guests are wheelchair-bound and the hotel reception area is actually on a couple levels. The hotel isn't accessible with ramps throughout, but they have lifts throughout to accomodate even larger electric wheelchairs. I was surprised the lifts were insulated very well because you couldn't hear the noise in the ballroom.Listed in: Wedding Vendors
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Review from Misse D.
Chicago, IL
9/28/2007
I worked at a wedding at the Carleton last week. It is a gorgeous petite boutique hotel in downtown Oak Park. The ballroom is perfect for a wedding between 100-150 guests.
For the cocktail hour, the hotel used a small banquet room as well as a bar with two small rooms right off of it. The only thing that I disliked is that some guests were walking through the cocktail hour to get to their rooms on that side of the hotel. -
Review from Mighty G.
San Jose, CA
3/4/2011
We stayed in the motor lodge for work and those rooms are just so so, kind of an old look but clean. The resturant Barklays is pretty nice, the food is good, but the female server wasn't all that friendly.
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Review from Erika R.
Chicago, IL
8/1/2009
We booked a block of rooms for our wedding this July at the Carleton. The hotel was very pretty and our room was spacious and had lots of character. Dana, who I worked with to book the rooms, was very helpful and returned my calls promptly. The best part was that by 10 of our guests booking their rooms at the Carleton, we got our room free!
The only reason I didn't rate this a five is because I felt that the rooms are overpriced for the service, location and what the hotel can offer. -
Review from Tara k.
Oak Park, IL
6/28/2010
I had my wedding here, have had my family stay here on several occasions. Best value. Best Location. Trains to the city are a block a way. (but why would you leave Oak Park?) everything in walking distance... even the motel rooms are MOD, and fab, (recently updated) Restaurants are wonderful too. You will enjoy the locals at Poor Phils, Ask for the beer of the day. I would totally recommend this hotel for weddings. Easy access, walk around abilty, and top notch everything. John Mahoney from Frasier even came to my reception- well, he was in the bar for the after party!
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Review from Lisa B.
Oak Park, IL
11/1/2007
We had a teeny little dinner (18 people) here the night before the boy's Bar Mitzvah, and some of our guests stayed here. A lovely hotel with gracious service. You won't get a pool and fitness center, but the location and charm more than make up for it. Dana and Annelise gave our small-scale event the same attention and service that they'd give to a 200-person wedding. The food was was tasty, though not very inventive. The thing is, that you won't get away cheap. There are room charges on top of the food charges, which is why we had the main event at Maggiano's.
Listed in: My kid's big, fat Bar Mitzvah
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Review from Anne K.
Chicago, IL
11/16/2009
The location met our needs, and the hotel staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. However, there were certain negative aspects that could not be fixed by a simple call to the front desk. At this price point, you do not get what you pay for. If we're simply talking about the quality of the rooms, I would say $75/night, $80 tops. Certainly not $188.
Overall, the biggest concerns were the rooms' smell, and the rooms' cleanliness. Even though it is a non-smoking hotel, the first room I was given was stuffy and smelled of smoke. It reminded me of an old room in a B&B that is rarely used. I get the impression that lots of weddings happen at this hotel, so I think people party in the rooms, and staff does not necessarily enforce the non-smoking policy. One of the restaurants in the lobby is fairly new, and management did not adequately consider how the hotel's layout and air flow (or lack thereof) might let the smell of the restaurant linger in the elevators and the hallways of the upper floors. There is radiator heat in the rooms, which is fine. There are also wall air conditioner units, but there are no instructions- just a remote- and it took some time to dicifer.
The rooms just look dingey. The comforters are pilling due to wear, blankets old. The pillows had yellow stains. Furnishings look somewhat grungey on the surface, as though they haven't been wiped down properly. The wallpaper and sofa had white stains. The bathroom had mildew.
When the first room I had smelled of smoke (I have a severe smoke allergy), to the hotel's credit, I was (very nicely) given a second room without question. While the smell of smoke in the second room was less, the room was no cleaner. Both rooms hadn't been vacuumed well, and there was grit and dirt in the carpet. In addition, a previous guest had spilled coffee grounds in one area, and no one had cleaned it up.
I understand that due to the age of the building, that most funds must be put into the exterior, and keeping it up to code. That being, said, for the money you are paying, I think the owners should seriously consider addressing some of these problems. -
Review from Laura S.
Oak Park, IL
6/15/2011
I cannot say enough good things about Anne Parker and the Carleton Hotel. We had our wedding there last weekend, and all the guests stayed there as well. Anne did an amazing job with planning our ceremony and cocktail hour! She was so professional and knowledgeable. From the first day we met, I knew I was working with the right person. Anne is amazingly good at what she does, and takes all of the tasks related to wedding planning very seriously. So much so, it helped me to be at ease knowing she had the details under control. I could not have been happier with Anne and the venue as a whole. Their beautiful vintage bar was perfect for our cocktail reception and photos.
Additionally, I heard nothing but good things from guests about the hotel itself. I stayed there the night before the wedding and can attest to how nice the rooms are. The Carleton was the perfect venue for our wedding! Thank you Anne,and the Carleton Hotel, for exceeding every expectation! -
Review from Stella S.
Oak Park, IL
5/31/2008
I love this hotel.
My fiance and I had our engagement party here and everyone loved the food and the atmosphere. The food is excellent and the service is great.
The outdoor seating at Poor Phil's is lovely in the summer. We often ride our bikes here and sit outside for lunch when the weather is nice.
We have stayed in their suites a couple of times and love their oversized jacuzzi tub. -
Review from Sarah T.
Chicago, IL
9/7/2009
Classic location for smaller wedding/event with multiple rooms for different activities if you like to sit and talk away from main action. The neighborhood is quiet and a nice choice if you want to be a little out of the city, but still close enough. The staff is always courteous and helpful. A classic gem in Oak Park.
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Review from Thea B.
Chicago, IL
10/2/2009
I had my wedding (ceremony and reception) at The Carleton in Sept, 2009. The whole day was perfect - mainly thanks to Anne Mammoser Parker's hard work! Our wedding was the second of the day, and Anne got her team to turn the place around (and make it sparkle) in no time flat. The ceremony set-up was perfect, and the turn-around for a 165-person dinner happened like clockwork.
Working with Anne during the preparations was a piece of cake, too. She was always available for a meeting or a phone call, and responded to emails immediately. Taking us through the tastings, to making suggestions about layout, Anne definitely listened to what we wanted and produced just that for the wedding.
The hotel ballroom-area is beautiful. I received compliments all night about how amazing the hotel is, and what a fantastic venue it is for a wedding. The decor is perfect, and the size is just right. It's as formal or informal as you want it to be. The bar and two adjoining rooms are romantic and cozy, and perfect for quiet conversations and cushy seating.
The hotel rooms are fabulous, too. We stayed in a room that was absolutely perfect. It was right up the stairs from the bar, and it had everything we wanted. The bathrooms are very ornate and updated, and the decor in the rooms is really unique.
Truly a fantastic place for a wedding and other events! Anne is perfect to work with! -
Review from Susan M.
Updated - 10/24/2009
My wedding has happened. It happened at the Carleton and it was fantastic. The most fantastic wedding I have ever been to; I am so proud to say it was mine. Annie Parker, special events coordinator extraordinaire, oversaw this event with care and love and attention to every detail - as if it were her own. Annie and I have gotten to know each other pretty well over the past year or so. I have emailed her daily for weeks at a time with silly questions and requests and advice and she has always responded with clear, thorough responses and always with our best interest in mind. The staff at The Carleton deserve some recognition. I had quite the crowd -- the most bottles ever consumed at one event. Yup, that's us! We had a few scenarios that would've thrown the average banquet staff off their game, but not this one! I can't say enough about the conscientious effort to make my wedding the best it can possibly be. The food was amazing -- we had chosen honey mustard crusted chicken, rib eye and salmon. All deserving high marks. All the guests that made mention of the food were pleasantly surprised with the quality AND quantity of these dishes. The rib eye was the most consumed entree and this piece of meat was something to be expected at a high end steak house. Very nice. Our room was beautiful, clean and large. We had 12 other guests booked at the hotel and all were pleased as well. Poor Phil's is the bar and grill which I have reviewed in the past, but will mention that they serve a great breakfast! Several guests enjoyed the morning after here.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/29/2008
I have never actually stayed here...yet! I am getting married at The Carleton in October of 09 and… Read more »
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