Wisconsin Dells / Hilton Garden Inn

August 2012, Weekday, 2-nights, King whirlpool room #347

Status perks and check-in

I had been pre-assigned guestroom 348, which I later learned is a top floor corner room. The agent at check-in did not state what type of room I had been assigned, so I asked if there was an upgrade available. She said she could upgrade us to a whirlpool room with a balcony on the top floor, so I accepted it. I think the room I had originally been assigned was a deluxe king room, so I am sure that room would have been great, too. It appeared that the only additional item in the new guestroom was the whirlpool tub. I also received two bottles of water.

Guestroom #347

The guestroom contained the usual Hilton Garden Inn comforts--garden sleep system, dry bar area with small fridge, microwave, coffee maker, and a desk and chair. This guestroom also had a balcony with two chairs and a small table, a fireplace at the foot of the bed, and a whirlpool tub in the living area. There was not a chair or sofa in the guestroom.

The hotel diagram showed that this guestroom is the same size as the room we had originally been assigned. If the diagram is accurate, then room 348 must be a good sized room. Guestroom 347 was spacious enough for a chair, even though there was not one in the guestroom (other than the desk chair). Since we had two chairs on the balcony, we decided to keep the whirlpool room. I prefer it when the employee completely explains my options, and I wish I had asked for more detail about the original guestroom before asking about an upgrade.

We had a decent view from the balcony, and the outside chairs were comfortable and clean. The glass side walls on the balcony were clean, although the floor needed a good sweeping (there were many pinecones and needles on it). The balcony in this guestroom is right next to the one next door and it is not private. The balconies on the corner rooms (where we had originally been assigned room 348) are private.

The whirlpool tub and the bedding were clean; however, there were a few issues with the guestroom. There was mold along the edge of the tub/shower in the bathroom, and the bathroom drains were slow--in the sink and the shower. I stopped at the front desk on our way out the first morning to tell the employee about the slow drains. The employee I spoke with said he would have an engineer take care of it when he came in at 9 a.m. When we returned later that day, there was no evidence that anyone had been in the guestroom except housekeeping. The drains were still slow, so I told the agent about the problem again at check out. He reduced our nightly rate $20 because of this.

Housekeeping did not completely clean our room on stayover. The counters and desk had not been cleaned, and the coffee pot had not been emptied or cleaned.

There was a good amount of storage space and ample electrical outlets in this guestroom. Wireless Internet was available, although the connection speed was extremely slow.


Food & Beverage

We did not have any food or beverages at the hotel during our stay. I did not receive breakfast coupons (like I had at the last HGI I stayed in), and there were not any Happy Hour food or beverage specials either night of our stay. Since this hotel is in a resort area, and many of the restaurants nearby offered Happy Hour type promotions--on food and beverages--I was surprised that the Hilton Garden Inn did not offer anything. Some Hilton Garden Inns I have stayed in offer Happy Hour food and beverage prices, and/or free snacks.

Pool

This hotel has an inside pool and three hot tubs. Two of the hot tubs are located outside where there is also a patio area with a couple of tables and chairs. There is an outside smoking area at the other end of hotel.

Area & misc.
We dined at both of the restaurants in front of the hotel--Del-Bar and Sprecher's Pub. We preferred Sprecher's, and probably would have eaten there both nights, if we had discovered it the first evening.

Del-Bar offered good quality food with Happy Hour pricing; however, we needed to buy two beverages to get the discounted food items, and we thought the beverage prices were high. Del-Bar Happy Hour menu. The service at Del-Bar was disappointing. I ordered the Sashimi Tuna, which was served several minutes before my husband received his Cheeseburger and Fries. We had not ordered the items as an appetizer and then an entree. We had each ordered the items at the same time for our respective meals. Complimentary cheese dips and crackers was served in the bar area, and neither bartender let us know about this. We inquired after we observed guests walking to a table on the other side of the bar from where we were seated.

The service and food quality at Sprecher's Pub was excellent, they have an extensive beer menu--which my husband liked, and the Happy Hour food and beverage prices were good. We had the Shrimp Ceviche Salsa, which was delicious and an excellent value. Guests dining near us had the Chicken Nachos, which they said were excellent. The nacho portion size was generous.

The Pizza Pub about 1/4 mile down the road (north), offered a 10% discount to hotel guests for showing their room key. A Subway restaurant is located about 1/4 mile south of the hotel. We walked there for breakfast one morning, and then waited for the restaurant to open because we had arrived before 8:00 a.m.

A few attractions are within walking distance, if you are a walker. We walked to the Wisconsin Duck Tours (I will be posting a review about that next), which is about 2 miles one-way. Tommy Bartlett's Ski Show is just down the road, on the other side of Sprecher's Pub. We did not go to that show, although guests we chatted with in the hot tub area at the hotel one evening said they had gone to it, and that it was great.

Paulding, Michigan--Upper Peninsula / Running Bear Resort

August 2012, Weekend - Weekday (Saturday and Sunday), 2-nights, Grey Wolf Cabin

Grey Wolf Cabin

This cabin is located behind the owner's house, and there is a partial privacy fence between the two areas. The outside of the cabin had not been refinished prior to our stay (they were working on painting the other cabins during our visit), although the inside had been redone.

Outside provided amenities: charcoal grill, grill brush, plastic table and two chairs. A hummingbird feeder was hung just outside the kitchen window, and we saw many birds during our stay.

Inside the cabin, there were many well thought out provided amenities. The kitchen area contained: full size fridge (with ice cubes in the freezer when we arrived!), gas stove, full size sink, table with three chairs, coffee maker with filters for our two nights stay, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, pot holders, dishcloths, towels, and dish soap. Included with the silverware were skewers, toothpicks (only a couple), vegetable peeler, corkscrew, and any other utensil that might be needed. 

The kitchen and living room area were one room, so there was also a soft chair, couch, floor lamp, and end table in this area. I thought the soft chair was extremely comfortable, although the couch was not quite as comfortable. A TV on top of the refrigerator was visible from all seating areas. A TV channel line-up guide and Internet sign on instructions were provided on the end table. Magazines and information about the area were also provided.

There was a key hook by the door, and good lighting throughout the cabin. A fly swatter and broom were in a closet by the door. A wastebasket was provided in each room--by the kitchen sink, in the bathroom, and in the bedroom--with a liner and extra bags. The entire cabin was tastefully decorated with wolf photos and drawings. The Internet connection was excellent.

 

The Bedroom contained: One king bed, an alarm clock, three windows which all opened with screens, a fan, hangers, a nice shelf for luggage, and large half mirror. The king bed in this cabin is made up of two twin beds (like a cruise ship), so this cabin can be rented for two people together or two singles. The only thing I did not like about the cabin is that I thought the bed was hard and not vey comfortable. The bedroom did not have a door, which was okay with us, since we did not have any guests in the living room area. The living room sofa was not a sleeper sofa anyway.

Bathroom: There was plenty of shelf space in the bathroom, and the water temperature and pressure was excellent. Towels and washcloths were provided. One thing I had not packed for this trip that we needed (all of our other stays were in hotel rooms) was a bar of soap. There is a General Store about a mile up the road--they accept cash only though. I was surprised by the number of businesses in the UP that only accept cash. The only other item I slightly missed was a hair dryer.

The shower space was not generous. We did not have a problem with the space available; however, if you like plenty of room, you might find the space kind of tight. I think the space that is available in this cabin was excellently allocated.


Property features: There is a community fire pit in front of the other cabins, and firewood was provided. There is a pavilion across from the fire pit with several picnic tables under the roof, and a fish cleaning station is located behind Grey Wolf cabin. There are six cabins total, and probably less than 10 RV/camping sites. The ORV/snowmobile trail is accessible from the property.


Porcupine Mountains are about a 45-minute drive away, and beautiful Bond Falls are only a five-minute drive away.

Overall: We were very happy with our stay, and thought this was a good location for what we wanted to see in the area. The amenities and cleanliness were excellent! Even though other guests used the fish cleaning station, we did not smell any fish odor. We did not experience any bothersome noise, and we had the cabin windows open most of the time. I would recommend this resort.

Mackinaw City, Michigan / Holiday Inn Express

August 2012, Weekday - Weekend (Thursday & Friday), 2-nights, King guestroom #412

Status perks

I received two bottles of water at check-in. I did not receive a room upgrade; in fact I had been assigned one of the worst guestrooms before I asked if an upgrade was available. The guestrooms on the top three floors of this hotel have balconies, and the bottom floor rooms do not even have a patio or outside door. Even though my IHG Platinum profile has my preferences for an executive room and a high floor listed--and, I had requested this in the comment box when making my reservation, I had been pre-assigned guestroom 112 on the bottom floor. After I asked if there was an upgrade available, the employee assisting me said probably not, and that I would need to wait for Peter to check because she was new. I waited over 5 minutes for Peter to finish on the telephone. While we waited, the agent who had started the check-in process, said that "she" usually assigns the top floor rooms to Gold and Platinum guests, so she was surprised that we had been assigned a room on the bottom floor. After Peter finished on the telephone, he told her to give us guestroom 412.

Guestroom

Guestroom 412 is a basic king room on the north side of the building near the center of the hallway. There is a partial bridge view from the balcony. The guestroom contained a wet bar area--mini-fridge, sink, microwave, and a few cupboards. There was a desk and chair, a soft chair and foot stool, older style TV in a stand with drawers, and night stands. The guestroom was not very big, and having all these items in the room made it quite crowded. Two plastic chairs and a small table were on the carpeted balcony.

The view from the balcony was decent. Even though it was not a clear view of the bridge or lake, it did offer an enjoyable sunset view.

Fortunately, the bedding in the guestroom was clean because the rest of the room and balcony was not very clean. In fact, I thought this entire hotel was grimy and run down. The chairs on the balcony needed to be power washed, as did the entire balcony. I thought it was odd to have carpet on the balcony since it seems like it would have been easier to wash down concrete and the plastic furnishings. We got pool towels from the front desk to put down on the chairs so we could use them. I was impressed when I opened the refrigerator and saw a small crisper drawer in the bottom--until I opened the drawer and saw how dirty it was. I was not about to put any of our food in that drawer! Other cleanliness issues with the guestroom were grimy windowsills, dust on the outdated soft chair, and small bits of debris on the carpet.

The guestroom was not very soundproof, and the fact that it has a connecting door to room 410 made the noise even more noticeable at times.

Food & Beverage

I thought the breakfast food offerings were low quality and I did not try much. Here are facts of the food items that were available (exactly the same both mornings): cinnamon rolls, cold cereals, white breads and bagels, sausage gravy and biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon, whole bananas (fresh--yay!), yogurt, juices, and milk. The milk was in individual containers, which I like because it usually stays fresher that way. The fat-free milk expiration date had gone by when I checked the first morning. Fresh milk had been added the second morning, although there were still several containers with expired dates set out too.

Overall

I chose this hotel because I like to earn points for my stays, and it's a fairly new hotel. I thought the AAA rate of $114 the first night was fair, and the rate of $161 the second night was high. Since PCR points are valuable to me, I chose this hotel anyway. After our stay, I wished I had looked at some of the other points earning hotels in more detail, such as the Ramada Inn and the Comfort Inn. I don't collect points with those hotel chains; however, I do have a membership, and am able to convert any points earned to air miles.

Milwaukee airport (MKE) / Hilton Garden Inn

July 2012, Weekday, 1-night, 2-Queen beds guestroom #350

Status perks

I received two bottles of water and a breakfast coupon. I have bonus points, rather than free breakfast, set on my Hilton profile, so breakfast was an extra perk. I had reserved a room with 2 queen beds. I do not recall if I did this because there were no king rooms available, or if it was because the rate was less. I had hoped for a king upgrade; however, there were none available. In fact, this hotel was sold out the night of my stay.

Guestroom

Guestroom 350 is located on the top floor, near the end of the hall, on the north side of the building facing the airport. The room was quite soundproof. I could hear an occasional plane, although not very often. I did not hear any noise from the hall or other guestrooms. The guestroom door was extremely heavy, and apparently constructed to keep noise out. 

The bedroom area contained 2 adjustable queen beds, a night stand with lamp, soft chair and footstool, floor lamp, flatscreen TV on a dresser, and desk with adjustable chair. The bed was comfortable, and the bedding was high quality. I sat in the soft chair briefly, and did not think that chair was comfortable. It was quite hard.

The dry bar area contained a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and good quality coffee and liquid creamer. I was happy to see 3 regular coffee packets! The closet located across from the bathroom had glass doors, and there was an oversized folding suitcase rack in the closet. 

The guestroom was comfortable and clean. There was an ethernet cord on the desk, and wireless Internet was also available with good connectivity speed. There were plenty of electrical outlets in the guestroom.

The low quality hairdryer in the bathroom was somewhat disappointing, but other than that, I was very happy with this guestroom.

Food & Beverage

Complimentary coffee was available in the lobby, and complimentary Rice Krispie treats were available at the front desk in the afternoon. 

I went to the dining room for breakfast around 7:30 AM, and there were no seats available. Employees were accommodating guests as best they could. I sat down in the bar area, as did several guests who arrived after me. Hilton Garden Inn breakfast consists of self-serve continental items, and guests can also place an egg/hot food order with the cook. A server brings coffee, water, and the hot item when it's ready. This hotel had a fairly good system--guests filled out a paper at the counter with desired hot food items, picked up a number tent, wrote this number on the order, and then left the slip, and took the number to their table. 

When the restaurant is as busy as it was the day of my visit, I don't know how the cooks would know who set which paper on the counter first. I observed a couple different piles of slips, and could have easily placed mine on top of one of the piles. I was not sure where I was supposed to place it, so I just set it on the counter by itself, next to the other piles. I waited 20 minutes for my egg order, and then the dish was not very good. The eggs were slightly overcooked. I was not in a hurry that morning, so the wait was not a problem for me. 

While I waited at my table for my order, I observed servers looking for numbers many times. They even approached guests several times to state the name of the food item when they could not find the number tent. I suppose there are many reasons this could happen--the guest could have gotten tired of waiting and left, or maybe the guest wrote down the wrong tent number, or the guest was seated in another area because there had not been a table available. I could not determine what the problem was. I did observe the manager, and employees who did not appear to be servers, also helping out. I do not think my 20-minute wait was due to poor service; rather it happened because the restaurant was not able to accommodate the number of guests dining. 

Business center

The business center at this hotel is one of the best I have used in a hotel. There were several computers, and the computer closest to the printer allowed me the option of printing my document two-sided! Remote printing was also available. The business center contained everything I needed except a highlighter. In addition to the computers, there was a copy/fax/printer, stapler, paper clips, envelopes, whiteout, Post-it notes, and more. I took a picture of the business center because I was so impressed with it.

Fitness center

The fitness center was a good sized room with several cardio machines with cardio theater. There were also hand weights, a workout bench, and exercise balls available. The room contained towels, sani-wipes, and a flatscreen TV.

Misc. and overall

This hotel has shuttle service, although I did not use it. I arrived before check-in time, and my room was ready, and employees were happy to accommodate my early arrival. Overall, I was very satisfied with this stay, and will choose this hotel again when I am in the area. A colleague who met me at the hotel in the evening was so impressed with what she saw, that she booked a room for the next night and moved over from the nearby Marriott Courtyard.

Brown Deer (North Milwaukee), Wisconsin / Holiday Inn Express

July 2012, Weekday, 2-nights, King guestroom #313

Status perks

I was acknowledged as a Platinum member at check-in, and the agent (who I think was the manager) checked to see if he had an upgraded room to give me. He said he did not have anything for both nights, so I did not receive any extra perks this stay.

Guestroom

Guestroom 313 is on the top floor, located just past the center building entrance. It was a basic hotel room with a decent sized bathroom and guestroom area. It contained a suitcase bench, couch, desk and chair, coffee table, night stands, and flatscreen TV in an armoire. The window contained a screen, and it opened about six inches.

Other than the flatscreen TV, the furnishings were a bit outdated, but the guestroom was clean, and the bed was satisfactory. The wireless Internet connection was lousy my entire stay. I never lost my Internet connection, although the speed was extremely slow, and  FaceTime would not stay connected. I often experience FaceTime disconnecting when the Internet speed is slow at hotels. There was a data outlet at the desk; however, I had not packed an ethernet cord, and I did not see one in the guestroom. The guestroom was not very soundproof. I could hear guests in the hall and in the rooms next door. Fortunately, most guests quieted down about the time I went to bed for the evening.

The guestrooms at the other end of the hall on this floor are smoking rooms, and the smoke smell in the hallway the second evening was quite strong. At check-in, the employee had told me that some of the rooms on this floor used to be smoking rooms, so he assigned me a room at the other end of the hall, since I wanted a non-smoking room. The room signage indicates that the rooms at the other end of this floor are still smoking rooms. Fortunately, I could not smell smoke in the guestroom.

Food & Beverage

There was an evening social hour both evenings with appetizers, beer, wine, and basic/bar brand mixed beverages. My key packet said that guests were allowed two beverages. The "appetizers" consisted of a few cut vegetables, cheddar cheese cubes, and chips with dip. The choices were exactly the same both evenings, and not what I would consider appetizers. I would consider the food that was served "snacks." The wine was low quality--Crane Lake, and the beer I observed on the counter was Coors and Miller. I guess for free I can't complain. The cost of the hotel room was reasonable.

I expected a better than usual HIX breakfast because the information in my key packet said "Expanded Continental Breakfast." The breakfast was the same, or less, than I have seen at other Holiday Inn Express hotels: sausage gravy and biscuits, scrambled eggs (that did not look appetizing to me), sausage, pancake maker, toaster waffles, bagels, bread, yogurt, cinnamon rolls, cold cereal, and whole bananas. I was glad that the bananas were fresh. The food items were the same both mornings.

Business center

The business center consisted of one computer and a printer/fax/copy machine. I don't usually need much more than that, although this trip I could have used a stapler, tape, and a highlighter--none of which were available in the business center. I was able to print a document both days.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained three cardio machines, a working flatscreen TV with remote, drinking fountain, scale, towels, and sani-wipes. The treadmill I used was in good working condition. I did not try the other machine or the bicycle.

PHL airport / Hilton Philadelphia Airport

June 2012, Weekday, 1-night, Queen deluxe #940

Status perks

I received a coupon good for an appetizer or beverage in the lounge/restaurant. The agent was going to give me a free breakfast coupon until I said that I needed to leave before the restaurant opened at 6:00 AM. She then provided the evening coupon instead. This location does not have an executive floor. 

I observed several HHonors key packets already prepared when I arrived; however, my key packet was not ready. I thought that was poor customer service since the employee had requested my name when I called from the airport for the shuttle over 1/2 hour before I checked in. I had actually called twice, and my name was requested both times.

Guestroom

I made my reservation at this hotel the morning of my arrival, and there were no king rooms available other than suites. I reserved the deluxe queen room instead of just the queen room because it was only a couple dollars more. I am not sure what the difference is between the two room types. The description online is the same for both rooms, and this guestroom looked like a basic non-deluxe guestroom to me. The only extra item that I could see were two bottles of water with the ice bucket.

The guestroom contained a desk and chair, soft chair, one queen bed, flatscreen TV on an armoire, two night stands with lamps, and one floor lamp. An individual serving coffee maker was set up in the corner of the bedroom area. There were hardly any electrical outlets in the guestroom. Other than the plug at the desk, there was only one spot with the coffee maker under that counter, and another in the bathroom. The lamps were all plugged in behind the bed (including the floor lamp behind the chair), and I was not about to pull the bed out to see if there was a spare outlet there. I had not packed my long Apple laptop cord, so the only place I could work while also charging my laptop was at the desk, and that seat became uncomfortable after a while.

The bathroom was small, and the door had to be shut to enter the tub/shower. The tile floor was nice, although it was kind of yucky around the area where the tile met the carpet. I included a photo to show this; however, the grime does not show up well.

This guestroom is located close to the elevator, and I easily heard the elevator bell dinging while seated at the desk in the guestroom. Fortunately, I did not hear it after I went to bed that evening. My Hilton profile is for a room away from the elevator; I am not sure if the fact that I had made my reservation the day of my arrival had anything to do with that request not being honored. I did not think guestrooms were assigned before 6:00 AM, although I do not actually know how this works.

The sunset view was great from this guestroom.

view from room 940

Food & Beverage
The bartender let me redeem my free beverage coupon for ANY beverage of my choice; not just bar brands--nice! I had a wrap to eat, which unfortunately, I do not remember all the details about because I did not complete this entire review right away. I do recall that the portion size was generous, and that it was delicious. I think it was some kind of turkey avocado wrap. I know there were not many menu items of this type, so if this is something you are interested in, you would be able to easily find it on the menu. It came with a side of fries, and when I asked if I could get something no-fried, like cole slaw, the bartender was happy to oblige.

Business center
The business center is located next to the lounge, and across from the Starbucks cafe counter. I had no trouble finding an open computer and printing a couple documents. I was surprised that the paper my items printed on was high quality photo paper! Seems like an expensive item to be providing to guests, to me.

Shuttle service and misc.
This hotel is close to the airport, and the shuttle claims to run every 30 minutes. Every 30 minutes is pretty close, although if you are deciding which time to depart for the airport, I would suggest the earlier time. I waited 1/2 hour at the airport when I arrived (even though the employee had told me 10 - 15 minutes), and we departed for the airport five minutes late in the morning. The airport was chaos on the Thursday morning of my flight. After checking my bag, I had to search for the hidden priority lane, and then it took me 40 minutes to get through security. Passengers waited in the regular security line 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and many people missed their flights. I observed several people trying to get ahead of people in line, or trying to get the security officer to let them cut--no one had any success. I let three passengers go ahead of me, who had been able to finagle priority line entrance; however, their luck ended about five passengers ahead of me.

Even though my stay at this hotel was not excellent, I thought it was satisfactory for the price I paid. I had found an excellent AAA rate at the last minute, which was less than the Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn Express. I do not think this hotel is as nice as most Hiltons I have stayed in, and I don't think a room is worth more than $150.  

Malvern, Pennsylvania / Homewood Suites

June 2012, Weekday, 2-nights, King 1-bedroom suite #402

Status perks

I did not receive any perks for having Gold status, although I was glad that the front desk agent acknowledged my status and stated my requests, which had been fulfilled. When I make a reservation online, I usually request a top floor corner room/suite in a quiet area with no connecting door. The agent thanked me for being a Gold member, and then stated all the guestroom details, which were exactly what I had requested.

Guestroom

Suite 402 is located on the top floor at the end of the hall. The guestroom door opened into the kitchen and living area, and the bedroom and bathroom were in a separate area. The kitchen contained a full size fridge, dishwasher, stovetop, microwave, coffee pot and dishes, and small table with two chairs. Coffee, microwave popcorn, and dish detergent were all provided. There was an ethernet cord on the table in the kitchen area. A couch, soft chair, flatscreen TV on a stand with drawers, coffee and end tables were in the living room.

Double doors led to the bedroom, which contained another flatscreen TV on a table with a desk chair, a king bed, and night stands. I was surprised to find a luggage rack in the closet, because this is often not provided at extended stay properties. The bathroom vanity was located outside the bathroom, and the floor was tile, just like the bathroom. There was a toilet and tub/shower combination in the bathroom area. A good quality hairdryer was provided in the vanity. I was happy to see that it had a diffuser and a cool setting.

The bedroom was located on the side of the suite next to another guestroom, and an employee utility closet was located on the other side of the guestroom in the hall. The walls are soundproofed well, because I did not hear any noise from the guestroom next door, and the hotel was full the second night of my stay.

The guestroom was clean and comfortable, although there were a couple minor issues. The refrigerator was extremely loud. It was so loud that I had to turn it off at night. I woke up every time it started running; even when I had the bedroom door on that side closed. The clock in the bedroom was not set to the correct time. I could not find a way to change it, so I called the front desk to ask how to do this. I was told that it needed to be changed by engineering with a special tool that opens the back. It was late at night, and I was staying two nights, so I asked if someone could fix it after 8:00 AM the next day. The employee told me she would take care of this.

The next morning when I departed, I started the dishwasher and left a tip for housekeeping. When I returned around 3 PM, I observed a housekeeper in the hallway, and the guestroom had not been cleaned. She was a few doors away from my suite, so I sat down to work for a bit. About an hour later, I figured she must be close to my guestroom, so I decided to take my laptop downstairs and work for a while. I observed the cart in the hallway near my room when I left. When I returned over an hour later, the housekeeper was in the suite across the hall. When I entered my room, I saw that it had not been cleaned, although the tip money and thank you note I had left were gone. I wondered if someone else had taken it. I checked the bedroom clock to see if it had been fixed, and it was still set to the wrong time. I decided to ask the housekeeper in the room across the hall, if she knew what had happened to the money, and when she would be cleaning my room. Unfortunately, she did not speak much English. From what I could figure out, it sounded like she had picked up the note and money, although I have no idea why she then left my room to clean the one across the hall. She apologized, and then entered my room to clean it. I went back downstairs again for a while. 

The guestroom was clean and smelled fresh when I returned. The housekeeper opened my door for me and apologized again when she saw me coming down the hall. I did not learn what had happened, and I suppose it doesn't really matter. No one ever came to change the clock in the guestroom, so the time was still incorrect when I checked out. The wireless and ethernet Internet connection speeds in the guestroom were both good. I thought this was impressive since the hotel was full.

Food & Beverage

The evening reception ran from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. Food and beverage items Monday evening included: chicken cordon blue, tossed salad, mixed vegetables, rice, potato chips, brownies, coffee, tea, draft beer, and white and red wine. I arrived near the end of the serving time, and the chicken tasted like it had been out a while. Even though it was a bit dry, it was still acceptable. The red wine was extremely sweet. Beverages were the same the next evening, and food items included: pork barbecue with extra sauce and buns, macaroni and cheese, tossed salad, corn muffins, and dessert.

I thought breakfast the first morning was more impressive than the second morning. I am not sure if timing had anything to do with that. The first morning, I went to breakfast right when it opened at 6:00 AM, and the second morning I went over 1/2 hour later than that. Items included both mornings were: juices, milks, cereals, whole fruits, and bread and bagels. Whole grain bagels were out the first morning; however, there were not any the second day. Hot items the first day were egg whites, scrambled eggs with chives, maple sausage, and tator tots. There were also apple turnovers. Hot items the second morning were scrambled eggs--which did not look as fresh as the eggs the first day, bacon, and potato pancakes.

Business center

The business center was a small room by the lodge/dining area with two computers and a printer. Everything worked both times I visited, and there was a stapler in the room that was quality enough to staple my 18-page document! Many other office items were also available, such as pens, paperclips, note pads, sticky notes, and more.

Fitness center

When I arrived at the fitness center before 5:30 AM, I saw that it said it opened at 6:00. The TV was on, so I tried the door, and it was open. The room contained three cardio machines with cardio theater, although cardio theater did not work on one of the treadmills. The room also contained hand weights, a water cooler, towels, sani-wipes, a scale, and head sets. The temperature was set a bit too warm, I thought. It was not hot when I arrived; however, it quickly got hot.

Overall

This hotel was in a good location for my stay, and I was happy with the comfort and cleanliness. I thought the rate was kind of expensive, although it also seemed high at all of the nearby properties I had checked. I reserved a king bedroom suite for the AAA rate of $170. When I was in the lobby waiting for my room to be cleaned, I heard the front desk agent tell someone on the telephone that he had one room left for $220! And then, he could not even give the caller that room because someone reserved it online before he had a chance to go in and reserve it. I heard him provide the name and telephone numbers of nearby properties at the end of the call.