Grand Rapids, Michigan: Embassy Suites Downtown

April 2019, 1-night, weekend, king balcony riverview #740

We had initially planned to stay at this hotel on April 19th with points after the grand opening. At the last minute, we won tickets to a show at 20 Monore Live, and learned this hotel was opening before the grand opening day with a staycation discounted rate for Facebook followers. We booked that rate, and stayed here the first weekend in April before the grand opening instead.

Looking out of guestroom 740 Embassy Suites Grand Rapids

Diamond perks and check-in

I was able to reserve a balcony riverview room with the promotional rate when I made the reservation. I chose my room when I checked in on the app before we arrived, although the hotel floor plan was not loaded yet, so it was difficult to decide which room to choose. I have included a room diagram photo farther down in this post for reference. The check-in process when we arrived was professional and efficient.

Bedroom and balcony guestroom 740 Embassy Suites Grand Rapids

King balcony riverview guestroom 740

We loved this guestroom! It was comfortable, well insulated, the view was fabulous, and it there are several extra features in the guestroom, and in this hotel.

Nightstand showing features in guestroom 740

Some of the cool features we liked in the guestroom:

Bay City and Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Riverwalk Trail, Lumber Barons Brewery, Tavern 101, Soaring Eagle Casino...

March 2019, weekdays-weekend

Walking south from the DoubleTree along Saginaw River

Recreation: trails, parks, boating

Bay County Riverwalk Trail runs along both sides of Saginaw River, around Bay City, and as far north as the state park. Future plans include connections to BayZil Rail Trail on the south, and Pere Marquette Rail Trail to the west. I could not find information about when the connections will be completed.

Bay City, Michigan: DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City Riverfront

March 2019, weekend, one-night, king riverview guestroom 602

Diamond perks and check-in

My room had been upgraded to a king riverview guestroom when I checked in on the app, so I chose a guestroom on the top floor. I also received bottled water and breakfast for two. The agent at the front desk said that if I wanted more water, to just let them know.

Sunset view from guestroom 602

King riverview guestroom 602

I chose this guestroom because it is on the top floor at the end of the hall. It is actually a tad smaller than the other guestrooms, because it has a small notch out of the corner, which I had not noticed in the app floor plan. This is easily visible on the guestroom diagram below. Guestroom 630 at the opposite end of the hall looks a tad bigger, so I plan to chose that guestroom, if it is available for our next stay.

Guestroom diagram from back of door

One nice thing about guestroom 602 is that the elevator that goes to the pool area and fitness center is at this end of the hall.

Another view from guestroom 602

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Hampton Inn

March 2019, weekday, one-night, king studio guestroom 337

Diamond perks and check-in

This hotel has three diamond member parking spaces near the entrance, and two were available when we arrived. During check-in, the front desk agent offered me an item from the snack choices on the counter. We received an upgrade to a king studio on the top floor at the end of the hall, which is exactly my preference; I had booked a standard king guestroom.

Hampton Inn Mt. Pleasant guestroom 337

King studio 337

This spacious guestroom was clean, comfortable, well-lit, and the sleep quality was excellent. Our only minor disappointment with the guestroom was the small window. When we first entered, and observed drapes covering the entire outside wall, we were excited and expected a large window behind the drapes. The drapes gave the room an inviting feel, which turned to disappointment when we saw the small window. Not really that big of a deal, though--we otherwise absolutely loved this guestroom!

Hampton Inn Mt. Pleasant guestroom 337

Warsaw, Indiana: Holiday Inn Express

March 2019, weekday, one-night, king executive guestroom 329

Lounge on the third floor.

Platinum perks and check-in

Check-in time at this hotel is 3:00 PM, and I arrived before 2:00. There is a spacious lounge on floor three where I sat to work until after 3:30 PM. I then moved to the empty breakfast room to wait for my room. Even though check-in time is 3:00 PM, and staff knew I was waiting, I was not able to check-in until 4:35 PM. No one apologized for the delay, or even mentioned it. Neither agent recognized my status. I did not ask about my 500 welcome amenity points, because I usually do not have a problem receiving this. So far, I have submitted two inquiries about my missing points to IHG, because I have not received them yet (they did not answer my first inquiry correctly; apparently the person had not actually read my note).

Sunset from guestroom 329 at Holiday Inn Express Warsaw.
Hacienda Mexican restaurant visible, if you enlarge the photo.

Guestroom 329

I am not sure why the king guestrooms at this hotel are titled as executive rooms on their website, because this is a basic Holiday Inn Express king guestroom. It had the same amenities and furnishings as the Holiday Inn Express in Wabash: clothes hangers, a folding luggage rack, iron and ironing board, small fridge, microwave, K-cup coffeemaker with supplies, work desk and chair, flatscreen TV on a dresser, full-length mirror, soft chair with footstool, and nightstands beside the king size bed.

View of guestroom 329 from entrance area.

Wabash, Indiana: Holiday Inn Express

March 2019, weekday, one-night, king guestroom 305

Sunset from guestroom 305 at Holiday Inn Express Wabash

Platinum perks and check-in

I received a pre-arrival telephone call from the hotel on the morning of my arrival day. The entrance to this hotel is a tad tricky, and the representative who called left a message about where the hotel is located. I arrived before check-in time, expecting to work on my laptop in the lobby until my room was ready. My key packet had already been prepared, and my room was ready. The agent recognized my status, confirmed my welcome points, offered me a bottle of water, and cheerily let me check-in early.

King guestroom 305 at Holiday Inn Express Wabash

King guestroom 305

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the end of the hall; exactly my profile preference.  The room was clean, spacious, and comfortable.

Carnival Conquest ports of call: Nassau, Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove

February 2019, ports from 6-day cruise on Carnival Conquest

Docked in Nassau; view from front of ship overlooking serenity deck.

This is a brief post about our ports of call from Carnival Conquest. We have previously visited most of these ports, and we did not book any shore excursions this trip. Click on the labels at the bottom of this post for more information about places of interest. You can also find additional photos with information in the Carnival Conquest Facebook album, and information about the cruise in the cruise blog post.

View from our balcony, cabin 7405, while docked in Nassau.

Nassau, Bahamas: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Nassau was our first port of call after one day at sea. Since this was a busy cruise with a port of call almost every day, and we will be returning to Nassau before the end of the year, we decided to enjoy the view and silence from serenity deck for most of the day. Later in the day, we got off the ship for a short time to look around. There were three ships docked during our visit, and it was easy to disembark and return to the ship. We observed an outdoor market with items for sale inside the port area, and the area outside the port was similar to other ports we have visited: shopping, dining, and vendors trying to sell excursions, and such. Returning to the ship, we noticed a sign for guests boarding Disney about bringing wine and alcohol on board. It said guests are allowed to bring one bottle of alcohol and wine on. Carnival guests are not allowed to do that at any of the ports of call. Carnival guests can bring one bottle of wine on only from the home port at the start of the cruise.