I recently attended a conference here and stayed overnight two nights. I was very pleased with the overall experience. 1. check-in was quick and easy. They had multiple staff to help with high numbers of guests. 2. the grounds were lovely, well equipped with activities like tennis, volleyball, and easy access to the Fox River Trail. 3. The staterooms in the Qtower were comfortable. I had a nice room overlooking the courtyard area with the adirondack chairs and firepits. The room had an extra pillow and blanket which I most definitely used because you had to have the AC on while the Chicago area was experienes 95+ temp days. My particular room was on the 5th floor and nice and quiet. Small but still plenty of room for a single traveler. 4. The dinner in the Fox Ballroom was great! 5. Snack stations were provided during the conference and the choices were very nice. 6. Dining in the Q dining are was good too especially for cafeteria-style options. Breakfast in particular was good - they had chia pudding! 7. Plenty of spaces around the conference areas to work with colleagues was very nice. 8. Options for workingout whether it was the class offerings or the fitness center itself - you will not be disappointed. Overall a great stay and I would be happy to return! read more

Very nice conference center with a great amphitheater, great AV crew, great snacks, good food in the dining hall and ballroom, and very friendly staff. Can't wait to be back next year. read more

The Q Center does a wonderful job with large events and celebrations. As others have mentioned in their reviews too, the grounds here are extensive and it is easy to get lost. The map that comes with your room key definitely helps. You can walk from the guest rooms to the conference center area, but make sure you have on comfortable shoes. The staff for our event night were fabulous, especially the bar tenders. They are hard working and accommodating people. The event room looked beautifully lit and decorated. While the sleeping rooms are dated and have visible wear and tear in them, they were comfortable and quiet to stay in. I appreciated the nice shampoo, conditioner and body soap in the showers as well as the complimentary dental kit, since I forgot my toothpaste. read more

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Do NOT use the Q Center! They use slick sales pitches to convince you of everything they have to offer, then nickel and dime you when it comes to the bill, do not adhere to the terms of their contract, and then sue you when you dispute anything. Terrible service, horrible customer relations. You will regret working with them!!!! ZERO STARS! read more

Q Center looks good and talks a good game, but when it really matters, they'll kick you out to push their political agenda. I had booked a massive event there well in advance, but at the last moment, Q pulled the plug because of their political maneuvering. Honestly, I don't care what your political stance is; I just expect businesses to stick to their commitments, which Q clearly didn't do without a second thought. We got booted from the venue with less than a day's notice and got zero assistance in finding a new spot. A venue might look great and sell well, but if they won't keep their promises, they're basically useless. Make sure to choose a conference center that will uphold their agreements instead of tossing you out at the last minute just to gain some political leverage. read more

Conference Center We recently had a training event and the location that was available was the Q Center. I was a little concerned as the location looked to be far from O'Hare airport but in the end, the drive went pretty quick. Arriving at the front gate, you are directed to the main building for check-in. It is set up pretty much like a hotel and the front desk folks will get you going with a small map - the Q Center has a LOT of buildings and grounds so it is easy to get turned around. In our case, there was a lot of walking from the parking lot to the wing where our rooms were located - so I got a good opportunity to really see the different wings. The place is set up for meetings / conferences and there is no shortage of rooms and gathering areas all over the place, where you can have breakout sessions, of just sit and reflect. The rooms for our group were the "executive" style and although not huge, were comfortable enough and had all the amenities you would expect from a hotel. Room was clean, bed was comfy, bathroom was well lit and the hot water had good pressure. Wifi was spotty when we got there but the Q Center IT people got it back up and running about 15 minutes after I called down to the front desk. The training event had us there four days and we had breakfast / lunch and dinner in our training area - it was a team building thing so we were expected to eat together. Food was brought for each meal and presented nicely. There were multiple mains to choose from (buffet style) as well as apps and desserts. Food was tasty no matter what meal we had. In the evening there were two areas where you could get adult beverages and more food (if you wanted more food). One was the set up more or less as a sports bar with pool tables and the other was more along the lines of a restaurant. Both made good drinks. Everyone working there was pleasant and helpful. Definitely a must-try if you need an event space for your corp event. read more

dThe Q Center is a bit from O'Hare airport but a great campus for corporate events. Grounds were beautiful. Food was great! AC was supercharged- I needed to turn it off. Rooms were tiny but perfect for me! Find 2 bottles of water free in your room fridge. Cleaning occurs every 3 or 4 days. There is about at least a half inch gap floor to door so you will see the hall light and hear folks in the hallway. The plumbing is powerful so you can hear your neighbors flush. TV includes local channels not cable. If you have a chance to, I would recommend doing a self tour of the place so you are acquainted with the area if spending a few days there. My time there included outdoor gatherings and meeting in a very large hall. I loved the snacks that were provided during the event. Besides assigned eating times, you could make purchases at the Fox Bar and at their Bistro (open at various hours). Outdoors is beautiful with many trails- I didn't get to actually experience it since I was so jet lagged that I spent any free time taking naps in my room. Yay to AC as outside was quite muggy during early summer. read more

This was my first time here and I was pleasantly surprised. I will say that I got an upgraded room, not just the twin size bed, so I'm sure that helped. The grounds are beautiful and they have a trail map at the front. I didn't go, but they said downtown St Charles is only a couple of miles away on a trail. All of the staff was friendly...especially Tricia who explained everything to me when I checked in and Gabriel in the dining room. There was a sign in my room saying that if you're staying 3 nights or less, your room won't be cleaned, but it was cleaned every day during my 3 night stay. It is a huge place, so bring your walking shoes! The food was overall pretty good. I did come down the breakfast on the later end (830 and it closed at 9) and there was never anyone working the omelette station then :(. Loved the soft serve ice cream. There are also plenty of water stations, but they don't have coke products :( read more

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Am I a huge fan of the Q Center? Absolutely not. The only reason I would ever come here is that I was sent here by my firm for training. Because I sure as hell would have no personal reason to ever visit St. Charles, IL and blow a flight to O'Hare just to go to the middle of absolutely nowhere. But how I personally feel about the Q Center is a helluva lot different than my opinion as an unbiased reviewer of the facility. And my opinion is that the Q Center does a functional job of being a complex for work conferences. First off, I need to comment on the rooms, or rather the size of the rooms. They are SMALL. Small enough to feel like I'm back in college with the twin-size beds and even tinier bathroom. I mean it's not so small that you can't move around and be comfortable. I'd just think that a conference center should have more than just a twin-size bed, but what are you gonna do. At least the TV channels were plentiful and the internet works pretty well. Food is hit or miss, mostly miss. It's complete buffet style, so the lines can get really bad if you come through during peak times. I'm a major sucker for eggs, so basically every morning breakfast buffet hit the spot for me...ESPECIALLY the omelet bars. Lunch meals were by and large not that great for me, although there were some nice surprises (I'm looking at you parmesan chicken). Dinner meals weren't bad either, especially that one night they actually served prime rib to my surprise. But yeah, if I'm in the Chicago area, I'd much rather be getting some deep dish pizza or hot dogs or Italian beef or basically ANYTHING to not feel like I'm trapped here. Gym is actually fairly spacious. It's heavy on cardio equipment and open space, which are positives. Problem is that there isn't much to work with in terms of weights. Machines are not bad, but you're never going to get this place confused with a real gym. For a travel gym though, it's more than sufficient. Classrooms are solid. Comfortable seating, lots of space, and mainly spread out enough so that I can zone out on the Internet and not pay attention to whatever anyone is talking about Honestly, I'm not quite sure if having to visit the Q Center is a nice getaway from the usual schedule or being sent to purgatory. Likely, your answer is somewhere in between depending on how you feel that day. I'd much rather prefer to visit nearly any other place I've been to for work training, but at the same time it is a well-maintained complex. Gotta give credit where credit is due...but that's it. read more

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What is now the Q Center started out as a Women's college in 1963. Unfortunately they ran into financial difficulties and were forced to close in 1970. In 1970, Arthur Andersen bought the property and turned it into an executive training center. In 1985 Andersen spent $80 million to expand the property and was training over 50,000 people a year here by 1991. In 2002 Andersen collapsed during the Enron scandal after being convicted of obstruction of justice. Why the history? So you get an idea of what you're getting into if you decided to stay or hold an event at the Q Center. It's not horrible and the employees are very accommodating, but it's really old. You can also tell it was added on to many times over the years. My company held a three day event here and we never left the campus. The food is just acceptable and all served cafeteria style. It had an institutional taste. On the plus side they did try to accommodate every type of diet including many vegetarian items. My particular room was called an executive room and was larger than what I expected. In comparison it was about the size and quality of a Courtyard by Marriott room that was bordering on needing a renovation. The room did include two bottles of water and a Keurig coffee maker. I would recommend bringing a refillable water bottle if you stay here. Only one place, in the lobby, to buy water but they have filtered water throughout the property. I've seen pictures of tiny rooms, but I believe my company sprung for a slight upgrade. There are over 1,000 rooms at the Q Center and I can't for the life of me figure out how they would all ever be filled at one time. The center is very big and will take a lot of walking to get around. On one of the days I got over 10,000 steps in without going outside. The gym is very big, not what you'd expect from an older property although the equipment is dated. It's good enough to get by for a couple days. read more

I had to stay here for a conference. The room was small but that was fine I didn't need a lot of space. The building itself is very different than what is advertised on the website, it had an abandoned/haunted type vibe to it. It's actually quite large and not intuitively laid out so I got lost at first. The bed was okay comfort wise. Food was adequate but just sort of average. Staff at the front desk were friendly. They had a little gift shop to get snacks and bottles of water. The website made it seem like there was shopping and dining and stuff to do but that was not the case. There was a basement bar with some pool tables which was pretty sad. The grounds were nice but of course Chicago weather means it wasn't a nice day to be outdoors in fact it was snowing in April. Also I went out to the courtyard around 530 in the morning to drink my coffee and listen to the birds and they had speakers blaring pop music at the crack of dawn in the courtyard. The gym is quite large with a variety of equipment treadmills, bikes, weights. Lots of quiet areas to sit. A place to get coffee would have been nice besides the room coffee pot. The shower is the reason I will never go back. There was zero water pressure. The shower was equivalent to a leaky faucet. I ended up washing my hair in the sink the third day because it was the worst shower of my life. And from someone who was in the military that says a lot. For the price, I would choose to stay elsewhere and go to the conference during the day. I wish I would have read reviews before I went. It wasn't the worst accommodations but certainly not good and I wouldn't recommend staying there. I managed for 3 days but was glad to leave. read more

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I visited the Q Center for a corporate conference. Overall, I had a great experience! The staff was super friendly and accommodating, the facilities and rooms were kept spotless, and it had an airy atmosphere, despite being used for stuffy training sessions. The first thing I noticed when arriving was the grounds. They were absolutely gorgeous, with a large pond, several waterfalls, and a stream that went beneath the building. Unfortunately, because our days were already fully booked with workshops and keynote speakers, we were unable to fully explore or appreciate all that the Q Center has to offer, but the activities their website describes sound pretty cool. I have to say, the food was phenomenal! They had a culturally- and dietetically diverse assortment of food choices. Between the dining hall and the refreshments they gave us between sessions, I definitely gained a few pounds during my stay! There are two reasons I'm not giving The Q Center 5 stars: the location and the rooms. 1. After flying into the O'Hare airport, it is quite the drive to reach the campus. Luckily, they have a car service that will bring you to and from The Q Center. While I personally don't mind the drive to collect my thoughts, it seems a bit far to have such a corporate event location so far from the major airport. 2. The other reason for only 4-stars is the size of the rooms. Granted, I had one of the cheapest rooms, but it still was unusually small. Even my college dorm room was bigger! Being someone who typically doesn't take up much space, I was able to make it work and really didn't spend much time in there. Granted, there isn't much they can typically do about either, but I know a heads-up would be appreciated for first-timers. In conclusion, I highly recommend The Q Center for corporate events and retreats. read more

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We came here for Amita Health's retirement and recognition Christmas party. The signage could be better. The banquet room was average. The food was above average. It's a place to have a corporate activity. read more

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BRING A SWEATER. If you don't remember anything about my review, REMEMBER TO BRING A SWEATER. They crank the AC inside and you might catch a cold. If you don't have a sweater, go on a Target run and get one because you will understand after the first few days. I wore my North Face jacket every day inside. Former girls school converted into a training center, meeting venue or wedding venue. There's a lot of space to offer outside but not so much inside. The rooms are small and the bed feels smaller than a traditional twin but what can you do? Other than be a VIP like faculty or something. They have free bikes that you can rent to explore the wilderness or downtown St. Charles. They have scheduled rides to the Aurora outlet mall for the international visitors. The food could be better but they try their hardest to keep things interesting especially if you're there for 2 weeks. I mean the Q Center is what it is. Enjoy what you can and worse comes to worse, just go to the pub. read more

This is not what I expected when I was told I would be headed to a professional training. The executive sedan service ('A-1' I believe is the name) aligned with the Q-Center is an excellent transportation alternative to ride-sharing or renting a car. I received a phone call not long after my plane touched down, informing me where to meet my driver. My driver was professional, the car was clean and spacious, and it was an overall pleasant ride. The compound is intimidatingly large, but after a day or so it becomes relatively manageable. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, abd there is a bistro which offers additional dining options for a fee. The food is cafeteria-style, and it's fantastic. The tender succulent smoked brisket was my favorite. There was also sushi, pizza, bbq chicken wings, mac and cheese, egg salad, Indian curry vegetables, Asian-style shrimp and noodles. So many delicious options to choose from and the meal options changed not only daily, but per meal. I really appreciated the imaginative breakfast options. More than just bacon and eggs and bagels and fruit. They offered things like chorizo hash, and chilaquiles, which was something like a breakfast nacho casserole. An interesting but delicious take on breakfast. I would be remiss not to mention the desserts. The dessert offerings changed by day and by meal, as well. The Frosted Apple Bars were my favorite. I'm so sad that they only offered them one time while I was there. They also offer gluten-free options, and many of the food items are marked clearly to indicate if they are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. There is ice cream machine on site, as well as refrigerated cases with pre-packaged fruit to take with you. Snacks are also provided during the day in common areas near the training rooms. Things like boiled eggs, fruit, cookies, chips and salsa, donut bites, fruit infused water and other soft drinks are also provided to help keep attendees refreshed. The grounds were beautiful. This place used to be a Catholic college, but I'm wondering if it was also a country club at one time. Rooms are brilliantly and strategically small, about half the size of a hotel room. There's literally just enough space for you to shower and change. I strongly believe that this is by design, so that attendees will get out and mingle/network as opposed to giving in to the temptation of staying in the room. read more

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I recently had the good fortune of spending a week at the Q Center, and quite frankly, it could not have been better. Those local to Chicago (or at least the far west burbs) may recall the sprawling compound in St. Charles owned by Arthur Anderson. After semi-recent financial missteps (read: Enron), it's been renamed the "Q-Center". It has state of the art conference rooms, well maintained and modern guest rooms, gorgeous grounds, and even a pub on campus! The food was phenomenal. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, there were always dozens of food choices - both for the carnivores and herbivores. Prepared food especially for you, as well as gourmet buffet style foodstuffs. Several different daily specials were offered, including various desserts and treats. Outside of the meeting rooms was also an impressive display of snacks to keep up your energy - and attention - during those long meetings. Even ice cream treats! The fresh ground coffee machine - Espresso, Americano, cappuccino, etc, was always the hot spot in the morning. All food was included in the package I had, so no time was lost having to pay at each meal during chow time. Grab, go, and eat in any number of bussed tables - indoors or out - with most having a great view of the grounds. Aside from the already overwhelming choices of foods, I happened to be there during Octoberfest, so they had a spread of German food in addition to traditional German music playing - outside, so as to enjoy the fall colors. Gorgeous! The grounds are manicured - and have park benches in various places to take a load off and enjoy the scenery. Paths, bridges, alkes, and flower beds. The lake and the large lighted fountain look gorgeous at night. After our 13 hours of meetings, and being in the heart of suburbia - 40 miles from downtown Chicago - finding entertainment is rough. The clubhouse - 2 floors of it - features a large room with pool tables and jukebox, as well as your traditional bar area. Fully stocked. There is also a small stage area for karaoke - and even an upstairs area which is more lounge like - also with a small bar. Through the main buildings, there are several wifi hotspots, as well as computer stations for research and email checking. The campus wide wireless is fast and I had no trouble getting online from anywhere on the grounds. There are over 1000 guest rooms, all of which are hotel room style based. Big desk, flat screen LCDs and a bed. The bathrooms are very, very nice - faux maple countertops and chrome fixtures. A glass shower was an added bonus too - all with daily maid service. Because of the immense size of the compound, many groups were there - most notable, Accenture. So, you are not limited to just hanging out with people from your group or industry - you can mingle and enjoy meeting new people. During my visit, several hundred people people were on campus. There is even a small store and barber on staff. And wait - a plane ticket kiosk so you can get your boarding passes without having to do it at the airport. Hallelujah! I initially was skeptical about being so far from Chicago - and missing out on the nightlife there I miss oh-so-much, but the Q-Center was by far, the most well thought out and best conference I have ever been a part of. I'd endure a conference on any topic to have it held there again. read more

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I stayed at the Q Center for two weeks of job training. The first week was great and it felt like I was on a cruise but by the second week, it started feeling like a prison. St. Charles is in the middle of nowhere about an hour from Chicago. I would give the Q Center 4 stars the first week and 3 stars the second week. A solid 3.5 Yelp stars rounded to 4. THE GOOD: - Gym is open 24 hours with the same machines as my favorite gym in Houston, the Tellepsen YMCA - Bikes are free to rent at the gym and the bike trails are scenic and beautiful - Breakfast, lunch and dinner are buffet style with three different sections. My favorites were the Silk Vanilla Milk, Ice Cream, Desserts, and Yogurt. The food in general was hit or miss but the chicken dishes were always good. - Break room with an extensive supply of ice cream, chips, cookies, brownies, coffee, tea, sodas, goldfish, M&M's, orange juice and flavored water - Service is great and they clean your room daily and take your plates away from you after you're finished eating. - The room is small but cozy and comfortable. It's cruise or dorm room size, the TV has plenty of channels, and there's free wifi if you log onto Q Basic. - The game room has plenty of pool, ping pong, and foosball tables. - Free laundry room with detergent. THE BAD: - The walls are paper thin and you can hear conversations and alarms in surrounding rooms and hallways. WEEKLY ACTIVITIES: - Q pub karaoke on Monday - Networking event Tuesday - $13 outlet mall school bus trip to the Premium Outlet or movie night Wednesday - Cadillac Ranch Thursday - Movie night Friday - Shuttle Monday through Thursday to Downtown St. Charles, Target, and Walmart read more

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College for another 1 to 2 weeks? Sure why not! Think of Q Center as a college-style training campus. When I came to the Q Center back in 2008 for training, it was a wonderful experience both in terms of service and environment. Here are some of the top PROs and CONs that I can recall from: PROs: +Buffet style dining hall, you basically have unlimited food when you are at the Q Center. The dining is opened for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can even take food to go if you like. +Circular facility design, with this design, it's easy to make your way around the facility. +Wonderful view and activities, there's a sports bar, rec room (pool tables, ping pong, etc.), golf course and many more. +Laundry room, you can wash your clothes here if you ever need to stay for a long duration. And the gym is just steps away from the laundry room, this way you can do your laundry and watch TV or work out at the gym during the wait time. CONs: -Tiny rooms, feels more like a dorm room than a hotel. -Out of date TVs, not that you'll be watching much TV, but if you do, expect the out dated CRT screens in some rooms. -Bad views in some rooms, if you room faces the soccer field, you are out of luck on view. Some of my co-workers got the rooms facing the lake, which was a lot better in terms of view. -Sports equipment may fall short, they only have about 2 sets of tennis equipment. No real idea when they'll return if you ever plan on playing tennis! I was able to play tennis twice during my stay as we hogged the equipment. After doing my CBA, I would say without a doubt that the PROs out-weight the CONs here. Also, Q Center is said to be the last asset belonging to Arthur Andersen... aka Andersen Consulting! And I hate the treadmills here, I have a bad experience of falling from these things at the Q Center. read more

My company hosts trainings here every year and as a result, I've stayed here twice: once in January 2015 and once in October 2017. The 1st time I stayed, my company booked everything, but the 2nd time, I booked myself and the rate was about $155/night. I've generally enjoyed my stays here, and the center is a very suitable place to hold conferences and trainings. I've only ever stayed in the regular, small rooms, which are a bit of a tight squeeze. Basically the room has enough space for the furniture and the bed; there isn't any superfluous floor space. You can touch the desk from your bed. I'm pretty good with small spaces since I'm very petite, but I imagine it would be tougher for average-to-large people to stay in such a small room. The center had basic amenities like shampoo, shower gel, and body lotion. You could buy toothpaste from the front desk; they offered large and small (the small was around $2, if I remember correctly). My room was a little colder than I wanted, but I couldn't get it warmer no matter how much I fiddled with the thermostat. Although the rooms were pretty small and basic, right outside the rooms, there were seating areas where you could work or hang out. The center's dining area had a good variety of food, and they definitely tried to mix it up from day to day. There were a lot of breakfast options, ranging from pastries to an omelet bar. The soft serve machine was open for lunch and dinner. The staff were quick and efficient at restocking cutlery at each table and clearing the tables of dirty dishes; they were also really friendly. Navigating the grounds can be tough, since the center is very sprawling and it can take a good 15 minutes to walk from the rooms to your classes or conferences. For me at least, it was also very easy to get lost, although the signage was decent for when you needed to reorient yourself. The center offered free, monitored luggage storage starting Thursday of the week I was there. There was a good fitness center with weights and cardio machines; it wasn't too busy any of the afternoons or evenings I went. From O'Hare, it's about a 45-minute drive to the Q Center. We were told airport taxis don't go to the Q Center, but using the A-1 Limousine service, the ride was about $25 per person for a 3-passenger town car. In October 2017, the Q Center offered an excursion to Top Golf about a 30-minute ride away for $20. I was able to charge the excursion to my room, and the fee included round-trip bus transportation and about 2 hours of play at Top Golf, with no wait for bays even on a busy night. read more

Stated at the Q for3 nights for my FNP program..rooms are very clean but small for single person. Staff is very friendly. The grounds are beautiful. Overall I had a excellent experience. read more

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My company hosts a lot of corporate trainings here, so I have spent around 3 weeks in total here over the course of 5 years. The facility is laid out like a college campus with small 1 person rooms throughout. Yes, the rooms are small. They have a comfortable twin bed, a small shower, a toilet, and a desk. What else do you need? The campus is beautiful with tons to do. A game room, top golf, plenty of soccer fields, and the ability to rent equipment and things like bikes to bike down the river. The food is also excellent here. Everything is served cafeteria style but you'll get plenty of options with each meal. read more

Be prepared to do a LOT of walking if you have an event here. A converted college dorm (and it shows)...out in the middle of nowhere. Very small rooms (and I mean the size of a cruise ship room), but very functional and clean. A twin bed, which was small even for me being 5'1". Bathroom was small. Some of my normal height coworkers complained about hitting their head on the shower head. TV reception kept going out...eventually I gave up trying to watch it. Overall it was very suitable for a large company-wide conference. They had good food, some bars, great snacks during the breaks, and comfortable meeting areas. read more

Racist Encounter During the last evening of my exhausting conference held at the Q center I was dining and noticed that certain people had to-go boxed. It had been a long weekend and I did not desire to sit downstairs in the dining hall. While walking around I asked one of the food servers if I could have a box. She directed me to whom she referred to as the manager because he had them. Well the "manager" said that he did not have to-go boxes and to just take a plate. As I'm walking away a Caucasian female asks THE EXACT SAME QUESTION and he proceeds to pull out a stack of to-boxes and gives her one no questions asked. Please keep in mind that I am one of the few African American individuals here so I was immediately offended. I will never stay here again I promise you read more

We were here for a charity fundraiser so I cannot address the accommodations. The property is massive and hosts a myriad of events. The ballroom was beautifully decorated, however just a few quirks. First, there are huge TV screens on ONE wall, the same wall where the main activity was happening ~ that made it impossible for me to see any speakers or items that were up for bid at their auction. Heads up, face that one direction if you want to see anything. Next, this event had almost 800 people in attendance. They had the entire, huge ballroom which I would guess can be divided for smaller events. We were seated in the rear, almost in the last row of tables. If we went out the nearest exit, there was an atrium area dividing us from the front so we had to go back into the ballroom, walk through the ballroom, and then back out to the hall. There was not a direct hall from the rear to the front where the comfort stations were located. After dinner, they closed the bar that serviced those of us in the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back area. What was THAT all about? Parking is s - p - r - e - a - d out and they provide shuttles from the more remote parking areas, I was told. Food was interesting. To start, we were a table of 10, with 9 pats of butter. 2 baskets of bread and we ran out of both bread and butter ~ my husband did not want any so at least the rest of us got our own pat of butter. Salad presentation was lovely, but the spoonful of dressing, located in a separate section of the salad plate, was totally inadequate for the amount of lettuce with no way to enjoy it other than dipping your fork into it. 2 forkfuls of salad and the dressing was gone and you still had a plate full of lettuce. I will say, our server did introduce himself and asked if there were any food allergies. It was banquet food. read more

My visit at the Q Center was short because I only had to teach a 1/2 day class and attend a reception. As such, I had an instructor Room which would have been great if the lights worked. My room had some sort of electrical issue which would have been a bigger deal on a longer stay. Since the rooms are very dark at night, I did have to contact maintenance and wait an hour for someone to troubleshoot the issue. They could not fix the flickering light issue so I had to unscrew the light bulbs to turn them off. There was a large variety of food and my only suggestion would be to have non pork meat options for breakfast (I.e. chicken sausage or turkey bacon). Finally, the class rooms were good with plenty of whiteboards and AV as needed, nothing high tech or fancy but definitely sufficient to get the job done. read more

I came here for a one-week stay in October with my company for training. I had heard some horror stories about how small the rooms are and/or how bad the food is, so I was expecting the worst. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised with the accommodations. The training center itself is very big, so multiple companies often host trainings at the same time. The classrooms are pretty typical and fit about 30 people. There are also larger conference rooms available for 50-100 people. The only downside to these classrooms is they do NOT include internet access unless your company specifically pays for it (which ours did not). The Q Center staff also provides an ample amount of breakfast items, coffee, drinks and snacks in the alcoves during the breaks, which was much appreciated. The individual rooms that you stay in ARE small, but you have everything you need (a bed, bathroom, shower, desk, TV and Wi-Fi access). The rooms are also really clean and include maid service every day. I don't really see any reason to complain about it, especially if you're only going to be there for a couple of days to a week. The cafeteria offers a wide variety of food options, including hot foods, cold foods, soups, salads & desserts, so you're sure to find something you like. The food is decent! Maybe it's not amazing, but it's also nothing to complain about. In terms of other amenities, the Q Center has a decent-sized gym, a game room with pool tables and foosball tables, the Q Pub/Lounge is a few yards away in a separate building outside, and there are a LOT of beautiful grassy areas and scenic routes to explore if you want to take a walk outside. It is located pretty deep into St. Charles, so there aren't really any easy opportunities to go into Chicago. However, the Q Center offers shuttles to downtown St. Charles, and from there you can take the Metro to downtown Chicago. This will just require some coordination on your part. Overall, this is a good place for training, with everything a company or a person staying for training could ask for. I have no complaints. read more

The Q Center is a giant conference center that many large companies use as a facility to conduct training for their employees. I believe it was formerly owned by Arthur Andersen before the Enron debacle, but I don't know for certain. The Q is part hotel, part buffet restaurant, part country club and part college. The hotel portion is quite nice. The rooms aren't that big, but furnished quite nicely. There's an lcd flat screen tv, free lan internet connection, twin bed that's remade every day, microfridge with complementary Aquafina water, bathroom with the usual amenties and towel service everyday. I was quite pleased with it. Granted, the room is about the size of a dorm room, but it is a nice place to relax from a day of seminars. There are two places to get meals. The Cafe' which has a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, and pizza. I had a nice turkey sandwich my first night there, as I arrived after the regular dining had ended. In the lower floor, there is a buffet style dining hall that's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Center tries to divide the dining into four distinct styles of food, so there is a variety to choose from. As for the quality, I found some dishes to be quite good and some to be just ok. The mashed potatoes could have been better.. a little fluffy even. The grounds of the center is quite gorgeous. There's a fountain in the middle, courts, pub, and other recreational facilities. I heard there was even a bike rental place to use on the trails, but I didn't take advantage of that. They also have shuttles going into Chicago if you need to get out in the evening. Nice touch. The facilities are pretty clean and well equipped. During break from seminars, they stock the break area with snacks of all kinds and there are glass refrigerators with cold water or soda readily available (free). I drank a lot of water. There are also "cyber centers" dispersed throughout the facility in case you need to surf the net quickly. The service people are also quite nice, friendly and helpful. Overall, the Q Center left a good impression on me. read more

Terrible, terrible food. They aim for variety but it is all just disgusting and borderline inedible. I would have preferred BASIC food that was done properly, rather than trying to imitate the menus of fancy restaurants. I am not sure how anyone with tastebuds can find anything about the food served appetizing. My room was fine (I had one of the bigger ones, so I couldn't complain). The conference centers are nice and the facilities overall are quite nice. Things close early FYI so be sure to buy whatever you need ahead of time. read more

Home for two weeks :) Loved every minute I spent here, although after the first week, you realize that you technically haven't left the building or seen any sunshine during the days :D Food is plenty, and you need to keep yourself from overeating!! Service is very nice. Everyone is friendly and ready to help. A lot of activities with shuttles to Walmart, Target and the outlet malls in the area. On Thursdays, there's also a shuttle to the Cadillac Ranch. During the week there's usually the Q-bar that's on the same site. Mondays there are pretty fun since it's Karaoke night. Sorry for rambling; it's just that there's so much stuff to talk about in this place. :) PS. The rooms are small, but honestly you shouldn't be spending much time there. If you are, then you're doing it all wrong! read more

The best 4 nights of my life!!!!! This place has the best food and most luxurious rooms I have ever stayed in. The staff is lovely, and they cleaned up all of my messes. Can't wait until my next stay!!!!!!! read more

At least they understand the "work-life balance" that my company likes to profess. Was here for a two-day department retreat. We had access to one of the ballrooms and several classrooms. These facilities proved to be very adequate: functional, and comfortable. My room was at the "Executive" level which translates to a nice Hampton Inn (or comparable) hotel, but probably much cleaner and better maintained. I was very impressed with the food. I would equate it to a mid-level Vegas buffet scaled down to the appropriate volume. Had four meals here and no real complaints. There was enough options for everyone and a 24hr soft serve bar! You would think that most of these people have never had ice cream before. Several of my coworkers hit up the ice cream at every opportunity. It would have been a terrible time to discover that you were lactose intolerant. There are several on-site bars/cafes/ game rooms for late night entertainment. Seeing as how the campus is located in St Charles, Illinois, there is very little incentive to leave the grounds. Be advised that since this was designed as a college campus, the facility is pretty spread out and there is a lot of walking. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Professionals serving professionals. read more

I give this corporate training center located west of Chicago a solid 5 stars. I have been coming here for years and the experience and service has improved to exceptional. They always provide an excellent experience, fine service and great food. It is a great place for distraction free learning that I enjoy. When I first started coming here 8 years ago the gym was nasty, the food was marginal and there were few activities. It was the end of the Anderson era and they had to find there way. As time went on the food was the first major improvement. Then the revamping of the "Q" tower along with moving the gym and improving the equipment. Now that have added some solid activities for after class fun. Shopping, exercises, fitness, yoga, downtown Chicago and outlet shopping give the "student" the opportunity to recharge their batteries. I really enjoy coming here and hope to for years to come. Soon I will start teaching here and giving back to those who are following. Great place! read more

Average in all aspects except for a few honorable mentions. Breakfast food has potential - eggs, lox, parfaits, smoothies, waffles. If you're lucky and persistent enough to be at Q Dining in the morning (7:20am or earlier), then you can avoid the insane lines and swarms of people that stroll in around 7:45am. They infuse their water with fruit -watermelon and honeydew water are my personal favorites. Soft serve froyo machine = dessert for lunch and dinner :) Snacks are timed and set up so that you don't starve in between lunch and dinner. Although, I must say that the quality of their snacks has deteriorated from the past year. This year, they've cut down on so many things- gone are the packaged yogurt cups, popsicles, and chips are sparse. Rooms are tiny as many people have already mentioned but I actually don't mind. However, I do mind that the bathrooms are even tinier. I am a fairly small girl but i find myself feeling extremely constrained when showering. Add the fact that there is only a shower curtain (and no shower door) so you're guaranteed to splash water all over your 10 by 10 bathroom every time you shower. Room fans are glitchy and work whenever they feel like it. A pro is that I've had consistently good room service every day. They also have some decent facilities - fitness center, spa, and salon (all of which I have not used). They offer shuttle service to the outlets on Wednesdays and often have movie nights on Tuesdays and Fridays. There are also free bikes you can rent out to go biking around the Q. With good weather, the bike ride can be very scenic and a good past time considering options are limited. For nightlife, the only place to go is the Cue Pub. Bar menu is extremely limited and they're not really very accommodating as far as customizing your order. My friend requested chicken strips since they have a chicken sandwich on their menu but they didn't even bother to try and make some for her. We also wanted to do a half margherita/half sausage pizza but that didn't seem to be an available customization either. They do have free chips which is a plus when you want something to nibble on while you drink. Curly fries are good and works really well with the dip that they serve with it. Pizza was mediocre. Shots are SO PRICEY at $8.50 each. However, if you do want to have non-watered down drinks, go find Kim (Five stars to her!). Our group ordered 2 rounds of shots from other bartenders and tasted a noticeable difference. Only shots poured by Kim tasted like the real thing. She also made it a point to check up on us and ask if we needed anything throughout the night. That lady knows how to give her customers a good time :) read more

I was required to travel to St. Charles, IL for a nursing function. My husband came with me so I reserved an Executive Room. The room, although small, had what seemed to be a full-size bed even though it stated it was a queen, a large corner workstation, flat-screen TV, a mini-fridge, and a place to put your clothes. The facility is quite large and from the outside, it looks like it could have been college dormitories in its past life, but the rooms are nice and they have a huge dining area and various ball rooms to accommodate any business function. It is on 95 acres of well-manicured grounds, and the only reason it did not get five stars is because there is no swimming pool, but you can play volleyball, go for bike rides, walks, or play golf. The front desk staff was well-organized for the 400 nurses they knew were arriving for this event, and they were very friendly and knowledgeable about the surrounding area and the best method of travel to get into Chicago. Great place for business functions whether it is a one day event or multiple days. read more

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My company had a hosted event here (sales training). 1st timer visit. Only here for 3-days but had a very positive time. First, this place used to be a sabbatical location for Catholic Nuns. So, it stretches out as a large facility. Lots of walking from one end to the other. Rooms are dormitory-size (small twin beds and very narrow showers), about 200 sq. ft. overall? But you're not really spending lots of time there/rooms (if only to sleep). The place is outdated (a bit) but extremely clean/safe. Food in the Q-center cafeteria was top notch (tasting and the type of food too - most of the food is steam table in look but so much better to taste and sight). They are 3/4-star quality food and choices. Even vegetarian and gluten-free (amazing). Meeting rooms are spacious, well adorned, competent and comfortable. I was totally impressed with just about everything. Their staff is also excellent. They will always try to help (even the kitchen staff was competent - if you wanted something special, they will accommodate). Since my company was direct billed, I did not see the tab. Knowing my company (frugal), I believe this place was excellent bang for the buck. My only beef, was that this place is huge (the grounds too). Even though they give you an outline pocket map (small and hard to scale), it's really a maze rooms, hallways and elevators. I think they could do a little more to re-create a better (slightly larger) map for the place. This is still a huge winner, IMO.You could do a lot worse for a company function/location. I'd gladly return, in a heartbeat. read more

I've been to the Q center several times over the past 6 years, and i must say that the efficiency and quality with which they provide their services is quite consistent considering the amount of people moving through the place each week. Other reviews do a good job of explaining 'what' the Q Center is, and if you're reading this, i'm going to assume that you already know what types of amenities they offer. So let's just focus on the pros and cons. Rooms Yes, they are small, as everyone says. But that's actually not the problem i have with them - there's enough room to sleep, iron, and watch TV - you're probably not going to be doing much more than that in your room. And they have recently updated the rooms, so although the size isn't comparable to a modern hotel, the finishes are. The issue i have is the vicinity to the training rooms. Depending on the section you're in, you could be a 5-10 minute walk from the dining area or your training classrooms. Trying to get where you're going on time can be a struggle when you don't realize how long it takes to walk from one end of the building to the other. Food Can't say enough about the quality and variety of the food. The biggest problem you will have is trying to limit your overeating and coming home at the same weight you left at. They really try very heard to provide a good variety at each meal, and have recently begun offering a few more healthy options each day. The quality of the food is fairly high, with a few exceptions. Extracurricular The Q center makes a great effort to make sure your evenings are full and interesting. There is a Pub (the "Social Center") on campus that has karaoke on Monday nights, the center will occasionally do a movie night, and there is usually a mid-week trip to a local shopping oulet. Also - Cadillac Ranch on Thursday - pursue at your own risk. There is also a game room w/ Ping pong, pool, etc, and a good sized fitness center. There are lots of sporting fields outside for those attending training during the warmer months. They also have Wii that can be played in some of the lounges. Basically, if you find yourself bored in your downtime, you're not trying hard enough. In summary - the Q center is well thought-out, and whatever you're there for, they're used to doing it, at scale, and chances are they're quite good at it. Sit back and take it all in, and have a good stay. read more

Arriving at the Q center was a little like moving in to the dorms freshmen year and arriving on a cruise. I was given a map and told my room would be as far away as possible. The room is TINY but nice and efficient. Big plus with the flat screen TV and HBO. The gym is super nice and 24 hours which is good because all of the food needs to be balanced out with some kind of activity. There are fields and courts for every sport you can think of and the grounds all together are absolutely beautiful and very well kept. The food is amazing the first week, and around the second week, starts to look the same. I appreciate the 25+ options for each meal and the soft serve frozen yogurt with toppings. The only issue I have is the food is only out between certain times and if you miss those times you will starve. Or it will be a nice break for your gastrointestinal system. Getting here from downtown Chicago is pretty easy, take the Elbern train, exit at Geneva ($5 ticket) and then take a cab to the Q center ($17 plus tip). Pretty easy. The staff is amazingly helpful and will work to do everything they can to make your stay more comfortable. I enjoy the purified water which is everywhere and ice machines. The alcohol selection could use some upgrades especially the wines. All and all a pretty great place to take corporate training. read more

I recently attended a women's event at the Q Center and the experience was not a good one with regard to the Q. Enter food and service. The food was cold, we were unable to get refills on coffee and water despite asking three times. Soft drunk requests were also completely ignored. After the plates were removed from the table all services stopped. Four hours with nothing to drink. read more

Q Center is an amazing place and we held our 7th Annual Chicagoland Learning Leaders Conference in Nov 2008. Our group was only 250, but Accenture averages 1,000 employees every week through out the year. In addition to great venues, their staff went out of their way to make sure every moment was sensational. We look forward to coming back next year. read more

Q Center - Me at the Q Center (2008 Chicagoland Learning Leaders Conference) - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Charles, Illinois

Q Center is a huge ass complex that hosts conferences and training. I think at one time, this was a woman's college. My company has hosted 3, 3 day conferences here over the past 6 weeks. Tina was our event coordinator, and you could not ask for a more professional, organized, amazing event coordinator. Staff - so very very friendly and helpful. Very professional. Bonnie at the front gate is awesome!!!! Facilities - clean, a bit outdated, but very very clean. Rooms - this is not a hotel!! Think dorm rooms, but again, very clean. Most comfortable twin bed ever! Grounds - beautiful Food - 5 star No matter what you do, wear comfortable shoes. Even if you think they are comfortable, you will walk and walk and walk and walk. Great place to host a conference! read more