Miami, Florida / Crowne Plaza MIA airport

February 2013, Weekend, 1-night

Status perks and check-in

The first time I tried to reserve a room at this hotel with my Chase VISA free night certificate, by calling the telephone number provided in the email I had received, I was told that I could not use my certificate for the night I wanted. Online, I saw that I could reserve a room with points; however, I preferred to use my certificate, so I decided to send an email to the hotel to ask them if this was correct. I received a professional and friendly telephone call from James Angel, director of sales and marketing. I was able to reserve a room with my certificate after this, and Mr. Angel also sent me a follow-up email.

Facebook gift and card

About a week before our stay, I saw a post on Facebook by this hotel for a 250 point giveaway. I shared the post and wrote a comment to receive the 250 points. Not only did I receive the 250 points for participating, I also received a room upgrade and a complimentary bottle of wine and snacks!

We arrived at this hotel before 8 a.m. after disembarking from the Carnival Breeze (they were getting everyone off the boat quicker than I have ever experienced). Guestroom 624 had been set aside for us; however, it was not ready yet. The agent offered to give us a poolside room on the second floor, and I said we would wait for the higher floor room. Pool side rooms are often noisier, and guestroom 224 is located next to the doorway where guests go in and out of the pool area. We said that we would wait in the pool area, and the agent requested my cell phone number. We received a telephone call from the front desk before noon, and were assigned to guestroom 424.

PCR snacks on table
next to guestroom chair

I also received two small bottles of water, two small PCR snacks (gummy bears and chocolates), and a coupon good for buffet breakfast for two. According to the Platinum paper in my key packet, Platinum guests have the choice of breakfast or free parking. The front desk agent had asked me if we had a car before she gave me the breakfast coupon.

Guestroom 424

This is a spacious corner guestroom across from the elevators. It was tastefully decorated, clean, comfortable, and well maintained.

We occasionally heard the hum of the elevators and muffled noise from guests in the hall, although it was never very loud.


The bedroom/living area included: a king size bed, desk and chair, soft chair and footstool, couch, coffee table, night stands, flatscreen TV on a large armoire, alarm clock, and suitcase bench. A single serve coffee machine with supplies was located in the cupboard under the TV along with the ice bucket and glasses. A small packet of spa quality ointments was on the bed.

two complimentary water
bottles on armoire

The guestroom was well lit, and there were plenty of electrical outlets. The sleep quality in this guestroom was excellent. The bed was superb--good quality sheets and comfortable. The room was well soundproofed because we did not hear any airplane noise in the guestroom, and it was very noisy when planes flew overhead while we were at the pool.

spa package

The spacious closet and the bathroom were located near the guestroom entrance. The closet contained a large safe, several hangers, and bedding. I assume the sofa must have been a sofa sleeper, although I did not check it. It was very comfortable. All of the furniture in the guestroom was comfortable.

photo taken after we had used
some of the bathroom amenities

The bathroom contained a long vanity with amenities, a low quality hairdryer, and a tub/shower combination. The towels were plush, high quality towels.

The Internet connection speed in the guestroom was excellent.

closet and safe

Food & Beverage

We placed a to-go order from the restaurant to eat at the pool. We had the Asian chicken salad, Cuban sandwich (which has a different name that I do not recall), and the club sandwich. The items were flavorful, and the portion size was generous. A 15% tip was automatically added to the bill.

I did not care for the morning breakfast buffet. There were scrambled eggs, meats, white breads, canned fruit, and a couple whole fruits and cereals. I do not think there was any hot cereal because I would choose oatmeal or malt-o-meal over cold cereal, and I had cold cereal and a pear for breakfast. I wish I had asked if I could have used the coupon value to order something from the menu. I usually do ask this, and most times the hotel is happy to accommodate the request.

We made a purchase at the gift shop; however, the gift shop must not be operated by the hotel, because we were not able to charge the item to the guestroom. I always try to charge all my purchases to the guestroom for the points.

Pool

The pool area was spacious with plenty of lounge chairs. There were a few tables by the pool with a cabana closure, and there were more tables on the patio outside the pool area. The area was tastefully set up and landscaped, although I thought the area needed some deep cleaning. The flight path of the air traffic before noon was very loud. Later in the day, the noise from the planes diminished because there were not as many planes passing directly overhead.

Overall and shuttle

The shuttle ran every 20 minutes during our stay. It was prompt when we left the next day, and it only took a few minutes to get to the airport.

I enjoyed this stay very much, and plan to choose this hotel again the next time I need a hotel near MIA. I thought the sleep quality was excellent, which is one of the most important things to me when I travel.

This Crowne Plaza does not have an executive floor, which is kind of unusual for a Crowne Plaza. I have stayed in Crowne Plaza hotels in vacation/resort areas before that do not have an executive floor; however, since this is an airport hotel, I had expected one. This was not my first stay at this hotel; however, the last time I stayed at this hotel was several years ago, and I did not recall that stay very well. Now that I keep this blog, it helps me too, every time I revisit an area!

Carnival Breeze ~ 8-day Exotic Southern Caribbean, February 2013

Carnival Breeze in Aruba

Check-in

Our check-in at the Port of Miami was the smoothest we have experienced since becoming Platinum guests. We arrived around 11:30 a.m., and were quickly routed through the Priority lines. We got held up briefly at the check-in counter because our son was with us, and he is not a Platinum guest. Our PVP had told us that if we tied his account to ours with the same credit card, he would be able to board with us. We did this online a couple of weeks before the cruise; however, when we got to the check-in counter, his sail and sign card was not ready with ours. The employee helping us had to ask another employee for assistance, and then they made his card right then.

The VIP lounge area was fairly full; we found the last two seats together, and our son stood. Coffee was available on a table in the room, although there were no restrooms in the lounge. We had passed the restrooms outside the lounge and around the corner before we entered. When I went out to use the restroom a few minutes later, there was a wait for the single room. All of the priority guests were already boarding and gone from the VIP lounge when I returned (except for my family members who were waiting for me!). If I had realized we were going to board that soon, I would not have left the lounge.

Miami Airport - MIA / Residence Inn

February 2013, Weekday/weekend, 2-nights, King 1-bedroom suite #3301

Status perks and check-in

I redeemed two category 4 free night certificates for a king studio guestroom. I called the hotel a couple of days before our arrival to request a bedroom suite upgrade because our son was joining us the second night of our stay. Our flight arrived at 1 p.m., so we got to the hotel before check-in time. The front desk agent said that she could upgrade us to a 1-bedroom suite on the 3rd floor, if we wanted to wait, because it was not ready yet. We agreed, and she said she would put in a rush, and then call us when it was ready. She called us when our room was ready less than 1/2 hour later.

I received the 200 Platinum bonus points. Platinum guests also receive bonus points on the room cost, which we did not have since I redeemed certificates for this stay. One thing that I often forget, is that MR points are only earned on the room cost at Residence Inn, so I did not earn additional points for the dining items charged to the room. All charges from any of the restaurants onsite can be charged to the guestroom, no matter which hotel you are staying in.

Guestroom 3301

bedroom

Guestroom 3301 is at the end of the hall on the 3rd floor. It has a connecting room door in the living room area. The separate bedroom is located on an outside wall, and the bedroom location was quiet. The large window was soundproof, and it did not open. We did not hear any guest or exterior noise from our bedroom. The bedroom contained a king bed, dresser, nightstands, lamps, a flatscreen TV, and a closet with hangers. It was tastefully decorated and clean. The bedsheets and pillows were good quality. I thought the bed was a little too hard. There was no luggage rack in the guestroom.

from bedroom toward vanity

There was another large closet in the bathroom area located outside the bedroom; however, there were no hangers in that closet. The vanity area where the closet was located was very spacious. There was plenty of storage in the vanity drawers, and a large mirror behind the vanity. A decent quality hairdryer was hanging in the bedroom closet.

The shower and toilet room was kind of small--barely enough room to enter and close the door. The shower was a tub/shower combination.

There was also a door on the outer bathroom area, between the vanity area and the living room. 

The living room and kitchen contained the following furnishings: a sofa sleeper, a soft chair and footstool, coffee table, end table, flatscreen TV on a cabinet with drawers, desk and chair, small kitchen table with two chairs, full size stainless steel refrigerator with ice maker, dishwasher, sink, stovetop, microwave, and cupboards with dishes and utensils. A coffee pot with supplies was provided as well as microwave popcorn. The living room window was the same size as the one in the bedroom, and it opened a couple inches.

Marriott photo

I did not get any photos of the kitchen or living room area when we first arrived. The kitchen area in our guestroom looked exactly like the photo here, which is from the hotel website.

All of the guestrooms at this hotel are Pure Allergy Free rooms. The freestanding unit under the living room window was quiet and did not take up much space. The wireless Internet speed was decent, and there was also an ethernet connection with cord on the desk.

The entire guestroom was spacious, stylish, and clean. The guestroom was comfortable for the most part. We did not care for the couch. It looked nice, although it was not very comfortable.

Pool areas

whirlpool view from
guestroom #3301 at Residence Inn

All three hotels in this complex--Marriott, Courtyard, and Residence Inn--share one outside pool. The area looked exactly the same as I described it in my review of the full service Marriott in 2011. The uncomfortable wicker lounge chairs were again in use with no pads. I did not take any photos of that area this trip; however, I did provide a couple in my 2011 review. The pool area is not visible from the Residence Inn, as it is behind the taller Marriott building.

There is also a whirlpool tub at the Residence Inn, which was visible from our guestroom. It was a good size, and the temperature was warm.

Food & Beverage

We thought there was going to be an evening social when we arrived Thursday night; however, this has changed to only Monday through Wednesday. The last couple of years, I have noticed that many extended stay properties are decreasing the number of days that they offer an evening social. After this stay, I checked the Marriott Residence Inn features page, and the information does not specifically say that the days have changed, so it appears that this is left up to the individual properties. The official site only says: complimentary evening socials.

I did not think the morning breakfast, which is included, was very good. It included scrambled eggs, bacon, cold cereal, white breads, cut fruit (which was empty when I visited), whole fruit (bananas and apples), high-fat cottage cheese, coffee, tea, milk, and juice. The offerings were the same both mornings, and the items were not well stocked or fresh.

The lobby and dining seating area was very comfortable. There were also a couple of outside tables with seats.

We visited the bar in the Courtyard and in the Marriott. Both experiences were similar to our 2011 visit. We tried the Happy Hour 2-for-1 margaritas and $5 chicken tenders at Champions Sports Bar in the Courtyard. The margaritas were prepared with Jose Cuervo; however, the mix was very sweet, so it was not something we cared for. The chicken tenders were a good sized portion served in a basket with fries. We were surprised by the portion size because fries were not listed on the menu for this item. We had expected an appetizer type plate of tenders only. The quality was good, and the mustard dip had good flavor.

When we visited the bar at the Marriott, the menu we were given was not the same as the online menu for Cane Fire Grill. It had small and large plate items on it, so I do not know if the menu has changed, or if it was different the night of our visit. At the suggestion of our server, we ordered a cuban nacho appetizer. I do not recall the exact menu name of this item, and it is not listed on the online menu. It was prepared with shredded beef. The flavor was okay, although this is not a food item I would order again.

Shuttle and area transportation

We took public transportation to and from the Miami boat show on Friday. This is easy to do if you have the time, and like to walk. Our entire cost was $8.70 for two of us. If you plan to ride more than twice, the all-day pass is a better deal for $5 each. We took the Miami Beach Airport Flyer Route 150 to South Beach. It runs every half hour on weekdays from MIA. We could have taken the hotel shuttle to the airport; however, we would then have had to take the airport tram to the bus stop, so we decided to walk the 1.3 miles to the bus stop from our hotel. The bus stop is located on the drive into the car rental return at MIA off NW 21st Street, directly across the street from the Sheraton. There is a pedestrian sidewalk across the street from the Sheraton that goes to the rental car parking garage. There is not a walkway to the bus stop; however, if you follow the pedestrian walkway toward the garage, you will see the bus station on your right. It was easy to cross the roadway since the only traffic was an occasional bus or rental car. The ride to South Beach took about 1/2 hour. We were going to the Convention Center, so we got off at 17th Street and Washington.

We took the show shuttle from the Convention Center to the boat show areas at the Marina Marriott and Biscayne Bay. After the show, we walked to a Historic Overtown/Lyric Theater station on NW 6th St. and took the Orange Line back to MIA. The Metrorail stopped at the same station where we had boarded the bus. We could have walked the 1.3 miles back to our hotel from this stop. It was raining when we returned, so we took the airport tram to the terminal instead, and then got on the hotel shuttle bus.

The hotel shuttle picks up and drops off on level 2, the ticketing level. It ran every 15 minutes the times that we used it--Thursday and Friday afternoons, and our son used it Friday evening. The hotel shuttle picks up for the Marriott, Courtyard, and Residence Inn.

We took a cab from the hotel to the cruise port when we departed. There is a parking area between the Residence Inn and the Marriott where we always observed cabs waiting, so we did not expect to wait long when we were ready to go. The front desk agent called for a cab for us, and we went out front to wait. After I observed a few cabs drive from the waiting area to the Marriott and Courtyard, I went back inside to find out what was happening. The agent called again, and then told me that the driver was stuck in traffic. I assumed the cabs in the hotel lot had been already called, and we were waiting for new ones to arrive. When I went back outside, I saw that more cabs had arrived, and were sitting in the waiting area waiting to be called. I then walked over to talk to a driver and got a car for us. It appeared that the Residence Inn was not sharing the waiting fleet of cabs with the other two hotels.

Overall

All of the employees at the Residence Inn were fabulous. I felt like they were all happy to assist us. I thought the sleep quality was slightly better at the Marriott (only because the bed was more comfy), although the room and decor at the Residence Inn was nicer. This is the only MIA airport hotel I have stayed in that did not have a safe in the guestroom.

Chicago - Tinley Park, Illinois / Holiday Inn Convention Center

February 2013, Weekday, King guestroom #534

Status perks and check-in

I arrived about 20 minutes before check-in time, and my room was not ready yet. I got a bottle of water from the gift shop, which the agent let me have for no charge. I then took a seat in the lobby to wait, as the agent had said he would let me know when my room was ready. About 15 minutes later, the front desk agent brought me my key packet, and said my room was ready. He did not acknowledge my status or any other perks, although I did find a card in my key packet that was good for 500 bonus points, a free beverage in the lounge or dining room, or milk and cookies from the gift shop.

Guestroom

Entering the guestroom was like deja vu for me. This guestroom is almost exactly the same as the rooms at the Holiday Inn at my home airport--Holiday Inn GRR airport. The hotel building was not set up the same, but the guestroom was.

A small coffee maker with supplies was on the counter by the entrance door, where a small fridge and microwave were also located.

The bathroom entrance was between the coffee area and the front closet. It contained a doorless walk-in shower, decent sized vanity, and the toilet area, which could be closed off. The bathroom entrance door swung to the left, so that it could be used to close the toilet area, or the entire bathroom. Standard Holiday Inn Bath & Body Works amenities were provided, and a low quality hairdryer was attached to the wall.

The closet contained a good sized safe, iron and board, hangers, and a folding luggage rack.

This spacious guestroom is located at the end of the hall with no guest traffic. I did not hear any noise from inside the hotel. I could hear the expressway traffic, which did not bother me, although I know that some guests are disturbed by this type of noise.

The room contained a suitcase bench, soft chair and stool, desk and chair, king size bed, night stands, good lighting, and flat screen TV on an armoire. 

I liked the guestroom comfort for working, although I thought the bed was quite hard. Everything was clean and well maintained.

Food & Beverage

I ordered a grilled shrimp cocktail and salad from the lounge to go. The service was excellent, and the food was very good, except that the shrimp was not grilled (although it was described as grilled on the menu). I received cold cocktail shrimp. I did not look at my order before I got back to the guestroom, and I like cocktail shrimp, so I enjoyed the shrimp that way. I was happy with the merlot house wine, which was Cupcake brand.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained a few cardio machines, and a working flatscreen TV. Even though it is located next to the pool, the temperature was comfortable. 

Munster, Indiana / Hampton Inn & Suites

February 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #228


Status perks

I did not receive any extra perks during this stay, and I did not receive a room on the top floor as I had requested because the agent said the hotel was sold out. The room I received was perfectly acceptable, and the front desk agent acknowledged my requests and apologized for not being able to provide them.

Guestroom

This guestroom is located in a quiet area on the second floor. It was clean and comfortable. It contained a king bed, night stands, a chaise lounge, desk and chair, suitcase bench, and microwave and refrigerator. The internet connection speed was good, especially considering the hotel was full.

The bathroom was a basic bathroom with a long vanity and a tub/shower combination.

There were plenty of outlets and the room was well-lit. The guestroom was a basic comfortable Hampton Inn room. 

Food & Beverage

This hotel offers complimentary food in the evening, which I have never seen at a Hampton Inn before. There was a calendar in the guestroom with the food menu for the month, and there was something listed for every weekday, so it would appear that this a regular event. The food the night of my stay was not anything I would have for dinner. Burgers and beans were served along with white cake. The burgers were thin patties on a white bun wrapped up like the sandwiches sold in gas stations, which then needed to be nuked. There were a few condiments and cheese. I did not see any mayonnaise.

Included breakfast the next morning was not as good as I sometimes see at Hampton Inn. The scrambled eggs looked nasty, and did not look like eggs, so I did not try them. Other items available included sausage, Dannon yogurt, cold cereals, white breads, whole fruit, and juices.

Cookies were available at the front desk in the afternoon.

Fitness center
The fitness center was a basic room with a couple cardio machines. There was not anyone using cardio machines in the afternoon, although there were a few guests the next morning. Fortunately, I got there when it first opened.

Overall
I had originally planned to stay at this hotel two nights; however, ice was predicted the second night of my stay, so I decided to leave after one night instead. Unfortunately, I do not have a tremendous amount of detail about this stay because I did not write my review soon enough after checkout. My stay was satisfactory, and I would choose this hotel again, if I had need to stay in this area again.

Alsip, Illinois / DoubleTree by Hilton

February 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #522

Status perks
In addition to the 1,000 bonus points in my profile for Gold members, I received a bottle of water and a coupon for a beverage in the lounge or dining room.

Guestroom #522
This guestroom is an end room located next to the vending area and close to the elevator. The walls seemed to be well-insulated, since I did not hear any noise from next door or the vending area.




The guestroom entrance door, however, had a large gap all the way around it, so it did not block out hallway noise. As I walked down the hallways (to and from the fitness center, business center, dining, etc.), I noticed that only a couple of the guestroom doors had an insulated sweeper across the bottom edge. This is a sprawling property with several elevators, so hallway noise was not a problem during my stay. 

The guestroom contained a king bed, night stands, full length mirror, a flatscreen TV on an armoire, desk and chair, and a soft chaise lounge. There were plenty of lights and outlets. There was an ethernet cord on the desk; however, it did not work. Since I was only staying one night, I did not call anyone to check it; I just used the wireless connection. 

The bed was super comfy with high quality sheets. The room was clean and comfortable. The coffee in the guestroom was Wolfgang Puck. I was glad I had received a bottle of water at check-in because the cost for the bottle in the guestroom was $5!


The bathroom vanity was not very big, although it was adequate for one person. The shower was a tub/shower combination with a curved rod. The provided hair dryer was average quality--not high quality, and not extreme low-end quality either.

Food & Beverage

I had read online that DoubleTree was having a promotion of 500 bonus points for spending $25 at the restaurant. When I checked in, I asked the agent if this included to-go and lounge purchases, and if I needed a coupon for the offer. She did not know anything about the promotion, and I did not end up spending $25 anyway, so I was not able to take advantage of this promotion.

Ahi Tuna Salad

The lounge area was comfortable. I used my beverage coupon while I waited for the Ahi Tuna Salad I had ordered to-go. Unfortunately, the bartender would not let me use the coupon value towards the purchase of a higher quality beverage, so I had a glass of house merlot.

The salad portion of the menu item I ordered was prepared with fresh ingredients, and the citrus vinaigrette had good flavor. However, I expected more wasabi flavor, and the tuna filet was a HUGE disappointment. The menu description  for the flavoring said: avocado wasabi creme fraiche. The avocado and wasabi flavors were so subtle, I had to look closely to see if there was any on the salad. The tuna filet did not have good flavor, and it was not high quality.

Fitness center

The fitness center was open 24-hours. It contained five cardio machines with cardio theater, although one of the treadmills was broken. There were also hand weights, a working flatscreen TV, towels, water cooler, sani-wipes, and a scale in the room.

I was able to get a cardio machine in the afternoon the day I arrived; however, there were no open machines at 5:30 AM the next morning. The four working machines were already in use, and there was one guest waiting when I arrived. The size of the fitness center is not close to what is needed for the number of guestrooms at this hotel. Since it is open 24-hours, I wished I had planned to get up at least 1/2 hour earlier than I had.

Business Center

The business center, which is located between the lobby and restaurant, contained two computers and printers. Everything worked when I visited, and I did not have any trouble printing a couple of documents.

Overall
I was happy with the sleep quality, cleanliness, and room rate at this DoubleTree. I would choose this hotel again, if I needed lodging in the area. I observed a shuttle bus at the hotel, and the hotel website says they provide transportation to MDW. There is no charge for parking at this property. 

Chicago, Illinois/ Palmer House a Hilton Hotel

lobby ceiling

January 2013, Weekend, 1-night
Executive tower king guestroom #22267

Status perks
There is a specific check-in area at the front desk for elite guests, which is clearly marked. I had booked a basic room and received an upgrade to the executive floor. We arrived before 11:00 a.m. on the morning Amtrak, and were able to check-in right away. We also received late checkout, complimentary Internet access, and two bottles of water. 

Guestroom 22267

There are two elevators to the tower executive floors (floors 22 and 23), which are separate from the elevators to the other guestroom floors, and they require key access. Other than the executive floors, these elevators only stop on two other floors--the pool floor and the banquet room floor.

outside elevator floor 22

There was a unique sitting bench and mirrored walls inside of both elevators. The decor at the elevator entrance on our floor was beautiful, as were all areas of this historic hotel.

Guestroom 22267 is a corner room at the end of the hall, which exactly matches my profile preferences. This guestroom looked very similar to the first guestroom photo on the Hilton website with two windows.


The spacious room included the following furnishings: soft chair and footstool, end tables, desk and chair, flatscreen TV on a cabinet with drawers, king bed, night stands, and a large walk in closet with a large safe and a folding luggage rack. There was also a small table and mirror by the guestroom entrance door.

I called to request a robe, which was promptly delivered. The bathroom area and small vanity met our needs, although there was not a lot of room in the bathroom. The tile shower had a deluxe massaging shower head. A good quality hairdryer was provided with the Crabtree & Evelyn bathroom amenities.     

The bed was plush and comfortable. The outside noise we heard was minimal. We could occasionally hear the train that runs along Wabash Ave., and the guests in the room next door, although the noise was muffled.

The guestroom was comfortable, well-lit, and clean. I was surprised that turndown service was not automatically provided. I did not request  this; I assume it would have been provided, just like the robe, if we had asked. The wireless Internet speed was very slow in the guestroom, and in the concierge lounge. 

Concierge lounge
The concierge lounge is a spacious and comfortable room on floor 23. There is a concierge desk in the room, although there was not anyone working there during our stay. I read information that sounded like this desk is where elite/executive floor guests check-in and checkout when it is open. There were two computers and a printer in the room as well.

Coffee, tea, and cold beverages, like bottled water and soda, were available 24 hours. Bottled water was not stocked in the cooler; it was available upon request. Cookies and brownie type snacks were available in the afternoon, and in the evening after the evening social.

Cocktails were available for purchase during the evening social, although this is listed as complimentary on one of the Hilton reservation sites. I do not remember the specifics of what kind of hors d'oeuvres were served. I should have taken better notes! I do recall that there were two warmed items. I think one of the items was mini dough-type wraps with meat inside.

Food items at breakfast included: hard boiled eggs, oatmeal with many available toppings, granola, yogurt, many breads, muffins, and pastries, whole fresh fruits, juices and milk.

Food & Beverage
The only dining we experienced other then the concierge lounge was room service. We had the Ahi Tuna Burger, which was kind of expensive, but very good.

Misc.
This is a beautiful historic building, and I wish I had taken more photos of the inside and outside. The lobby is comfortable and well designed. The service we received was excellent, and the price was reasonable.

This hotel is currently my favorite downtown area Chicago hotel. Downtown hotels I stayed in prior to this stay were: The Wit, The W Chicago Lakeshore, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, and Holiday Inn Express Magnificent Mile. I have stayed in a few other hotels as well; however, those stays were more than five years before this one, so I did not list them.

There is an entrance to the hotel from Monroe, State, and Wabash. The valet/main entrance is on Monroe Street. It is an easy walk from the Amtrak station, if you do not have a lot of luggage, and if the outside temperature is not too cold.

In addition to the lounge and dining options listed on the hotel website, there is a Starbucks on the bottom floor of the building.