Extended stay hotel may benefit Hoffman grocers
Hoffman Estates trustees have approved the construction of a 121-room hotel south of the Northwest Tollway and east of Pembroke Avenue.
Village officials say Value Place will attract tenants who are away from home and on business for an extended period, an average of about two weeks. Most rooms include a kitchenette.
Apparently, most tenants want to save money and prepare their own food. Though village officials say tenants will help the sales-tax base, it's hard the expect the hotel to be a big boon for restaurants on Barrington Road like The Assembly, IHOP or Chili's.
Grocery stores, on the other hand, may see some dollars.
The hotel won't give travelers amenities like a free bottle of shampoo, but specializes in budget-friendly lodging. The hotel's Web site describes it as part-hotel, part-apartment building.
The village also approved sign variations so the hotel's sign can be seen by motorists driving down the tollway.
A lump of coal: Remember when holiday decorations brought a warm smile on your face during those frigid Decembers? I recall going downtown to see the windows at Marshall Field's.
Those were positive memories, unlike the terror Hoffman Estates' Phillip O'Brill went through trying to protect his decorations from vandals.
Police Lt. Rich Russo said vandals usually have a field day during the season, but he's never seen anything like the Nov. 30 incident in which O'Brill was dragged by a vehicle by vandals fleeing after causing $1,000 in damage to O'Brill's decorations.
O'Brill spent hours at the hospital getting treated for a run-over foot. He's on crutches.
There's nothing unusual with kids thinking they're comedians and rummaging through decorations. I've looked through enough police blotter in December over the last few years to learn that. But causing physical harm to someone? Bah humbug, indeed.
Shop with a cop: Don't worry, I'm not leaving you on a low note. Hoffman Estates police for the eighth year will sponsor their Hoffman Estates Benevolent Fund "Shop With a Cop" event at Target and the Hilton Garden Inn.
Police will take 35 needy kids on shopping sprees, with kids allowed to spend around $125. Some children are from the Women In Need Growing Stronger shelter. Anyone wanting to donate can send them to HEPBF, P.O. Box 95611, Hoffman Estates, IL, 60169-0611.