Not every trip we take is about sightseeing. This leg of our Chicago road trip had a work excuse built in: Nathan was attending PHP TEK 2024, a PHP programming conference, and the whole thing was being held inside the Sheraton Suites Chicago O'Hare. So we packed up, drove over from the city, and moved in for the week. The first question was not about the conference at all. It was whether the two of us and our absurd amount of luggage would actually fit in one hotel room.
We definitely overpacked
We travel with too much stuff. We know this about ourselves, and we do it anyway. Camera gear, laptops, conference clothes, regular clothes, snacks, chargers for all of it. Watching us haul everything up to the room is honestly the most relatable part of the video. The good news is that the Sheraton Suites lives up to its name: every room is a suite, with a separate living area in front of the bedroom. That extra room is the only reason our bags did not take over the bed.
The suite and the hotel
For an airport hotel, this one surprised us. The suite layout meant Fabiola could relax in the living area while Nathan was downstairs in sessions, and the space never felt cramped even with our packing habits. The location is what you would expect near O'Hare, more convenient than charming, but when the event you are attending is in the same building, convenience wins. You ride an elevator to your conference. That is the whole commute.
PHP TEK 2024
If you mostly follow us for travel, here is the context: Nathan writes PHP for a living, and PHP TEK is one of the longer-running conferences in that world. Days were full of talks and hallway conversations with people he normally only sees as avatars on a screen. Fabiola had the suite, the city nearby, and no obligation to hear anyone discuss code, which she considered a fair trade.
The fitness center and the after party
We did make it to the hotel fitness center, briefly, mostly so we could say we did after several days of conference food. The better evening was the PHP TEK after party, which is the part of any conference where the actual community shows up. Programmers are a lot more fun once the laptops are closed.
A Brazilian birthday
The trip wrapped with a birthday, and since Fabiola is Brazilian, birthdays get done properly: no quiet acknowledgment, an actual celebration. It was a good reminder that even a work trip in an airport hotel can end as a party if you travel with the right person.
Would we stay at the Sheraton Suites Chicago O'Hare again? For a conference held in the building, absolutely. The suite setup makes a week-long stay livable in a way a standard room would not, especially for two people with different schedules. As a destination hotel it is still an airport hotel, but that was never the assignment.
You can watch the whole week, luggage struggle included, on YouTube. We also send a short weekly newsletter about where we are and what broke this week. The signup form is on our newsletter page.