Sarasota, Florida -- SRQ / Hotel Indigo

January 2014, Weekday, 1-night, Rewards stay, King executive guestroom #420

Status perks and check-in

I redeemed 25,000 points for a basic guestroom at the Hotel Indigo Sarasota, because that was the only guestroom option for a stay with points. Before we arrived, I saw that our online reservation had been upgraded to an executive guestroom. The executive room description says: complimentary snacks and drinks, so when the agent did not say anything about this at check-in, I asked about this. She said that there would be an "amenity" in the guestroom. I asked if any kind of breakfast was included, and she said no. 

Guestroom

executive guestroom amenity 

Guestroom 420 is an average size hotel guestroom, and it is located next to the elevator. The view from the window faces south. It is one of the smallest guestrooms in this hotel. The guestroom was tastefully decorated, although I was somewhat disappointed with the guestroom size compared to other Hotel Indigos I have stayed in. My other stays were in Downtown Ft. Myers, Florida; Athens, Georgia; and Fishers Uptown Indy, Indiana. The Hotel Indigo in Fishers, Indiana is now a Holiday Inn Express.

The guestroom was furnished the same as the king guestroom photos in the hotel website; however, the photos in the hotel website do not portray an accurate picture of the guestroom size, because the photos are stretched out. When I compare the photos I took to the professional hotel photos, the furniture is longer in the professional photos, which makes the guestroom look more spacious.

entrance table with coffee

The only extra item I observed in the guestroom was a small fridge. Since there was no amenity in the guestroom, I again inquired at the front desk about the complimentary snacks and drinks listed on the website. The agent said that someone would bring the "green tea amenity" to the guestroom. A container of sweetened green tea and wrapped chocolates were brought to the guestroom a short time later. The chocolates were delicious; however, if I had been paying for the guestroom, I do not think I would book an executive room. The rate for an executive room is about $15 more, and the only extras were the snack and the fridge. Usually, when I have an executive guestroom in a hotel, it also includes more luxurious accommodations, like a larger guestroom and bathrobes.

A single serve coffeemaker with good quality coffee was provided on a table in the guestroom foyer/hall.

The bathroom was located across from the coffee table. The spacious shower had stationary glass walls. There was enough room inside the shower area for the wooden stool, which is shown in the hotel website photos. I forgot to take a picture of this.

view from entrance

A long vanity with mirror was located across from the shower, and the toilet was in between the vanity and shower. There was minor damage to the mirror frame; it was peeling at the bottom. The sink drain was sluggish, and the shower drained well.

Aveeda amenities were provided on the vanity, as well as good quality towels, and a hairdryer. The bathroom had sufficient room and counter space, although it was not as roomy as the other Hotel Indigos I have stayed in.

view from end of foyer/hall

The guestroom area contained a king-size bed, nightstands, a wardrobe closet, flatscreen TV on a stand, fridge, desk and chair, end table, soft chair, and footstool. I thought the small fridge was nicer and larger than what is usually provided in hotel guestrooms.

Lamps were located on the desk, the nightstands, and behind the soft chair. A clock and bottled water for purchase were also on the nightstands. A steel ice bucket and glass glasses were on a tray at the foot of the bed when we arrived.

floor peeling

The sleep quality was not good. The mattress was hard, the pillows were low quality, and we could hear the elevator most of the night.

There were a couple of minor spots where the floor was peeled up, although none of them were protruding enough that we tripped on them.

Food & Beverage
There is a restaurant a couple of blocks away from the Hotel Indigo called Toasted Mango Cafe. We thought about having breakfast there, but we ended up dining at the hotel instead. The food in H2o Bistro in Hotel Indigo was delicious. The entrees were expensive, although they were not much more than the specialty entrees at Toasted Mango Cafe. The portion sizes were generous, and we wished we had split one entree instead of ordering two.

I am not usually a fan of breakfast burritos, although I would have eaten half of the one my husband ordered. I tasted it, and I thought the flavor was amazing.

I had an egg and spinach sandwich type entree on a whole wheat bun. I do not recall the name of the menu item. It was very good.

Both items came with a side item choice, so I chose sliced tomatoes, and my husband chose potatoes. The tomatoes did not taste as fresh as the other ingredients. They were slightly mushy inside.

Whirlpool tubs
Again, the professional hotel photos of the whirlpool tubs are stretched out like the guestroom photos. The tubs are not as large as they look in the photos, although they are a good size. When I looked at all of the photographs before our stay, I thought that the tubs must be on a roof of the hotel. I have stayed in hotels that have the outside pool or sitting area on the roof, and not necessarily the top floor roof. The tubs are located at ground level next to the parking lot and entrance. There is a fence around the area and not much traffic, so the location was not a huge factor for us.

One of the whirlpool tubs was filled with cool water, and the other one was filled with hot water. We used the hot whirlpool, and the water felt silky smooth, as if it contained bath salts.

Business center
I used the business center to print our boarding passes. There were two computers on a counter down the hall near the front desk. Only one of the computers worked with the printer, so I needed to ask a guest who was sitting by the computer if he could move. He was not using the computer; he had his laptop plugged in.

Misc. and overall

Hotel Indigo from our balcony
at The Ritz-Carlton

One of the reasons we chose this hotel is because it is the only hotel in the downtown area that provides airport shuttle service. We walked to the hotel after we checked out of The Ritz-Carlton, and we used the Hotel Indigo shuttle to get to the airport the next day. We made an appointment for the shuttle, and the driver was very prompt. The Hotel Indigo is within waking distance of downtown and there is a Publix grocery store just a couple of blocks away.

This hotel did not seem very full the night of our stay, and I am sure we would have been much more comfortable in a suite. If we both wanted to sit in the guestroom to watch TV, one of us had to use the desk chair or sit on the bed.

We have a couple of future stays booked at IHG hotels--airport hotels and at the Astor Crowne Plaza, which we are looking forward to. The executive level at the Astor looks great, and we are looking forward to that stay!

Sarasota, Florida / The Ritz-Carlton

December 2013 - January 2014, Weekday-Holiday, 2-nights, Rewards Stay, Waterview king guestroom 708 with club access

Arrival experience and check-in

We had an excellent arrival experience at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. I had filled out the virtual concierge form online asking about club access, and I received a telephone call from the concierge a few days before our stay. Initially, we did not think we wanted to upgrade to a club floor guestroom when we learned this is $200 a night. We had previous experience with club floor access at the JW Marriott in Cancun for $100 a night, which was an excellent decision. We thought $200 a night was a bit steep, especially since the concierge had told me that there would be no guestroom difference. After a brief discussion with my husband, we decided to upgrade to the club floor guestroom.

view from club floor balcony

We were promptly and warmly greeted by a bellman when we arrived at the hotel. He offered bottled water, and then we were escorted to the club floor by a different employee. After we were seated at the club floor desk, we were offered champagne. We had arrived just before 1 p.m., and our guestroom was not ready yet. The employee at the desk provided a key to access the club room, and he said that lunch was currently being served. We had lunch in the club, and our guestroom was ready less than 1/2 hour later.

Rina, the female employee who greeted us in the club after we sat down for lunch, already knew our name when she learned that we were checking in that day. I thought that was impressive! The employee from the club desk brought us our guestroom keys as soon as our room was ready. We received impressive service from all of the employees we had contact with.

Guestroom

The club room is located on the 8th floor, and guestroom 708 is one floor below this. The guestroom was comfortable and clean. The bedroom area was not as spacious as our guestroom had been at Naples Waldorf Astoria or Sanibel Harbour Marriott, although it was more comfortable.

Coffee supplies and water were provided on a table by the entrance door. The supplies included a single-serve coffeemaker, Ritz-Carlton brand bottled water, coffee, and condiments, and Taylors tea. Two coffee mugs and paper to-go cups were also included. This was our first experience with Ritz-Carlton, and I thought the coffee was excellent.  

The closet next to the entrance contained hangers, extra bedding, and a built in safe. The safe was similar to the safe in our guestroom at Sanibel Harbour Marriott. A full length mirror was mounted on the inside of the closet door.

Two bathrobes were provided, although I would have preferred a thick, plush robe to the thin woven material. One of the robes had a stain on it, and we did not use that robe. I left it on the floor near our used towels, and it was replaced when housekeeping tended to our room during stayover.

bathrobe stain

A spacious marble bathroom was located across from the closet. The toilet was located in a separate area with a door that could be closed. A long marble vanity with two sinks and a large mirror was located between the tub/shower and the toilet room.

Bath amenities, a good quality hairdryer, and plush towels were provided. The hairdryer had a diffuser attachment. Extra amenities, such as, cotton swabs, a comb, and Woolite clothes wash were also on the vanity. My husband thought he could use a new pocket comb, so he took the comb that had been provided. It is a good thing that he did not throw his other comb out, because the comb broke after he used it only a couple of times. This is a nice amenity for guests who may have forgotten to pack a comb, as long as it is not needed more than a few times. 

A folded bath towel that was on the edge of the tub had a stain on it. Plenty of towels were provided, so we did not need to use the stained towel. I set the towel back on the tub after we showered and I had taken the photo. Housekeeping must have seen the stain when the guestroom was cleaned during stayover because the towel had been replaced when we returned to the guestroom.

towel stain

As I started to write this review, I was shocked to see that I did not take any photos of the bed in the guestroom! The king bed photo in the hotel photo gallery is an accurate representation of our guestroom. 

A nightstand with a lamp was located on each side of the king-size bed. A flatscreen TV on an armoire was located at the foot of the bed. The room also contained a suit rack, desk and chair, and soft chair with footstool. An iPhone charger, two more bottles of water, and a clock were on the nightstands. Two chairs and a small table were located on the balcony. 

The bed comfort and bedding was superb, and the chairs on the balcony were very comfortable. The sleep quality was excellent, although we did hear a small dog barking/yapping almost continually in the early evening. It appeared that this was coming from the guestroom across the hall, and that it only happened when the dog had been left alone in the guestroom.

guestroom balcony

The Internet connection speed in the guestroom was very slow. Web pages either loaded slowly or not at all, so we took the iPad or my laptop to the club lounge when we visited. The Internet connection was excellent inside the lounge and on the lounge balcony.

guestroom balcony

There were not many easily accessible outlets in the guestroom, and the one at the desk was connected to the switch by the entrance door. So, if we turned the switch off when we left the guestroom or when we went to bed, my laptop also disconnected from power.

guestroom 708

We had a view of the water from the balcony with a partial view of the gulf. The view from this guestroom is pretty close to the same as the view from the club lounge. We were one floor lower, and west of the lounge. The club lounge is located in the center portion of the tower, which extends out just a little bit farther than guestroom 708.

Club lounge

All of the food and beverages served in the lounge were good quality, and the service was great. Here is a brief summary of some of the included items.

Breakfast: cheeses, cold meats, salmon with toppings, breads and bagels, quiche, scrambled eggs, cold cereals, oatmeal with toppings, and some fruit. There were several juices and two milk choices available.

lunch

Lunch: mini-sandwiches, soup, chips, salads, vegetables and dips. There was a slight variation of the sandwich and soup flavors each day, and we thought all of the lunch items were excellent.

lunch

Afternoon: I do not recall the specific snack items out in the afternoon, although we learned that we could get a plate of cheese and crackers, if we asked.

Evening: a couple of hot dish items were offered in the evening, along with salads.

Sweets/desserts: cookies and candy items were available in jars on a table by the entrance all day. Dessert and cordials were brought out in the evening. I think the time listed for this was 8 to 10 p.m., although I did not take a photo of the printed food offering times.

Beverages: wine, champagne, bottled water, sodas, coffee, and tea were always available during club open times for self assistance. A cappuccino machine was available next to the coffee and tea.

The printed club hours said that beverages are to be consumed in the club; however, we observed guests taking beverages out of the club. We usually had a partially full glass of wine when we left the club, and I asked if it was okay to take it with me the first time that we did this. One afternoon, we observed a guest fill an entire tray of to-go coffee cups with wine and take it with her to the pool! I am sure that guests are encouraged to stay in the club because of people like this woman.

Other beverages were available upon request. Pepsi products were stocked in the self-serve cooler, and Coke products were available when requested. My husband was able to try one of the local beer brands, and we each had a Bloody Mary on the balcony before lunch two different days. Sometimes, one of the concierges would stop to ask guests if he or she wanted anything, and other times, we made the effort to request things ourselves.

hotel pool and whirlpool
view from our balcony

The club lounge was comfortable and the presentations were good quality. Even though we were happy with our decision to upgrade, we thought that the upgrade at the Cancun JW Marriott that I mentioned earlier, had even better food choices.

Pool, beach, grounds, beach club shuttle
The outside temperature was not very warm during our stay, so there were plenty of seats available at the hotel pool. The water in the large whirlpool tub was warm, and the area was clean. Thick towels were provided, and the cushioned lounge chairs looked comfortable.

click photo to enlarge for detail

The perfectly manicured grounds were immaculate in all areas. I do not think my words or photos can express the outside beauty of this property.

front entrance

Paddle boards and kayaks were available for use at the hotel, and this was included in the $28 resort fee. We probably would have used both of these, if the weather had been warmer, and if our stay had been longer.

hotel grounds

A shuttle bus ran on the hour from the hotel to the Beach Club. The route traveled through the shopping and dining area on John Ringling Blvd., and the shuttle driver also stopped in this area to drop off and pick up guests.

Beach Club

We loved the Beach Club. We took the shuttle out there during our stay, and after we had checked out, we stored our luggage with the bellman, and then spent a few more hours at the club.

Beach Club upper level

The service at the Beach Club was excellent. A pool attendant immediately greeted us to set up chairs with towels whenever we arrived. And, we were brought an iced bucket of bottled water.

The locker room at the Beach Club had showers with amenities, such as a hairdryer, and locked storage lockers.

Beach Club

The warmest day of  our stay was the afternoon after we had checked out. Even though we arrived at the Beach Club in the afternoon (1 p.m. shuttle), we did not have too much difficulty finding two lounge chairs in a decent location. We had wanted to sit on the upper level; however, there were not any seats available in that area. We were able to find two loungers by the pool with a partial view of the beach. Additional lounge chairs were available on the beach.

The whirlpool tub at the Beach Club is massive. The temperature in this tub was just as perfect as it had been in the hotel whirlpool.

When we took the shuttle back to the hotel the afternoon of the warmest day, there were more guests waiting than there were seats on the bus. The driver told the remaining guests that he would be right back for them. We were already on the shuttle, so I do not know how long the guests had to wait for the next ride.

Misc. and overall
The Sarasota Recreational Trail runs right next to the entrance drive into The Ritz-Carlton. The trail system was not complete at the time of our stay, and I could not find a user friendly link with trail information to share. One of the days that we walked the trail, we took it over the causeway to Ringling Bridge Causeway Park and back. The trail is amazingly wide on the causeway; however, I was still slightly spooked by the height, since I have a mild apprehension of heights. The GPS app on my phone showed that we had an elevation gain of 994' during this walk.

Complimentary bottled water was available by the front door every morning, and the bottles in our guestroom were replaced during stayover. There was definitely plenty of water available throughout the resort.

The $200 that we paid for club access was pre-tax. I redeemed points for this stay, and the $200 charge was $224 per day after taxes.

We absolutely loved the Ritz-Carlton, and we wish we could have stayed more than two nights. With only a two-night stay, we really only had one full day to relax and enjoy the resort and the area. We would love to visit again for five to seven nights. We think it would be great to stay with club access for half the time, and just overnight accommodations the other half of the stay. This way, we could enjoy the club for a few days, and then have some time without club access to check out the area and hotel restaurants.

view of The Ritz-Carlton from Hyatt

Venice Florida / Hampton Inn & Suites Venice Bayside South Sarasota

December 2013, Weekend-weekday, 2-nights, King suite #309

Status perks and check-in

I received the basic Hilton Honors gold perks at Hampton Inn & Suites Venice Bayside South Sarasota; the bonus points I have chosen on my profile. The check-in process was smooth, although I was not happy with checkout, which I have covered a bit later in this review. 

I reserved a suite at this hotel because I found an excellent rate for $115. I had read that the rooms needed to be remodeled, and that remodeling was in process until January 2014. I called before our stay to ask if the suites had been remodeled yet, and I was told no. When I checked in, the agent told me that she had been able to get me a suite on the top floor like I had requested. She said that unfortunately, the suites had not been remodeled yet. I was somewhat worried about what our guestroom would be like, since some areas of the hotel were definitely in remodeling chaos. Another guest in the elevator voiced the same concerns.

Guestroom

Even though the suite had not been remodeled before our stay, we were happy with the guestroom. It was spacious and clean. It had a connecting room door in the kitchen area, which did not present any noise problems. The guestroom overlooks the pool and courtyard. We could hear minor noise from the pool area with the windows open. I thought that one of the corner suites, like guestroom 352, would have been a better location; however, my husband liked being able to see the pool. I would not want to have a guestroom on the bottom floor in the corner by the whirlpool tub (rooms 111 & 113), because the rooms did not seem very private. The windows were quite close to the tub, so guests needed to keep the curtains fully closed so that no one could see in. 

Suite 309 entered into an open kitchen and living room area. A low counter/bar served as a table with two accompanying chairs. The kitchen contained a full size fridge, cupboards with dishes, two burners, microwave, sink with garbage disposal, and dishwasher. A small coffeemaker with supplies, and a package of microwave popcorn were also provided. Everything was clean when we arrived; however, apparently the hotel does not spray for ants. Even though we were on the 3rd floor, the dishwasher became full of ants a few hours after we had placed used dishes inside. We did not think the washer was full enough to run the wash cycle, so we ran them through the rinse cycle, which took care of the problem. 

Later, we found out a few things in the kitchen did not work: the large burner, the light over the sink, and the ice maker in the freezer. We made adjustments to accommodate our needs as we encountered each situation. Our dinner (seafood boil) the second evening took longer to cook than expected, since we initially tried to use the large burner, and then we had to use the large pan on the small burner.

During checkout, I mentioned the non-working items to the front desk agent, and she did not care! I politely told her that I knew that guestrooms were being remodeled; however, since I did not know when they would get to this guestroom or which furnishings would be replaced, I wanted to make her aware of the things that did not work in the guestroom. She merely said that they are being remodeled and returned to her computer work. I did not receive any kind of apology, thank you, or closing remark. This was one of the most uncaring and aloof checkout experiences I have ever had. It is a good thing that most Hampton Inn employees I have contact with do not behave like this woman!

The living room contained a sofa, chair, end table, coffee table, flatscreen TV on an armoire, and a suitcase bench. The furnishings looked old, and they were not very comfortable. The hotel website no longer says that the hotel is being remodeled; however, the guestroom photos at the time I am writing this review, still look the same as they did during our stay.

There was a large closet in the short hallway that led to the bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom contained a king-size bed, nightstands with lamps, another closet, and a second flatscreen TV on an armoire. The bed and pillows were comfortable. There was an HVAC unit and controls in both the living room and in the bedroom. The bedroom had a sliding louvered door, which could be closed.

A vanity was located outside of the bathroom with a decent amount of counter space and shelves underneath. The ice bucket and hand soap were set on the vanity. A hairdryer was mounted on the wall. The floor was carpet in this area.

There was a door on the bathroom, and the room was a good size. A second corner vanity and mirror were located in the bathroom. The corner mirror was nice, although the vanity in this room did not have much counter space. Three hooks were mounted on the wall above the toilet.



A tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod was located across from the toilet and vanity. An additional hook was mounted on the back of the door. Complete Hampton Inn bathing amenities had been provided along with several towels and washcloths.

view from inside the bathroom

Food & Beverages
The inside seating in the breakfast area was limited. There were also a couple of tables just outside of the breakfast room in the pool area. The tables were clean; however, there were ashtrays outside, so we opted to eat inside.

The first morning, we must have arrived near the end of the initial offering of cheesy omelets. The omelets did not look or taste fresh, and there were not many out. After we tried this food item, fresh vegetable omelets were brought out. Scrambled eggs were served in place of the omelets the second morning.

Other items included both mornings were cereal, hot oatmeal with toppings, waffle maker, breads and bagels, muffins, one meat, mixed fruit, yogurt, and coffee and juices. I assume that sausage gravy and biscuits were also served as they usually are at Hampton Inn, although I do not recall for sure.

Complimentary coffee was available next to the front desk 24 hours.

Business center
The business center consisted of one computer with a printer near the front desk and breakfast room. I did not use anything from the business center during our stay.

click photo to enlarge for detail

Pool/courtyard
The pool photos in the hotel website, are an accurate representation of this area. The sun shone more in the pool area earlier in the day than it did in the afternoon.

The area was clean and well maintained. We stayed in six different hotels during this trip, and this Hampton Inn was one of the cleanest properties we stayed in. I thought that was impressive given the remodeling conditions. I observed someone clean the pool area both mornings. He washed all of the outside tables with spray cleaner, and even the outsides of the trash cans. He then set out folded towels on the lounge chairs like what is shown in the photos on the hotel website.

view from floor 3 balcony

There are balconies with seats that overlook the pool/courtyard on floors two and three. It appears that all of the guestrooms at this hotel are non-smoking and that smoking is allowed outside, since ashtrays were provided on the outside tables around the pool and on the balcony.






Misc. and area information
This hotel is located exactly where my GPS said it was located, although we thought the Hampton Inn sign was not easily visible when we approached from the south. Fortunately, there are two road entrances off 41; one before the Hampton Inn sign, and one after the sign.

The sidewalk entrance off 41 from the
Hampton Inn to Legacy Trail

There are many walking and bicycling trails that are easily accessible from the Hampton Inn. Patriots Park is located on Venetia Bay Blvd. in front of the hotel. There is a small pond and walkway at this park. 

It is an easy half mile walk from the hotel to The Legacy Trail, which also connects to Venetian Waterway Park. The trails connect  to many other trails and parks, and we only walked a small portion of what is available.

The overpass over 41

Nokomis Community Park, which is located on The Legacy Trail north of the Hampton Inn, has restroom facilities.

click on photo to enlarge for detail

If you take The Legacy Trail south, it turns into Venetian Waterway Park. There is a walkway from the trail over the Intracoastal Waterway at Venice Street that goes to downtown Venice.

Venice mural

Venetian Waterway Park runs along the Intercostal Waterway on both sides, and it goes all of the way to Caspersen Beach Park.



There are several beaches in Venice. There is no charge for parking, and no charge to enter the parks. We did not walk to any of the beaches, although we did drive there by car. We stayed at Caspersen Beach for a few hours. The water is beautiful, and the sand is soft. The sand at all of the beaches we stopped at was black. I asked one local person that we chatted with about this, and he did not know why the sand is black. Many people were sifting for shark's teeth at Caspersen Beach. We did not see any teeth up close, although we did hear people screaming when he or she found one.

Caspersen Beach