Peoria, Illinois / SpringHill Suites Peoria Westlake

April 2014, Weekday, 1-night, King studio #326

Before my stay, I knew I had stayed at this SpringHill Suites before. I did not recall the hotel, although I did recall walking to the shopping center next door to eat. I could not find a previous review; I think that I stayed in this hotel before I started this blog in 2010.

Status perks and check-in

I received a personal email from Guest Services a couple of weeks before my stay, and I was able to set up airport shuttle service at that time.

The agent asked me at check-in which floor I preferred, and she assigned me a top floor guestroom. She thanked me for being a loyal member. It seems like I also received a bottle of water at check-in,  although I cannot say for sure, since I forgot to write this down while I was there.

Guestroom
This guestroom is located near the end of hall. It had been recently renovated, and it was clean and well-appointed.

The spacious living and working area contained the following: sofa with throw pillows, lamps, under sofa table, desk and chair, sink, fridge, microwave, coffeepot with supplies, two coffee mugs, ice bucket, and two glass glasses. A couple of disposable plates and a package of silverware were located in the microwave.

There were plenty of outlets available by the sofa and at the desk. A cute towel animal was on the desktop.

The couch and desk were both comfortable for working, although the guestroom door was not very soundproof. I did not feel like the area was very private when I was having a conversation at the desk.



A flatscreen TV on a cabinet between the living and bedroom area was visible from both areas.

There was plenty of room in the bedroom and bathroom area. A closet to the left of the vanity contained hangers, a hairdryer, folding luggage rack, iron, and ironing board. The closet doors were mirrored.

A decent size vanity was located outside of the bathing area along the wall between the closet and washroom. This was across from the bed. Bath amenities were provided on the sink and in the shower. A shower curtain was hung on a curved rod in the tub/shower combination.




Nightstands with lamps were located on each side of the bed along with a clock and a telephone. The bed was fairly comfortable, although the mattress was a bit stiffer than what I prefer. The area was spacious, and there was plenty of room on both sides of the bed.

The view from the window overlooked the front parking lot.

Food & Beverage
I had oatmeal for breakfast, so the hot foods offered must have been imitation scrambled eggs, and/or sausage biscuits with gravy because I bypass those food items. I remember that fresh grapes and strawberries were available, along with breads, milks, juices, and cold cereal.

Several restaurants and a grocery store are located in the shopping center next door: Panera Bread, Five Guys Burgers, Biaggio's, Sushigawa, and more. I had not had lunch, and I was looking forward to some sushi when I arrived in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, Sushigiwa was closed until 5:00 p.m. I almost did not wait for the restaurant to open. Later, I was glad that I did. The food flavor and quality was very good.

Business center
Two computers and a printer were located on the counter between the elevator and the front desk.

Fitness center
The fitness center next to the elevator contained cardio machines, hand weights, a water cooler, and towels.

Shuttle service and misc. 
I was glad that this hotel had an airport shuttle. I am pretty sure that when I stayed here before, the shuttle service was limited, and I had to call and pay for a cab back to the airport in the morning. After years of experience traveling, I now check with hotels beforehand, if I plan to depend upon the airport shuttle. The service to and from the airport was prompt.

There was a bowl at the front desk for business cards. If guests dropped a card in the bowl, the staff would make it into a luggage tag. I thought this was a very cool idea, and I wished I had left a couple of my cards in the bowl to be made into tags.

Other than the female front desk agent when I checked out, all of the employees at this location were fabulous! They were attentive and friendly. The male employee at the front desk brought my luggage tag to me in the breakfast room when it was ready (it had not been made yet when I checked for it before going to breakfast). The female employee working after him was not rude, although she was indifferent and aloof compared to the fabulous attitude of all of the other employees.

I liked the location of this hotel, and the working area comfort was excellent. I would definitely choose this hotel again the next time I am in the area.

Morton, Illinois / Holiday Inn Express & Suites Morton Peoria Area

April 2014, Weekday, 3-nights, King guestroom #301

Status perks and check-in

At check-in, the agent offered me a choice of Platinum perks: 500 points or a goody bag. I took the points! I did not receive a guestroom upgrade, although staff members did meet my guestroom location requests. When I made the reservation, I had requested a quiet location, as I usually do--top floor, corner. Since I was going to be staying at this property for three nights, I decided to call the afternoon of my arrival to inquire about an upgrade and guestroom location. The agent on the telephone told me that my room was not next to the elevator, although it was not at the end of the hall either. When I arrived a few hours later, I was happy to learn that they had changed my room assignment to a corner guestroom on the top floor. The agent said that a suite upgrade was not available for all three nights of my stay.

  

Guestroom

Not having a suite was not a big deal, because this guestroom is a large room. The only thing I missed not having was a refrigerator. I was glad that I had called and that I had been assigned an end guestroom, though. 

This guestroom is located at the north end of the hall on the top floor. This is a newer hotel, and it was nicer than some Holiday Inn Express hotels I have stayed it. The guestroom doors have a soundproof sweeper on the bottom of the doors to reduce hallway noise, and the window was soundproof, too. I could not hear much traffic noise when the window was shut.

The bathroom near the entrance contained a large vanity with amenities and a hairdryer. It had a tub/shower combination, and the shower curtain was hung on a curved rod. Bath amenities were also placed on the tub, and the towels were good quality.

A closet and full length mirror were located in the entry area outside of the bathroom. The closet contained an iron and ironing board. I do not recall if there was a folding luggage rack, although it was not needed, because there was a suitcase bench next to the armoire.

A large flatscreen TV was on the armoire across from the king size bed. The bed was against the stairway wall, so there was not a guestroom at the head of the bed, which is always nice. There was a nightstand with lamps and alarm clock on each side of the bed. A soft chair and foot stool were located in the corner. A desk with a drawer and lamps was located near the window on the other side of the armoire. 


The HVAC unit was located under the window. It was quiet and non-drying. There were plenty of outlets in the guestoom. Although there were several lamps in the guestroom, the bulbs were not very bright. The Internet connection speed was slow, and I had a difficult time connecting at the start. After I connected the first time, I did not have any trouble connecting again, although I had to sign back in every time that I reopened my browser, even if it was only a few hours later.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast included the basic Holiday Inn Express food items: cinnamon rolls, small donuts, milks, hard boiled eggs, yogurts, breads, cereals, and juices. Two mornings the hot items were scrambled eggs, sausage, and sausage gravy and biscuits. One morning, the scrambled eggs had been replaced with cheesy omelets.

This hotel offers Happy Hour Monday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The sign said that guests were allowed two beverages. The beer brand was Coors Light, and the wine was Coastal Vines. Not expensive brands, although the Cabernet Sauvignon was not too bad--I was glad it was not sweet! Small packages of snacks were also available--Gardettos or Chex Mix.

Business center

Two computers and a printer were located in an area near the front desk. Everything worked great. A stapler, paper clips, and pens were provided.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained three cardio machines--a treadmill, bicycler, and stair stepper, a flatscreen TV, water cooler, sani-wipes, and towels. It was very stuffy and hot the first time that I visited, and I did not realize until after my second visit, that the HVAC controls were on the wall unit, and I had looked on the wall for a control.

Misc.

All of the staff members at this hotel were cheerful and helpful. There were a couple of restaurants within walking distance, although not many good choices, in my opinion. Ruby Tuesday, Pizza Ranch, and Paddy O'Flaherty's inside the Best Western, were all located across the street. I walked to the Best Western one evening to get a turkey wrap, and from what I saw of the public areas in this hotel, I would not suggest staying there. The hallways were nasty looking, and everything smelled musty.