Illini Union Hotel

Introduction (frederi1)

The Illini Union Hotel is located centrally on the University of Illinois campus. It is a popular place to stay amongst parents, alumni, and even students.  It is most popular on special weekends like Mom's Weekend, graduation time, and home football games. The hotel has a long history with the U of I; it is well known amongst Illini visitors and is one of the most popular places to stay to enjoy the campus. The campus has many great events and leisure opportunities from concerts to sporting events. The Illini Union Hotel makes it easy for people to access U of I and everything it has to offer. 

Background (yum1)

In 1935, the University of Illinois foundation was established to fund the construction of a new building called the Illini Union. The actual construction of illini Union started in 1939 and ended in 1941. Also, the Illini Union expanded the hotel guest rooms in 1962. Inside of the Illini union, the Illinois Union hotel was formed because many faculty, students, graduate students, and guests needed a place to stay for the graduation ceremony. The Illini Union hotel is located at 1401 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois at the center of U of I Campus. The hotel has 72 rooms and two VIP suites. It is open to all visitors, but the wait list can be extensive so the staff encourages an early sign-up. The hotel has been standing for over 60 years and is still going strong. The hotel prides itself on its longstanding tradition and its colonial architecture.

Core Competencies (georgopl)

Several of the part-time employees hired at the Illini Union Hotel are students. Because of the lack of availability students have with a full-time course load, they are not required to work full-time hours in order to be hired. Many of the students hired are working at a hotel for the first time in their careers. These jobs include mostly the reception position and showing people to their rooms.  Information regarding the cleaning staff was not available to us, but we were able to find information about the managers and supervisors. They have a more rigorous application process. Their jobs are looked at more permanently and therefore the job requires either a degree or sufficient hospitality management experience.

Employment Opportunities (slee273)

The Illini Union Hotel provides employment opportunities online at https://www.union.illinois.edu/employment. One should visit the Illini Union Hotel website and explore all of the different kinds of jobs that the hotel has to offer. It is also important for applicants to know what kind of job they are looking for before applying due to the vast variety of opportunities that are available. Once assessing their interests, applicants should proceed to fill out the online application, which asks for personal information, credentials/experience, jobs of interest, resume, references, and availablity. Applicants should provide as much information about their past work experience and credentials in order to have a higher chance for employment consideration.

Current Trends (georgopl)

The trends that are seen in the Illini Union Hotel are very consistent. The Hotel prides itself on tradition. It is located in the center of campus-town and is modeled after the architecture of the first days the university was founded. The hotel finds itself to be completely booked on weekends of home football games, Mom’s and Dad’s weekends, several weekends throughout the Basketball season, and other times throughout the year. In order to be eligible to stay at the hotel, a person must fill in an application to stay at least a year in advance, which shows how competitive it is to book a room at the hotel. In addition to parents staying at the hotel for visiting weekends, the hotel also accommodates students throughout the year as well as professors and other professionals staying in town for conferences or other various events.  

Definition of Leisure (slee273)

The Illini Union Hotel’s definition of leisure is the time that people spend in the “exceptional setting that truly encompasses the ideals of the University of Illinois.” This not only means enjoying the campus, but it also means enjoying the activities that occur on campus such as exciting Illini games, enjoyable weekends with moms and dads, and celebratory graduations. The main benefit that the Illini Union Hotel provides to visitors is that it is located in the heart of campustown, putting guests close to all of the campus attractions such as the scenic quad, Green Street restaurants, shops, and bars, Assembly Hall, Memorial Stadium, Campus Recreation facilities, Green Street restaurants, and many major and historical campus buildings.

Conclusion (frederi1)

As a whole, we think that the Illini Union Hotel is a great asset to the campus. It is a great place for parents and other visitors to stay during home sporting events. It is also a great place for students to go during finals to stay and study. A career in the hotel business can be very successful. The down fall to a career in the hotel business is that there is a season where you may not be as busy. This happens in all businesses though. However, we believe that if the hotel was better advertised on campus, the busy season may be a longer one. The Illini Union Hotel has great things to offer and has great potential to thrive here on campus.