The Peoria Castle Lodge
Randall was a bit ahead of himself, but he was right – the Peoria Radisson @ Jumer’s is no longer. There was no-one at the front desk, but a cleaning lady told me the name change occurred last week. She wasn’t sure why. It is now called the Peoria Castle Lodge. “Nothing’s changed except the name,” she said.
One has to wonder if this west bluff icon will have a future as a Hotel. For the sake of the nice cleaning lady, I hope so, but I’m not optimistic.
May 31st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Yes, and the plastic, YES PLASTIC, sign is truly an eyesore for such a majestic looking place. Eh, who knows….maybe they will turn it into upscale apartments. Yeah, right. Crackhead no-tell motel is like it. It line with many of the other fine hotels of yesteryear in Peoria. The daughter and her BF went there a few months back for a nice Sunday dinner and they said it was aweful. Now consider that they are not in the least bit rich as she is attending college full time and he is working barely minimum wage. When the restaurant sucks, you just can’t keep guests in the hotel.
May 31st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Sir: I was right on the day I posted that about the Radisson name change but within hours, they went back to Radisson. Sadly it looks like this time it is for real. I hope not as I’d like to see a quality hotel in Peoria instead of a section 8 building and yes, the service and food wasn’t the best. Maybe the owners can now improve the place?
May 31st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I’m sure you were on to something when you put up your original post, but then you updated and said it was back to the Radisson; looking back, I’m certain you saw the beginnings of the changeover. The van and letterhead still say Radisson, but the front desk sign and business card I picked up says The Peoria Castle Lodge.
If they couldn’t survive as a Radisson with national exposure, I don’t know how they’ll survive as an independent hotel off the beaten path. Like I said, I hope, but I’m not optimistic.
May 31st, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Unfortunately, the “grand” hotels, like the Castle Lodge, just aren’t “in”. You could put this out at Grand Prairie and it would have a hard time making it. Unless you are the Waldorf Astoria, I don’t think there are enough people who care about the Pomp & Circumstance these grand hotels (once) provide.
May 31st, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I miss the restaurant. Jumer’s far and away was one of the best in Peoria. My Junior Prom(Wyoming 1992) was there. I have never stayed at the hotel, but had heard good things about it. The location is a killer; nowhere near downtown, Paradice, etc.
May 31st, 2009 at 11:04 pm
as a tangent… have you noticed that One World has put the Lagron Miller building up for sale?
May 31st, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Mahkno — Isn’t that where they were going to put their cigar smoking room?
June 1st, 2009 at 11:46 am
Cigar room… kitchen for a catering business… whatever it was to be, it seems dead now.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’m kind of happy that expansion didn’t happen. It might have been a case of them biting off more then they could chew. The place still looks great, but I do have to say the portions seem to be a bit smaller then in the old days.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:13 am
What killed it for us is when the Radisson removed a lot of the German decorations. The 19th century German castle theme was one of the main reasons why we liked to go to Jumers. They need to bring back the old decor.
The problem with the “Castle Lodge” is the condition of the surrounding neighborhood. Run down, dirty, dangerous…..why would anyone from out of town want to stay at a hotel there? If the city were to work with Bradley to establish a cultural arts district (running from Main all the way to the old Jumers) and turn the neighborhood into a hip, eclectic one, the hotel might have a chance. Think: New Urbanism.
Instead of a nursing home, why not build the biggest indoor waterpark in the state and mandate a hotel stay in order to use the park? Keep it clean and safe. The hotel should be able to buy A LOT of the crappy property surrounding it, to use as a buffer, if anything. Eminent domain, anyone?
As for the restaurant, why not offer food that is central European? Either that, or open an Aurelios pizza there (the best pizza in Chicago, hands down!). There is no decent pizza in the Peoria area…….
Gosh, I hope someone influential from the city reads these blogs…….
July 1st, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I stayed at this property in June, 2008 while visiting family. Locals probably don’t know that the hotel is dirty, the linens are rags and the pillows and bedskirts have horrible stains. The carpets are worn and haven’t been cleaned in a very long time. Whirlpool? Out of order. In-room wifi? Not available. Treadmill? Not working. The place is a wreck, and it ranks not a single star, let alone its inflated 3-star rating at some travel sites. A shame, really. The hotel has a great exterior and someone obviously cares about the landscaping. I was looking forward to my stay, but I’d have had a better experience at Motel 6. I doubt it’ll be open a year from now.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
It’s sad to see that Jumer’s is a dump, now.
I grew up in Peoria and when it was built, it was “the” place to go for dinner…upscale (for Peoria) and the rooms were sumptuous. Yeah, the area was a little strange for a larger hotel and restaurant, on a hill dividing the nice Moss Street and West Peoria neighborhoods from the South Side, but still….
I guess you never really can go home again.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Is the Bear still in there? I am coming back to Peoria for the Friday night Rivermen game and was thinking about swinging by for a quick photo. I remember going there as a child for Sunday meals and being absolutely freaked out by the bear…