Stressed about planning a group meeting while having your family tag along? Sit back, relax, and let the experts at the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau roll out the VIP Treatment to help unburden your workload.
Located in the family-friendly, affordable south and southwest Chicago suburbs, your attendees will love the mere five-hour drive from eight different states (Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin) with accessibility to six interstates. Although only 25 miles from downtown Chicago, the Chicago Southland has free parking at all hotels and most event venues and attractions throughout the region.
The Chicago Southland is thrilled to offer four full-service hotels all within a short jaunt of some incredible family-friendly entertainment. The DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago-Alsip offers 13 meeting rooms and 15,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space, including a grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 600 guests. Having recently completed a three-year renovation project with updates in the guest rooms, lobby, and ballrooms, meeting planners love the Doubletree’s proximity to Midway Airport (20 minutes via free shuttle). Families love the indoor pool and fitness center, as well as the on-site Allgauer’s restaurant and free Wi-Fi.
In Orland Hills, Georgios Banquets, Quality Inn & Suites Conference Center has 13 meeting rooms with over 22,000 square feet of flexible banquet, conference, and meeting space enough to accommodate 1,200 guests! Additionally, Georgios can accommodate up to 200 people outdoors in theater-style seating or 60 people classroom-style. Georgios also recently completed a renovation, modernizing 150 guest rooms with 32 suites. While meeting planners love the ease of logistics with this location, families love the indoor heated pool and spa, fully equipped fitness center, Free WiFi and arcade room for the kids, and live video casino gaming for kids 21 years of age or older.
In Matteson, the Holiday Inn Chicago Matteson Conference Center has a state-of-the-art Grand Ballroom that can accommodate 750 of your closest friends or colleagues. With 13,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, plus 202 guest rooms and Bar Louie on-site, this Holiday Inn is an attendee’s dream! Meeting planners love the easy access to I-80, I-294, and I-90/94 while families love the indoor heated pool, free Wi-Fi, billiards table, and on-site children’s activities.
The Homewood Suites by Hilton/Elements by the Odyssey in Orland Park has a cozy outdoor courtyard that can be used as meeting space with an additional 6,400 square feet of unobstructed meeting space indoors. Meeting planners love Elements by Odyssey’s 20 years of professional event experience while families love the indoor pool, fitness center, and free Wi-Fi.
Looking for a quaint setting? La Banque Hotel in downtown Homewood is a stunning boutique property featuring 18 state-of-the-art guest rooms that is an excellent choice for company retreats, board meetings, and other small gatherings. The hotel is located just steps from restaurants and shops plus the Homewood Metra and Amtrak station, making commuting to and from the city quick and easy. La Banque also features an on-site restaurant, La Voute Bistro & Bar, which serves as a location for delicious meals before, during, or after your meetings. And if you prefer meeting on the links, La Banque will shuttle you to Ravisloe Country Club which is only seconds away (The Chicago Southland also has over 30 public and semi-private golf courses to choose from as well).
If your family isn’t interested in being stuck in their room all day, there are plenty of options to choose from in the Chicago Southland. Exercise your mind and learn what it was like growing up on a farm when visiting Stellwagen Farm in Orland Park. And/or visit “The World’s most perfect town,” one of the first racially diverse industrial communities when George Pullman launched the Pullman Palace Car Company. At the Pullman National Monument, groups will experience the interactive exhibits at the Administration Clock Tower Building, explore the factory grounds, and tour Pullman homes. While in the historic district, groups can also see Hotel Florence, Greenstone Church, and visit the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, which celebrates the contributions of Porters and the experiences of the African American railroad worker.
There are plenty of places for gamers to get reacquainted with their inner child including Accelerate Indoor Speedway & Events in Mokena which also features go-karting and axe-throwing. Dave & Buster’s in Orland Park offers the latest in video game technology. Gamma VR in Lansing exclusively offers you the best in the virtual reality world. Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Center in Burbank also offers both indoor and outdoor thrills as does In The Game, Hollywood Park in Crestwood. Finally, Urban Air Adventure Park in Mokena will have your kids exhausted after zip-lining and trampoline bouncing.
Looking to get active away from the hotel exercise room? Sure, there are plenty of regular golf courses to choose from in the Chicago Southland (picture courtesy Charles Cherney), but most kids love to Putt-Putt for the fun of it!! Doing it in the Chicago Southland is easy at places like Odyssey Fun World in Tinley Park, Space Golf in Orland Park, Tinley Junction Miniature Golf & Batting Cages in Tinley Park and/or PGN Fun Village in Hickory Hills. If a Scooby Shot or Hyzer Flip is how you like to golf, there are over 12-disc golf courses in the Chicago Southland, including the 27-hole PDGA Championship Rated Course in Mokena known as The Oaks. Big Marsh Bike Park, a 297-acre natural area and bike park, is perfect for BMX bikers of all skill levels. If a leisurely family outing is more your speed, enjoy hundreds of biking/walking trails in the Chicago Southland including the Cal-Sag Trail and the Old Plank Road Trail.
Before you head back to your hotel room, reward yourself with some sweet treats! Ice cream lovers will melt at SoHo Sweets Creamery & Café in South Holland and Gayety’s Chocolates & Ice Cream in Lansing.
For more information about each of these meeting and event venues visit VisitChicagoSouthland.com/MeetingFacilities or for family attractions, check out VisitChicagoSouthland.com/ThingsToDo.
Not only does the Chicago Southland help plan events, but we also offer a wide variety of complimentary event services. From pre-event services, including brochure distribution, event listings and supplies, itinerary planning, and marketing assistance to on-site services such as name badges, registration assistance, executive gift baskets, and promotional signs are available.
Questions or ready to book a Chicago Southland meeting or event? Contact Vice-President of Sales Mary Patchin at 888-895-3211 or email her at Mary@VisitChicagoSouthland.com. With over 20 years of experience, our VP would love to help customize your next VIP regional meeting or event, provide resources, assist in securing facilities, and coordinate site inspections. And be sure to ask her about our current meeting incentives!
