Hotels in Des Plaines

There's a real town underneath that — a Chicago suburb of around 58,000 people with a walkable downtown, a Metra stop, and the distinction of being home to the first McDonald's built by Ray Kroc, now preserved as a small museum. But be honest: nobody is picking Des Plaines for sightseeing. The appeal is entirely practical — free shuttles, parking deals, and highway access to I-90 and I-294 that beat paying for O'Hare's own overpriced lots.

Rooms here are also consistently cheaper than airport-branded hotels a few minutes closer to the terminals. Stay near the Metra station or the River Road hotel strip if you want easy shuttle access without sacrificing the lower rates that are the whole point of booking Des Plaines over O'Hare proper.