Providence/Warwick, RI (PVD airport hotel) -- Hilton Garden Inn

April 2010

Status perks

I did not receive any special perks, although the front desk agent noted my status at check-in and there were two small bottles of water in my room. I observed housekeeping carts with cases of mini water bottles, and I did not receive a personalized letter with the water, so I think each room was receiving two bottles. When I have received standard sized water bottles as a Gold member, it has always been delivered with a personalized letter.

Guestroom

I received a top floor, king-bed room, at the end of the hall--exactly the room type I have in my profile and comment requests! The spacious room contained a chair and footstool, desk and chair, flat screen TV, fridge and microwave (all HGIs have a fridge and microwave), and three end tables. Wireless and cable Internet service was provided in the room for no charge, although the speed was pretty slow. The bed and pillows were comfortable, and I did not hear any hall or room noise. I observed a newspaper in front of every room in my hall when I left the next morning, so the quiet comfort did not have anything to do with the absence of guests.

Food & Beverage

Complimentary snacks were available in the lobby in the afternoon. There were cookies, cheeses, meats, crackers, grapes, and strawberries. Apples were available in bowls by the elevator on each floor. Complimentary apples and bananas were at the front desk the next morning. This hotel has a full service restaurant and bar in the same building called Iron Works Tavern. The prices, food selection, and service were excellent. I had the lettuce wedge salad. I was disappointed I was not aware of this restaurant before my arrival, and I had eaten a large lunch with the expectation that the food I would find after arriving at my airport hotel was going to be only the standard HGI fare. The restaurant information is listed on their website; however, since I had never stayed at a HGI with a restaurant other than the grill by the front desk, I did not look for this. Their website is http://www.theironworkstavern.com/

Business center

There were two computers, a printer, and a copy machine in the business center, along with HGIs "printer on" feature.

Fitness center

There were several cardio machines and a weight machine. Everything was in good working order.

Overall

I was impressed with my room, the service, and the on site amenities. I would definitely stay here again. When I called for the hotel shuttle, the employee arrived in less than 10 minutes. The hotel is less than a mile from the airport, and I thought about walking it; however, some of the way was not walker friendly. There was parking lot construction going on between the airport and the hotel, and the shuttle driver told me that there will also be a walkway built between the hotel and the airport.

Middletown, Rhode Island -- Hampton Inn

April 2010

Status perks

I did not receive any recognition or extras at check-in, although there was a personalized letter in my room with the weather forecast.

Guestroom

The room was a basic size hotel room, which also contained a microwave and fridge. There was a large luggage bench in the bedroom, which I prefer over a fold out luggage rack. When I checked in, I asked if my room was on the top floor at the end of the hall in a quiet area because I had only slept four hours the night before. The agent checked my key packet and said, "305, yes." When I got on the elevator I saw that floor 3 is not the top floor, and when I got off on my floor, I soon learned that my room was not at the end of the hall either. Fortunately, I had quiet neighbors--on my floor and above me. Internet service in the room was available with a cable only, so I was only able to connect while sitting at the desk. Wireless is available in the lobby. I could pick up the signal in my room; however, it wasn't strong enough to connect. The view from my window was nice. The yard was tastefully landscaped with trees which butted up to nice residential homes. The halls and stairwells were clean and fresh smelling; however, my room had a strong, stale perfumed smell. I was impressed that the stairwells had been freshly washed the day of my arrival, as I often stay in hotels that seem to completely ignore the stairs. They were still wet and smelled of Lysol.

Food & Beverage

There were cookies on the counter at check-in. Applebee's is located next door, and a there is a pizza restaurant across the street. During check-in, I requested a local restaurant recommendation that delivers. The agent recommended Mama Leones. I ordered the scallops and lobster dinner on pasta and would not recommend this restaurant. The seafood was good quality and fresh; however, that was the only positive thing. The dish was almost entirely 2-3 lbs of low quality white pasta (seriously!) with plenty of garlic. I like garlic, although I prefer other seasonings in addition to just garlic. Morning breakfast included cold scrambled eggs and cold sausage. Cold boxed cereal was available as well as yogurt and fruits.

Business center

The business center was well stocked with many office items--stapler and staples, paper clips, post it notes, white out, pens, etc. The only thing missing was tape. There were two working computers and a printer, although the feed was not work properly on the printer. I am not new to office machines, and the printer continually stopped with the message that I needed to add paper and press the "enter" button. Even though I adjusted the paper and made sure everything was lined up properly, I received this message every couple sheets. In the meantime, the computer seemingly shut down because it was idle, which is a very unsecure feature. I could not access my document or my email, which I'd had open, and had to start at the beginning. I thought I would have to sign in to my account again, since I had not been able to retrieve what I had been working on without restarting the Internet process. I was surprised that after I restarted the Internet, everything opened with my account already signed in! I hoped this did not also mean that files were not being deleted when logging off (as hotel computers usually say).

Fitness center

The fitness center contained three cardio machines, a flat screen TV, a water cooler, and towels. I missed that this property does not have any weights, and three machines were not enough during my stay. I did not have any trouble finding the treadmill open in the afternoon; however, it was difficult the next morning. After checking the room three times, the stair stepper was available, so I used that instead.