Skokie's Lakhani Hospitality Opens Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago North Shore in Niles

Family-owned and operated Lakhani Hospitality, based in Skokie, Illinois, has expanded its empire of hotels, restaurants and refueling stations with the grand opening of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago North Shore in Niles. Located at 7247 N. Waukegan Road, the new four-story hotel was built on the former site of the Traveler’s Inn and Ozzie’s Bar and Grill, and opened its doors on Saturday, February 11th with a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration. Featuring 100 guest rooms (17 of which are suites) and 1500 square feet of meeting space, the state-of-the-art, newly constructed hotel is quickly becoming a top choice for business and leisure travelers alike.

“We are very excited about this hotel, and the continued growth of Lakhani Hospitality,” said Sheila Lakhani Gilani, Chief Operating Officer for Lakhani Hospitality, whose company opened the brand new Ramada Plaza Chicago North Shore last year in Prospect Heights. The opening of the Niles property in February brings the total number of hotels owned and operated by Lakhani Hospitality to five including the Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore in Skokie, the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare in Chicago, and the Holiday Inn Chicago Oak Brook.

“My father, Mansoorali Lakhani, started his very first business over 30 years ago,” Gilani explained. “He founded Lakhani Hospitality in 2004 when he bought the Holiday Inn Skokie and embarked on a $15 million renovation to remodel the hotel and build the Skokie Banquet & Conference Center,” she added. “Today, just thirteen years later, Lakhani Hospitality owns and operates five hotels, as well as several restaurants and refueling stations; quite remarkable for a man who left his home in Pakistan at the age of 19 to pursue the American dream.”

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Niles is situated centrally between Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago. Its amenities are first-class, catering to guests who stay for business or pleasure, including an indoor heated swimming pool, a 24-hour fitness center, a full-service business center, a marketplace to purchase snacks, soda, beer and wine, complimentary parking for cars and buses, an electric vehicle charging station, and a complimentary hot breakfast buffet served each and every morning.

All 83 guest rooms and 17 suites are quite spacious, offering a modern contemporary design including luxurious shower and bedding collections, flat-screen TVs with HD channels, a refrigerator, a microwave, a safe for valuables, and complimentary hi-speed wireless Wi-Fi. The 1500 adjustable square feet of meeting and banquet space features modern lighting and state-of-the-art audio visual equipment for business and social gatherings.

“The Village of Niles has been incredibly supportive of Lakhani Hospitality and our project from start to finish,” said Gilani. “My family and I are very grateful to Mayor Andrew Przybylo and his staff for all they did to keep things moving along and assisting us whenever needed,” she continued. “Not every company experiences such strong support; we were very fortunate.”

A hotel like the Holiday Inn Express & Suites is a first for the Village of Niles, and the first prototype of its kind in the Chicagoland region. While Niles has been home to several motels throughout the years, it has never had a first-rate, business-class hotel like this. “This project is so important for our community,” explained Karim Lakhani, Sheila’s younger brother, a graduate of Niles West High School who worked for the family business for several years before heading to Harvard University Law School.

“Before breaking ground in 2015, we asked a lot of business owners in the area for their thoughts,” continued Lakhani. “They agreed that a hotel of this caliber was long overdue in Niles. Also, I grew up in the area, and this particular corner of Milwaukee and Waukegan had been an eyesore for a long time. My family and I couldn’t be more excited to bring Holiday Inn’s latest concept to Niles.”

For more information about the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago North Shore – Niles, please visit www.hiniles.com or call 847-588-1900.