Bismarck, North Dakota / Fairfield Inn & Suites South

April 2013, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom #316

Status perks and check-in

I had reserved a smaller queen guestroom because the king guestroom rates were higher. The Marriott website does not have a place to add comments when making a reservation online, so I called a couple of days before my arrival to ask if a king upgrade and top floor request could be added to my reservation. 

At check-in, the front desk agent said that I had been upgraded to a king guestroom. I also received the standard Platinum bonus points.

Guestroom 316

This guestroom is a smaller king guestroom on the top floor. We probably would have been better off to keep the queen bed guestroom, since there would have been more room in the guestroom with a slightly smaller bed. This hotel also has larger king guestrooms for only $20 more than the guestroom type I had booked. I was seriously disappointed that this hotel would not automatically upgrade a Platinum level guest to that room type when there were not very many guests in this hotel. If our stay had been for any longer than it was, I would have went back to the front desk and paid the difference for the larger room.

Other than the fact that the guestroom was quite small, it looked similar to other Fairfield Inn hotels I have stayed in. There was a small vanity outside the shower area by the door. The shower room contained a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod, the toilet, and bath towels. The towels were good quality.

The bath amenities on the vanity were good quality--Pantene hair products and Vaseline lotion. The vanity overhead light was very dim. I later learned that it was dim because the bulbs were no good. Shortly after we had checked in, the light above the vanity went completely out. I called the front desk, and an employee brought a bulb up. My husband had to climb up to replace the bulb because the employee could not do it. She had only brought one bulb with her, and after my husband removed the cover, we discovered that there were two burned out bulbs. One must have been burned out before we arrived, and the other one went out after we checked in. We did not have her bring another bulb back, although we probably should have. I would guess that the second bulb has not been replaced, unless another guest complained after our stay. As dim as the light was before it went completely out, I do not see how it could be possible for housekeeping not to know that it had not been right before our stay.

There was a very small closet across from the vanity. There was no full length mirror in the guestroom, and the closet door was wood. A folding luggage rack was in the closet; however, there was not really any room for it in the guestroom. We set it up next to the armoire at the foot of the bed, which did not leave us much room to get through. I did not take a photo showing the inside wall and corner like I often do. There was not very much room between the bed and the inside wall, so the corner of the wall came out where the luggage rack was. This also did not leave enough room for the luggage rack along the wall next to the bed.

The armoire at the foot of the bed held a single serve coffee maker with supplies, the ice bucket, and a flatscreen TV. A small fridge and microwave were located between the armoire and work desk. We did not use the microwave, although I wondered how well it would work after I noticed that it was not sitting level. It does not look unlevel from the angle in the photo in this blog; however, we noticed that it was after we sat down across from it. 

There was a desk chair at the desk, and one small chair and a footstool crunched in beside the king bed. There was a nightstand and lamp on each side of the bed. A generic welcome letter was on the bed with a small milk chocolate.

The guestroom was clean for the most part, although I observed a couple of black stains on the sheets.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast the next morning included: imitation scrambled eggs, sausage, hard boiled eggs, Yoplait yogurt, instant oatmeal, cold cereal, breads, cut fruit, whole  fruits--apples, very ripe bananas, and a couple of very sad looking oranges, juices, coffee and tea. I tried a couple of items that I did not think were very good. The hard boiled eggs had been overcooked and were dry. I liked that the bread items included whole wheat bagels until I tried one, and it tasted very sweet. My husband had the eggs, sausage, and toast. We both thought that this breakfast was not as good as the others we had had this week.

Business center
I reprinted one of our boarding passes with no problem. There was a computer and printer in the lobby sitting area across from the front desk.

Overall

We chose this hotel for our last night in North Dakota because it is close to the airport, and I did not see any other hotels in this area. We were not able to return our car the day before, because this hotel does not have shuttle service. We still liked the idea of not having to drive through town to the airport on a Monday morning though.

I do not know why this hotel is called a Fairfield Inn & Suites. There did not appear to be any suites in the hotel. I did not see any on the room diagrams in the guestroom, and I could not find any available when I tried a search for several future dates.

There are several restaurants nearby: McDonalds, Perkins, TGI Fridays, Famous Daves, Applebees, and probably more that I do not recall.

Dickinson, North Dakota / Hampton Inn & Suites

Weekend, 1-night, king suite #431

Status perks and check-in

I made our reservation at this hotel only one day prior to check-in when we decided that we did not want to stay in Williston for two nights. I again requested a studio upgrade on the top floor in my online comments. At check-in, I inquired if we had been able to receive a top floor studio upgrade. The agent said that we were in a regular king guestroom on the 3rd floor. I asked if we could have a studio upgrade to the top floor. After checking the computer, she said yes, and made us new keys.

Guestroom

Déjà vu! This guestroom was very similar to the last two Hampton Inns we had stayed in. The biggest difference in this guestroom was the walk-in shower. We prefer a walk-in shower to a tub/shower, so we loved this difference.

The kitchen area looked sleek with the black cupboards and countertop. The only item not provided was a roll of paper towel like the Minot Hampton Inn had provided.

The desk, bed headboard, and other decor/accessories in the guestroom were also black.

There were roll down shades on the windows, although the shade in the living room area did not come down all of the way. The couch in this guestroom did not have any throw pillows, like The Hampton Inn in Minot.

The guestroom was comfortable; however, it was not as clean as the guestroom at the Minot Hampton Inn. There was not anything seriously wrong with the guestroom cleanliness. It just did not look like as much attention had been given to it.

There were a few maintenance type issues in this guestroom. I talked with the front desk agent about them at checkout, and I expect everything has been corrected by now. 

The most serious thing, for me, was that the guestroom door did not latch properly. After we had gotten settled, I noticed this when I wanted to go join my husband in the pool room. I jiggled, pushed, and pulled the door many different ways, and I could not get it to latch. Nor could I get the deadbolt lock to close from the inside when pressing on the door. When my husband returned to the guestroom, he initially had the same problem. After more persistence by him, he was able to get the door to latch. I was also able to shut the door on my own after he got it working. The door was very heavy, and it must not have been lined up right.

The second thing we encountered, was that the fan on the HVAC unit did not work properly. The unit started, and then it made a horrible loud noise, so we had to turn it off. The outside temperature was comfortable the evening of our stay, so we did not have a high need for air conditioning or heat. 

The last problem was that the table lamp in the living room had a bad connection. The lamp went on and off, and I had to move the cord around to get it to stay on.

When I told the front desk agent about the guestroom problems at checkout, she apologized, and said that she would have the problems taken care of. She then said that she would not charge us for our stay since we had experienced so many issues. She said that she would talk with the manager and email me a new receipt. I said that whatever she could do would be fine. I would have been happy with a discounted or half price room rate, since the problems we encountered did not totally ruin our stay (after my husband fixed the guestroom door).

Breakfast

Food items in the morning included sausage biscuits and gravy, imitation scrambled eggs, canned fruit pieces, fresh whole fruit--apples and bananas, pastries and breads, Yoplait yogurt, cold cereals, oatmeal with many toppings--slivered nuts, different colored raisins, and cinnamon sugar, coffee, tea, three flavors of juice, and two milk choices.

Pool area

The whirlpool tub and pool were both warm, and the area looked clean. The whirlpool tub was a good size.

Fitness center

I did not use the fitness center, although I did get some water from the water cooler in the room. I observed four cardio machines with cardio theater, a weight machine, and hand weights. In addition to the water cooler, the room contained a flatscreen TV, sani-wipes, a scale, and towels.

Business center

The business center contained two computers with a laser printer, a stapler, and miscellaneous office supplies. I did not have any trouble printing our boarding passes and an area map. There was a telephone in the room, although it did not work.

Laundry room

The laundry room was conveniently located below us on floor three. The machines were in good working order, although I thought $2 for a load was expensive. There were two laundry baskets in the laundry room; however, they were not clean.

Area dining

We walked across the street to Sanford's Grub and Pub to eat shortly before 5:00 p.m. The food was acceptable; however, the service was some of the worst I have experienced. Our dining experiences in North Dakota this trip went from one extreme to the other.

We waited a short time for a table when we arrived, even though the restaurant was not very full. I overheard the host ask if a server could take our table, and after she was told no, the host told us that most of the servers do not arrive until 5:00. Waiting for a table was not a big deal; however, the service went rapidly downhill from there. 

After we received our beverages, we did not see our server again for 10 minutes. Two tables of guests who arrived after us had already placed their food orders before our server reappeared. If we had seen another restaurant nearby, other than fast food, we probably would have left instead of waiting.

After we placed our food order, we waited 20 minutes for our food. We had ordered the Hobo sandwich and Pants on Fire burger, so we did not order anything that should have taken a long time to prepare. My husband ordered a second beer while we were waiting for our food, which our server never brought. Someone else brought our food, and when our server checked on us about 10 minutes after that, my husband asked him about his beer. The server brought the beer right away after the second request; however, he offered no apology, and we were almost done eating by then!

We were still at the table after we were done eating, because my husband was finishing his late-served beverage. Our server brought our check and processed it; however, he never cleared away our used plates. Unbelievable! Used plates and debris between us did not make a pleasant atmosphere for us to enjoy our time together.

Based on this experience, I would never dine at a Sanford's Grub and Pub again.  The food was pretty good, although it was not so good that I would think about trying another location. The menu was clever looking; however, this also made it difficult to read. The fact that this restaurant did not have more staff before 5:00 p.m. did not make much sense to me. This restaurant is located near several hotels, and it is located very close to the central time zone, which is one hour earlier.

Overall

When I think about our experiences in Dickinson--the hotel guestroom problems and the dining experience, I am reminded about how much customer experience and perception impacts a business. Because of our dining experience, I will never visit a Sanford's restaurant again. On the other hand, the way our hotel problems were handled gave me a different feeling. It is amazing that one individual can have such an impact on a business's bottom line.

I received an email from the Dickinson Hampton Inn less than 24 hours after checkout with a zero balance folio. I did not expect to receive our stay for no charge, and what this hotel gave me far exceeded my expectations. The fact that they did this, made me think that they take their customers seriously, and therefore, I would want to stay there again the next time I am in the area. 

Williston, North Dakota / Hampton Inn & Suites

April 2013, Weekend, 1-night, king suite #429

Status perks and check-in

I reserved a basic king guestroom, and I received an upgrade to a king suite. I had requested an upgrade online when I made my reservation, and when I viewed my reservation the morning of my arrival, I saw that the hotel had already given me the upgrade.

Guestroom

This guestroom was almost exactly the same as the one I had at the Minot Hampton Inn & Suites. Several pictures and room details are posted in that review. I will list the differences between the two guestrooms in this review.

The kitchen area by the entry was set up the same. The only difference in this area was that this hotel, Williston Hampton Inn, did not provide any paper towels or napkins. The refrigerator setting was ice cold--not frozen, just very cold.

The living room area was also identical, except that there were no throw pillows on the couch. The couch is more comfortable with the pillows.

If you look at both desk photos, you can see that the desk in this guestroom was larger. The work area was excellent. There was also an extra chair in this guestroom next to the bed. The two chairs at the desk were similar to the ones in the Minot guestroom.

The bathroom area also had just a few small differences. The hairdryer in this hotel was not as nice; however, the bathroom amenities also included face wipes, which were not provided at the Hampton Inn in Minot. I was surprised to see mold spots on the inside of the shower curtain. This hotel is not very old, and the area is dry, so it does not seem like mold would be a problem.

Food & Beverage
The standard Hampton Inn breakfast was included with pastries and bread, yogurt, hard boiled eggs,  cold cereals, oatmeal and toppings, fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, milk, juices, coffee and tea. My husband had the imitation scrambled eggs, and I had oatmeal.

Pool & public areas
There is an outside patio area next to the inside pool and whirlpool tub. The patio contained a gas grill and two tables with seats.

Overall & misc.

We had originally planned to stay at this hotel for two nights, and then changed our minds after check-in. There was not anything unsatisfactory about the hotel; the area is just extremely dry and dusty. After we checked out  the next day, and then spent the day in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we were glad that we had changed our plans, so that we were not driving back to Williston since our flight home was from Bismarck in a few days.

Area information
There is not much around this hotel, as it is in a fairly new area. A Buffalo Wild Wings and some other businesses were under construction down the road. BWW was the only recognizable business sign I observed.

There is a Wal-Mart and a Holiday Inn Express located at the north end of town. Several restaurants are located between the Holiday Inn Express and this Hampton Inn. We dined at Don Pedro's Mexican Restaurant located in this area. The food was decent and the service was exceptional! I do not remember the last time that we had such attentive staff members during a meal. I could not find a restaurant web page to post the link. I found a Don Pedros Facebook page; however, it appeared to be inactive without much information. We ordered the Burito Verde and the Camaron Diabla. The portion sizes were huge, and we wished we had split an entree instead of ordering two. 

Minot, North Dakota / Hampton Inn & Suites

April 2013, Weekday, 2-nights, King suite #428

Status perks and check-in

I reserved a basic king guestroom, and I received an upgrade to a  suite. I had requested a suite upgrade in my written comments when I made my reservation online. During check-in, the front desk agent recognized my status, and she told me that she had given me an upgrade to a suite.

Guestroom

I was comfortable at this Minot Hampton Inn, and I loved the guestroom. The bed and pillows were super comfy, and it was comfortable for working.

The kitchen area at the entrance included a small fridge, microwave, sink, single-serve coffee maker with supplies, ice bucket, and a roll of paper towel.

The living area contained a couch with two pillows, footstool/coffee table, end table, and lamps. A long desk with two chairs and a flatscreen TV were located between the sitting and sleeping areas. A lamp, telephone, plenty of outlets, and an ethernet cable were on the desk. The Internet connection worked great.

Nightstands with lamps were located on each side of the king-size bed. An alarm clock and a telephone were also on one of the nightstands.

The bathing area contained a tub/shower combo and the toilet. A decorative shelf on the wall above the toilet held the towels and washcloths. 

A closet with mirrored doors by the vanity contained an iron and board. A Conair hairdryer was in a bag under the sink. 

Basic Hampton Inn bathroom amenities provided on the vanity did not include face wipes or mouthwash. I observed two baskets of good quality bathroom amenities in the hallway outside two guestrooms a few hours after I had checked in. I did not learn the purpose of the baskets, although I wish they had been for me!

Food & Beverage

Breakfast items the first morning: imitation eggs and sausage, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, waffle maker, cold cereals, juices, coffee, tea, and milk--2% and fat-free.

Breakfast the second morning: cheesy omelets, sausage, canadian bacon/ham pieces, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, waffle maker, cold cereals, oatmeal, fresh whole apples, pears, and bananas, juices, coffee, tea, and milk--2% and fat-free. I assume that whole fruits and oatmeal were also out the first morning, and I missed them. 

Cookies were available at the front desk in the afternoon.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained about five cardio machines with cardio theater, a water cooler, hand weights, towels, and sani-wipes. The temperature was cool, which was just right for working out.

Overall and misc.

The drive into this hotel is located exactly where my GPS thought the hotel was located, although the hotel building is located a bit farther up the drive. It is barely visible when arriving from the South, and there is not a hotel sign at the entrance drive. I was glad I saw the hotel and turned in when I arrived, because there is only one entrance into the parking lot.

I stayed in three newer Hampton Inns in North Dakota this trip, and they were all similar to this one. I thought the room at this hotel was the cleanest and nicest of the three. The other reviews will be posted soon.

Area dining
I saw a billboard for the Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in front of the Hampton Inn, so I had sushi there one afternoon. The restaurant is located near the Dakota Square Mall, a few miles south of the Hampton Inn. The food was excellent; however, the service was terrible. The server never smiled, and she did not checkback with me during the meal. The host seemed annoyed when I asked if I could have a larger table to do some work while dining. There were many tables available when I arrived around 1:30 p.m., so when she started to seat me at a small table barely big enough for two, I asked if I could have a larger table. It was not like I had made this request when the restaurant was filled with noontime lunch-goers.

I dined at the Olive Garden in Minot, which is also located in the mall area near Sakura. The food and service were both good, and I had a new experience at this restaurant. The server offered me two free generous wine samples. He said that they are allowed to give three samples per guest. I did not request a third sample, although I am sure he would given it to me, if I had asked. It has been awhile since I ate at Olive Garden, so I do not know if all their restaurants offer this, or if it depends on the area. I was done working for the day when I stopped there, so I enjoyed the samples!

Jimmy Johns, and a Pizza restaurant called Spicy Pie, which also serves beer, are within walking distance of the Hampton Inn.

Grand Forks, North Dakota / SpringHill Suites

April 2013, Weekday, 2-nights, King guestroom #424

Platinum perks and check-in

I received the standard Platinum perks; the agent asked if I wanted points or something from the gift shop. She then asked how many keys I wanted, and I was on my way.

sunset from guestroom

Guestroom 424

This is a newer SpringHill Suites, and I liked the chic style. There was a large sectional couch in the living area with a tall 2-piece coffee table, lamps, and a desk and chair. The lighting was good, and the furniture in this area was the most comfortable hotel furniture I have experienced. It was very easy and comfortable to sit and work on the couch with the different pillows and the 2-piece table, which could be slid under the couch to use for a desktop.

Minneapolis airport / MSP - Lindbergh Terminal

April 2013

I only visited C and D concourses at MSP this trip. One thing I always like about this airport are the nice wide moving walkways in concourse C, which makes it very easy to maneuver around passengers if you are in a hurry.

The shopping mall area at the head of E and F concouse is a great place to shop and dine, if you have some time to kill while in this airport.

If you are a fan of coupons, there is a discount coupon book available in the Minneapolis airport. It has several dining and shopping discounts. Many of the coupons in the April booklet were for free kids meals. Examples of other coupons in the booklet were $1 off a combo meal or a beverage or chips at places like Arby's, Charley's, Subway, and LaBrea Bakery. I used a 10% discount coupon at TGI Fridays. It wasn't much of a discount, although it did help reduce the high airport prices a little! There were shopping and service coupons in the booklet as well.

April coupon booklet

The coupons books are available at the information centers and airport kiosks. I have picked up the booklet a few times before, and it seems like the coupons change every month, with the cover staying pretty much the same.

There are two Delta Sky Clubs in MSP. I visited the one in C concourse, next to Fridays near gate C12 this trip. I was in the club at F/G concourse by Chili's about a month ago. Both clubs are comfortable. The bar in the club in C concourse is self-serve, and the bar is staffed in the club by Chili's.

I think MSP is one of the nicer airports that I travel through. It is clean, well laid out and well lit, and it is never too crowded.

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Holiday Inn Express - Grand Rapids South

March 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King executive guestroom #314

Status perks and check-in

I had reserved the least expensive guestroom, which was a room with two queen beds. The client I was working for on this trip had requested that I get a guestroom for under $100, and the king rooms at this hotel were over $100. Other nearby hotel choices with rooms around $100 were the Comfort Inn and Baymont Inn & Suites. I had a very poor experience at the Baymont Inn in Muskegon (nasty, filthy hotel), which was my only experience at a Baymont Inn. Because of that stay, I will probably never stay in one of their hotels. I also collect PCR points, so I chose the Holiday Inn Express.

My IHG profile lists king executive room as my preference, and I also requested this along with a top floor guestroom, when I made the reservation. It appeared that staff had read my request for a top floor guestroom, and ignored my request for a king and/or executive guestroom, because I was initially assigned a 2-queen bed guestroom on the 4th/top floor. This hotel was not very full the night of my stay, and IHG Platinum benefits clearly say: Complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability), so I inquired whether an executive room, or at least a king room was available. After the agent had a conversation with the other front desk agent, and they checked the computer, I was assigned a king executive room on the third floor.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to the guestroom I had been assigned, and there was a family (parents and a small child) inside! I apologized, and returned to the front desk. One of the agents called the guestroom to request the name of the guest in the room. She then apologized to the person who had answered the telephone; however, I thought her tone was more matter-of-fact than sincere, and no one apologized to me. I heard the agents talking as though this was not the first time this had happened. After re-checking the computer, they also looked in a countertop file before reassigning me to guestroom 314.

The front desk agent did not recognize my status or thank me for being a loyal member.

Guestroom
The guestroom was a typical extended or executive type Holiday Inn Express guestroom. It was spacious, comfortable, and clean. We did not hear any noise from outside the guestroom, or from the floor above. I am not sure if this had more to do with the fact that the hotel was not very full, than it did with the soundproofing quality of the room. 



The spacious bathroom contained a long vanity with mirror, standard Holiday Inn Express bathroom amenities, and a low quaility hairdryer. The bathtub/shower combination had a curved rod with a shower curtain.

The closet in the entrance had a mirrored door, and it contained an iron, ironing board, and bedding on the shelf. The beverage area near the entrance included a sink, coffee maker with supplies, microwave, and small fridge. 

The living area looked like the photos on the hotel website: couch, coffee table, end tables, lamps, soft chair, and table with chair against the wall next to the beverage center. The chair at the table in the living area was a desk chair, like the one in the bedroom area.

The bedroom contained a king size bed, suitcase bench, flatscreen TV on an armoire, desk and chair, soft chair, night stands, and lamps. The bed was more comfortable than some Holiday Inn Expresses I have stayed in.

The only problem in the guestroom was the TV. The TV channels had not been programmed, and the process would not successfully complete when we tried to fix this. Engineering fixed it while we were gone that evening. The engineer heard us talking to the agents at the front desk about this when we were on our way out. He talked with us for a moment, and he had left a note in the guestroom when we returned. He was the most professional employee we encountered at this hotel. Also, the TV was not comfortably visible from the couch.

The Internet connection speed in the guestroom was very good. The guestroom was well lit with plenty of electrical outlets.

Food & Beverage
I did not go down for breakfast, although my husband brought me back a cheesy omelet, which tasted fine. We had brought our own coffee, since I do not like the quality of the Smart Roast coffee at Holiday Inn Express. Our coffee, with their cream, was perfect.

Business center
There was one computer and a printer in the lobby at this hotel. A guest was using the computer when I went down to print a document I needed in the morning. After waiting over five minutes, I asked him if he was going to be long. I said that I just needed to print something, and then I would be done. He said that he was almost done. I waited another 10 minutes while he browsed Facebook and such. I did not try to see what he was doing; however, this computer is not set up in a private area, and the computer screen was easily visible to anyone walking by or talking with him (as I did to ask how long it would be). 

After waiting 15 minutes, I was not even able to print my document because the printer did not work. After trying to fix this myself, I asked the front desk agent if she knew how to fix the error message. I do not recall the message, although it was not an error I had ever seen before. She did not know anything. When I looked at the documents in queue, I saw that I had not been the only guest trying to print something that morning. The agent did not sound concerned when I showed this to her.

We drove by the Comfort Suites on the way to my meeting, so I decided to stop and see if I could use their printer. The front desk agent let me in the business center with a master key, and guess what--their printer did not work either!

Overall
Other than the engineer, I did not think the staff at this hotel were professional or helpful. The manager had also walked behind the desk while I was checking in, and she did not make eye contact with me, smile, or assist the other two employees in any way. 

This hotel has a small scale inside water park, which I expect draws weekend family travelers. Several guests who reviewed this hotel on TripAdvisor (family and business travelers) reported similar staff experiences to what I encountered.

Although the guestroom was comfortable and clean, this hotel was not ideal for my business stay. The only other business hotel in this area was the Hyatt Place, which was another five miles away, and the guestrooms were over $100. I am sure that the rate is worth it; it just did not fit within the guidelines I had been asked to follow.