Business phone system for hotels and motels in Illinois

Hotels and motels in Illinois by the numbers

The Census Bureau counted 1,474 hotels and motels in Illinois in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 721110). They employed 40,639 people in mid-March and reported $1.8 billion in annual payroll. That is the 9th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Hotels and motels make up 0.46% of the 322,415 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Illinois has 11.6 hotels and motels, 29.4% below the national rate of 16.4. The average establishment has 27.6 employees against 26.8 nationally. Payroll per employee is $45,458, 15.5% above the U.S. figure of $39,374.

Hotels and motels by metro area in Illinois

Census published hotel counts for 33 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Illinois. The largest is Chicago, IL-IN, with 893 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 29% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at hotels and motels in Illinois

29.3% of Illinois's hotels and motels with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 30.9% nationally. 45.7% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Calls a hotel in Illinois has to catch

Independent hotels take reservations, guest requests and group inquiries by phone, and the front desk is staffed around the clock. Calls that go unanswered may become bookings elsewhere.

Calls a hotel in Illinois might handle in a typical week include:

• A guest calls the front desk for extra towels.
• A vendor calls about a delivery.
• An event planner calls about a room block.

After-hours calls

Hotels operate 24 hours, so calls must ring the front desk at any time.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

Phone system pricing for a 28-person hotel

Hotels and motels in Illinois average 27.6 employees, so the comparison uses a 28-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 28 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $840.00 a month and 28 on Ooma Office Pro cost $698.60. On Callata the same 28 people cost $559.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $3,372. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Area codes in Illinois

Illinois has 17 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your guests know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

How Callata works for hotels and motels in Illinois

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

If you already have a number in Illinois, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.