Grand Rapids, Michigan: Tru by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport

 November 2021, Sunday, 1-night, king guestroom 414

Sunset facing west the night of our stay.
Photo taken from car after leaving guestroom to run an errand.

Check-in, arrival, diamond perks

I checked in on the app and chose a corner top floor guestroom. I did not receive notification that my room was ready when we arrived after check-in time, so I stopped at the front desk. I was initially assigned guestroom 431, which I think is the room I had chosen. This room faces west, and would have had a sunset view. I scheduled a wake-up call for 3:45 AM during check-in. The agent gave me my keys, and said I could get some bottled water from the cooler. As I was getting the water, she stepped over with new keys, and said I was going to be in guestroom 414 instead. In hindsight, I should have questioned the room assignments. She had offered me water, so I assumed she was giving me an upgrade, or had at least checked for one.

Guestroom 414 in Tru by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport

King Guestroom 414

This is a basic guestroom on the top floor. It is in the center of the building across from the elevator. It faces the parking lot and street.

The room was comfortable and clean. In addition to the king size bed, it contained a large flatscreen TV, suitcase bench, desk and chair, and small fridge. There was no microwave or coffee in the guestroom. Apparently, many people miss not having a microwave, because front desk staff had mentioned this to me. I missed not having coffee in the guestroom more than I did a microwave, as I typically have coffee first thing in the morning, before I even shower.

Guestroom 414 in Tru by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport

The bathroom contained a nice walk-in shower, and amenities were provided: soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner.

Food & beverage, airport shuttle, misc., overall

This hotel provides breakfast; however, we left before it was open, so I cannot provide details of that. The coffee in the lobby was very good. It is not usually out by 4:00 AM; staff had it ready early when they learned we would be leaving early in the morning.

I chose this hotel because I had to be to the airport by 4:30 AM for an early flight. Fortunately, my phone alarm worked as expected, because I did not receive my wake-up call. The hotel shuttle was not running, and staff had told me during check-in that they would reimburse me for an Uber ride. I scheduled my ride the night before for 4:15 AM. I came down to the lobby just a few minutes after 4:00, and then opened the Uber app. No info showed for my trip until after 4:15 (other than to show that it was scheduled). When the arrival time and location of my driver finally came up, he was over by 131 expressway and 44th Street, apparently with a rider on his way to the airport! The route showed him going into the airport, and then coming to get me with an expected arrival time at the hotel after 4:35 AM--more than 20 minutes later than the time I had scheduled. I had been chatting with the hotel employee before this, and I think he sensed I was getting stressed. Shortly after 4:20 AM, he took it upon himself to get me to the airport. When I cancelled my Uber ride, they tried to charge me .50 cents. 😲 Minimal fee; however, I only canceled because my scheduled ride was over 20 minutes late.

This hotel also has an inside pool and outside seating area, which we did not use. Overall, this was a comfortable stay. I was somewhat disappointed with our room location, and wish I had asked about the different room assignments. The nightly rate was good, and I was impressed when the front desk employee made sure I did not miss my flight. All staff gave the impression they were willing to meet guests' needs. 

Let me know if you have any questions!