Grand Rapids, Michigan / JW Marriott

February 2011, Weekend, King concierge corner guestroom

Status perks

I used a free night certificate and had Gold status during this stay. It was a Saturday night, we received an upgrade to the concierge floor, and the lounge was open on the weekend.

Guestroom

The concierge floors are on floors 19 - 23, and the concierge lounge is on the 23rd floor.

We received a corner river view room on the 20th floor. The room was in the same location as when we stayed at this hotel a couple years ago, except it was on a higher floor. I had Silver status during that stay, and we did not receive a concierge floor room then.

River view when looking straight down

The view from the room was great, and the room was comfortable. It contained a chaise lounge sofa and a soft straight-backed chair, along with the desk and chair. The bed was supremely comfortable, and the room was soundproof. There was even a soundproofing strip on the bottom of the door.

A laptop safe was located in a drawer in the beverage area outside of the bathroom. The beverage center included a single-serve coffeemaker with good quality coffee and a mini fridge. I was surprised that  liquid creamer was not provided. I was sure that had been provided the last time that we stayed in this hotel. Because this was a concierge floor room, there were two bathrobes for use in the closet, and two small bottles of complimentary water were provided.

The bathroom was large, although the counter space was limited. There was a full size bathtub, and I loved the large walk in marble shower. The bedroom floor was carpet, the bathroom floor was marble, and the floor outside the bathroom--between the bedroom area and door, was wood. Everything in the room was high quality and tastefully decorated.

Concierge lounge

We did not have any food or beverages except in the concierge lounge. I saw a sign stating that lounge access could be purchased for $25. I don't know if that was per person or per room. Beer and wine was included in the evening, and mixed drinks were available for purchase. Snacks included cheeses, crackers, sushi, pot stickers, and egg rolls. All of the hot items were not set out at once; items were refilled or replaced as they became empty. The food in the morning included cut fruits, yogurt, granola, cold cereal, salmon, bagels, breads, and pastries. Available beverages were coffee, cappuccino, espresso, orange and cranberry juices, and milk.

Overall & misc.

This is one of my favorite Marriott hotels, and we already have another reservation here in a few months. The downtown skywalk is accessible from the hotel. Self-parking was $16 per night.

Carnival Glory cruise -- 7-night Exotic Western Caribbean from Miami

Carnival Glory;
photo taken from our excursion boat in Belize

Check-in at port of Miami

This was our first experience with kiosk check-in. I had not noticed that our boarding document said "kiosk ready" on it before we arrived. Two Carnival representatives were greeting and directing guests to two different lines. They were also providing zone number cards. We arrived around 11:30 a.m., and received a Zone 7 card. One check-in line was for guests with kiosk ready boarding passes, and the line on the left was for other guests. After checking in and scanning our passports at the kiosk, we received a receipt from the machine with a window number for our cabin key pick up. Our receipt was for window number one. There was no line, and we were immediately greeted and given room keys. We sat down to wait, and our zone was called about 30 - 40 minutes later. We were on board the ship around 12:30 p.m.

When we had first arrived at the port, we noticed guests who rushed right past the Carnival representatives instead of waiting to speak with them. They were in such a hurry to get in line, they paid for it later. While we were waiting for our zone number to be called after check-in, we observed guests being redirected to the other line (they had chosen the incorrect kiosk or non-kiosk line in their haste). And, some guests did not have zone number cards because they had not waited to speak with a representative when arriving (we had to wait briefly behind four or five guests when we arrived). When these guests noticed the zone numbers, they asked what they were for, and what time certain guests had arrived (yes, some of them asked us what time we had arrived). Then, the guests without numbers expected Carnival to give them a low number (or, they expected guests like us who had a low number to include them in our group). They claimed that a representative was not greeting guests when they arrived, which was untrue. I always observed at least one representative greeting guests from the time we arrived until we boarded. There was only one representative when we first arrived, and the second representative returned to a his post a few seconds after we stood in line to wait. We were glad to see that the Carnival representatives were not providing already called zone numbers to the complaining guests.

Cabin 7442, balcony, category 8M

We had an aft cabin extended balcony room. The balcony is much deeper than the aft cabin balcony we had on the Legend; however, the room is smaller. There was no couch, and there was only one chair with the table. There was room for two chairs, so I did not understand why only one was provided.

Carnival Glory cabin 7442

There were two chairs and a lounger on the balcony, which was great! Unfortunately, I do not have any good balcony photos to share.

Carnival Glory cabin 7442

Food & Beverage

The food on this ship included the same offerings that I wrote about in my Freedom post from December 15, 2010.

There were a couple differences, which I will list here. There is a burrito bar on the opposite side of the ship from the deli counter. It was similar to the deli: You waited in line to special order any type of dry burrito desired. My husband had a shrimp burrito, which he said was great. If there was a burrito bar on the Freedom, we missed it. The sushi bar on this ship was open every evening from 5:00 - 8:15 p.m., instead of just a few nights. This was not listed in the Fun Times each day; however, I observed a sign stating the hours.

Miami, Florida / MIA airport -- Marriott

Status perks

I did not receive any recognition or perks at check-in. I had filled out the Virtual Concierge form prior to arrival, requesting a fridge and room on the concierge floor. Near the end of the check-in process, I asked if my room was on the concierge floor, and the agent said yes.

Room

We stayed in the south tower on floor seven, which is where the concierge lounge is located. Floors eight and nine are also concierge floors. The lounge was not open on the weekend, although our key allowed us access to the lounge and business area inside when we first arrived. The guestroom was a basic Marriott room, and the fridge I had requested was in the corner. The room was not very big. The ice bucket was on a small table next to the dresser, and the coffee maker was in the dresser under the TV. It was not plugged in or useable where it was located. We took the coffee maker out, and found just enough room for it on the the dresser next to the TV, where a plug was located. There was one 10 oz bottle of water in the room when we arrived, and housekeeping left another one on stayover.

The north tower looked like an older building, and the bottom floor smelled musty when we walked through that tower, which is next to the pool area. The rooms in the north tower had two window panes of glass, and the rooms in the south tower had three.  The rooms looked like they were the same size; there was just more window area in the south tower rooms. The bed in our guestroom was comfortable, and the room was sound proof. We did not experience much airplane or hallway noise during the 2-night stay. The room was clean at check-in; however, we encountered a few minor housekeeping oversights. We only had one coffee cup, one creamer, and a used bar of soap from a previous guest had not been removed from the shower. All of these things were taken care of when housekeeping attended to our room after the first night. None of the rooms at this hotel have a balcony, and the windows do not open. The heating system was easily adjustable and quiet. I do wish I could have turned it off overnight though, instead of trying to find a comfortable temperature.

Food & Beverage

We had a sandwich and drinks at Cane Fire Grill the night we arrived. The turkey sandwich on sourdough bread was fresh, good quality, and large enough to share. The service we received was not as good as expected. We did not have any real complaints, although usually when we sit at the bar, the bartenders are more social and attentive about offering refills.

We dined at Champions Sports Bar in the adjoining Marriott Courtyard the second evening. The service in Champions was great--and, we were served at a table by the bartender! I would not recommend any of the food that we tried. This was definitely a sports bar atmosphere and food offerings. Since the bartender highly recommended the Mahi Mahi sandwich, and the bar was located in a Marriott, we expected better quality. We did not think either food item was worth $12.95. The Mahi Mahi sandwich consisted of one small overcooked fillet, which did not come close to covering the bun. The Mahi Mahi in the fish tacos was overcooked as well, and the flour shells were stale. The atmosphere and seating were both comfortable, and we would visit Champions again for drinks.

There is a Starbucks located in the Marriott, and a hotel employee had told us it was a "regular" Starbucks, so we expected to get breakfast sandwiches there one morning. When we arrived, we learned that this location only serves muffins and pastries. We had breakfast at the Latino restaurant next door, which was an excellent choice! Most of the menu items included coffee, toast, hash browns [called "The Works"] for $10; however, you could also get just an omelet or scrambled eggs with ham for under $5!

hot tub beyond pool; north tower on left

Pool & outside areas

wicker chairs; Residence Inn beyond

The pool located at the Marriott is also used by guests at the adjoining Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn across the parking lot. Even though there was not a lot of seating around the pool, the area was never overcrowded. There was a large area with additional lounge chairs and tables outside the pool gate.  The pool area was shaded most of the day since it is on the north side of the building. The expanded seating area outside the pool gate, near the Courtyard hotel, provided shaded and sunny seating and lounge chairs. The furniture was nice looking dark brown wicker furniture that usually is accompanied with chair cushions. Since there were not any cushions on any of the pool chairs, the seating was very uncomfortable. There were several sitting chairs with cushions under a roof overhang outside the Marriott Courtyard, which were comfortable.

pool on left; more lounge chairs straight ahead

Fitness Center

Marriott left, Courtyard right; fitness center under red roof

The fitness center is located in the Courtyard hotel, near the pool. I did not use the center, although I could see it was a large glassed room with more than 10 cardio machines. The location didn't seem like it would be too much of an inconvenience from the Marriott as long as it wasn't raining.

Overall & Misc.
We were very happy with the comfort of our stay, since I had discovered a great rate of $114 (this was a promotion code rate, which also earned points and status). I think we would have been disappointed, if the rate had been more than $125. I was glad this was not my first Marriott experience as a Gold member because I would have been seriously disappointed. I would have wondered what the appeal is. I had experienced more impressive reception, recognition, and perks as a Gold member prior to this stay.

We waited over 20 minutes for the "every 15 minutes" shuttle bus when we arrived at the airport. I ended up sitting on my husband's lap, and there were more guests who had to wait for the next shuttle. The shuttle was picking up guests for the Marriott, Courtyard, and Residence Inn. Lucky for us, it dropped off at the Marriott first!

There is a Winn Dixie, Walgreens, K-Mart, Payless Shoes, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and a few more businesses in a shopping center less than a mile from the hotel. Other than the fast food restaurants, and the Latino restaurant where we ate breakfast, there is not much dining nearby.

Grand Rapids, Michigan / GRR airport -- SpringHill Suites by Marriott

Status perks

I did not receive any extra perks as a Gold member. In fact, the agent did not even mention my status or thank me for being a loyal member at check-in. 

Room

The room was a basic SpringHill Suites room with a sitting area and comfortable bed. It was a bit smaller than some SpringHill Suites I have stayed in. There was a couch, chair, and table with desk chair in the sitting area. There was a small fridge, microwave, and sink in the corner. A partial wall provided minimal separation between the sitting area and bedroom. A large flat screen TV on the dresser was visible from the living area and the bed. There was plenty of room in the bathroom and vanity area, although the toilet was positioned very close to the shower.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast is included with the room rate. This hotel also has a small lobby bar, which is an unusual extra for a SpringHill Suites. We did not visit the bar, although we had breakfast in the morning. There were breads, pastries, cereals, fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas), yogurt, scrambled egg squares, sausage patties, milk, and juices. All of the items were fresh and hot.

Pool

This hotel has an indoor pool and hot tub. There were several comfortable lounge chairs and a few small tables around the pool. The hot tub was hot, and the area was clean.

Fitness center

There were two or three cardio machines in the fitness center. The door was propped open with the trash can when we arrived, and the next day as well. A sign on the door offered an apology for the fitness center being closed; however, it did not appear to be closed. I observed guests using the equipment every time we walked by.   

Shuttle

We signed up for the 8:30 AM shuttle the evening we checked in. Fortunately, we had opted for the early choice rather than 9:00 AM, because the 8:30 shuttle was over 10 minutes late, and then it made a stop on the way to the airport. I usually expect to arrive at the airport 10 - 15 minutes later than the shuttle time we schedule. We arrived at the airport at 8:53 AM. The driver did not acknowledge or apologize for the delay. When we called for pick-up from the airport after returning, the agent told us to take a cab and the hotel would pay for it. This was great--we arrived back at our vehicle in their lot in record time!

March 2012, Weekday, 1-night, King suite #326

I have stayed at this hotel a few times, and every room and experience has been pretty much the same except this guestroom, so I am providing some information about this room--I would avoid it!

Room 326 is located on the top floor next to the elevator. I could hear the elevator, although that noise was minimal. In fact, if that had been the only issue with the room, I would have considered the room acceptable, even though I usually prefer rooms farther down the hall.

This room had a strong smoke smell--after we got settled, and not constant. The elevators are located near the hotel entrance door from the back parking lot. The only thing I could figure this might have been from, is that guests were smoking outside the back door. Fortunately, the smell was only in the sitting area and not the sleeping area of the guestroom.

The second problem with this room is that the window looks out over the lower floor pool and fitness center roof. Not only did this obstruct the view, it also caused a lot of noise when it rained the evening of our stay. I like rain and storms; however, the way the rain ran down the drains around the roof was so loud it kept me up that evening. 

Marco Island, Florida -- Marriott Beach Resort

Status perks

We stayed at this hotel a few years ago when I had Silver status, and other than the fact that I received free Internet this visit, I did not notice anything extra as a Gold member. There is not a concierge floor at this property, and I did not receive any breakfast coupons or other perks.

view from guestroom on floor 5 in Marriott Marco Island

Room

We received a room on the 5th floor with a partial gulf view. This is the same type of room we had last  time except that it was a few rooms closer toward the water, so the view was slightly better. The bed and couch were both comfortable, and the room amenities were good quality--the bathroom soaps and shampoos, as well as the coffee and creamer. The room had a good sized balcony and two chairs (this was standard for all the rooms), a nice safe--which was large enough to hold a laptop, and a small fridge. I liked the separate corner area for the coffee with additional storage. The room was spacious, and there was a very large closet near the bathroom. The only area that was kind of small was the bathroom where the toilet and tub/shower were located. The sink area outside the bathroom by the closet was spacious as well.

sunset from Quinn's

Food & Beverage

We had drinks and seafood tacos at Quinn's on the Beach one evening. The temperature was cool, so the bar was not crowded, and we had a perfect sunset view. Although the beverages were expensive--like most everything else at this resort--the quality was good. A female musician provided guitar music and sang. We had drinks in the lobby bar one evening, which I liked even better. The seating in the lobby bar was comfortable and chic. Free deluxe snacks were served, and food items were available for purchase. We had bagels for breakfast at the cafe one morning. The quality, selection, and pricing was comparable to any bagel/coffee shop.

Carnival Freedom -- 6-night Western Caribbean Cruise

Carnival Freedom from shore excursion

Check-in

This was one of the smoothest check-in processes we have experienced. We took a cab from a cruise port hotel around noon. Our driver was able to pull right up to the luggage drop off spot at Port Everglades, and we walked inside after leaving our bags with the porters. We wove through a couple of line mazes, went through security, and were on board in about an hour. I noticed that the line had become quite long shortly after we boarded, although it still moved along quickly.

Carnival Freedom interior cabin 1021

Interior cabin 1021, category 4H

We usually book a balcony room; however, this was an extra cruise for us, so we went for the lowest category inside cabin--at a rock bottom rate. We booked the Early Saver rate, and saw two price drops before our cruise. One price drop was showing all inside cabins for the same price, so we were able to move up to the 10th/Panorama deck. This was still an inside cabin, but better than the bottom of the ship! There is a front balcony on this floor, which can only be accessed through the cabin hallway, so many guests do not know about it. It's not a place to hang out, since there were not any chairs or anything, although it was a great place to view the port as the ship was arriving and leaving.

Carnival Freedom interior cabin 1021

The room was quite small. In fact, our son's room, #2212, was much larger than our room. Our cabin had the basic storage space and bathroom; there just wasn't any sitting room. The foot of the bed almost hit the vanity, and there was barely room to sit on a chair in front of the vanity. We could not walk by the foot of the bed, if someone was sitting in the chair.

Food & Beverage

The food and beverages were very good, as always. I think the free champagne Carnival serves at events is lower quality than what we received on prior cruises. They used to serve Korbel, which I like. I did not like the complimentary champagne served on this cruise. For dinner, the three of us were seated at a table by ourselves in the dining room, which we found disappointing. This happened to us last time we cruised together after Thanksgiving, too. The Maitre'd says this is because there are so many families cruising this time of year. We like each other; however, we also like to meet new people. We think the dining experience is part of the fun. We ate breakfast in the dining room almost every morning, so we did get to meet and socialize with some guests this way. I prefer the dining room menu for breakfast, although my husband likes being able to get special order omelets at the buffet. The dining room breakfast menu only offers a ham and cheese omelet. The dining room is open for lunch on sea days with open seating. We ate lunch in the dining room one day, and it was very good. Lobster was served in the dining room for dinner on the first formal night.

One of the days that we were in port, we arrived back at the ship around noon, and ate at the Mongolian Wok, which is similar to BD's Mongolian Barbeque. The flavors were great, and the line wasn't too long. We ate at the Deli when we returned to the ship ahead of most of the guests on another port day. We are early risers, and are often done on shore before the crowds. There is a menu to order from at the Deli, and you can also make special requests to add or remove an item--such as cheese, or ask for a cold sandwich to be grilled. I requested Swiss cheese for the turkey wrap I ordered. The wrap was jalapeno flavored and wasn't very spicy, which was fine with me. I thought the sandwich was very good.

Many guests are not aware of Fish & Chips on the 10th deck at the back of the ship, so we dined there for lunch on a sea day because there was never a line. Other seafood is available, along with the fish and chips.

Merrillville, Indiana / Hilton Garden Inn

Status perks

I was initially downgraded at this hotel. I had reserved a suite because the rate was good, and I was staying three nights. I had written in my comments that if I could be upgraded to a Jacuzzi suite, that would be great. (My husband was coming to visit over the weekend, and he likes having a Jacuzzi). When I checked in, the agent told me I had been upgraded to a Jacuzzi room, and I said great. I asked him if this was also a one bedroom suite, like I had reserved, and he said yes. I received two bottles of water as well.

Room

When I got to my room, it looked like a regular size hotel room with a tub in the sleeping area--there was no living room. I looked at the room diagram on the back of the door, and saw that the room I was in was indeed a regular sized room, and that the suites were larger rooms. I returned to the front desk, and the agent told me that there are no Jacuzzi tubs in the suites; only in the hotel rooms. He said they are the same size rooms anyway. I told him I had reserved and paid for a suite, so I wanted a suite instead. After looking on the computer, he was able to give me a handicap suite, which was much larger than the first hotel room I had been in! When I looked at the hotel rooms more closely online after getting settled in my room, I saw that the hotel rents a standard room, Jacuzzi room, and suite--with pricing from low to high, in that order. So, the hotel was actually "upgrading" me to a lower priced room, which I had been told was the same size as a suite. I'm glad I was paying attention that day!

There was not an actual door separating the bedroom from the living area, although there was a short hall with the bathroom between the two rooms. I wish there had been a bedroom door because the guestroom doors in the hallway slammed loudly, if the guest did not slow the door down when entering or exiting a room. I thought the hallway noise was very distracting and annoying. There was a couch and soft chair in the living room as well as a desk and chair. I did not think the couch was comfortable, although the Sleep Number bed was great.

Food & Beverage

We had dinner in the restaurant one evening and did not end up paying for one of the meals because they were not cooked right. My medium steak was served tough and well done. I had already eaten my salad and did not feel confident that a second steak would be any better, so I just sent the steak back. My husband's burger was also overcooked; however, we decided to share it since we were hungry and didn't feel like going out that evening. The menu prices and options  on the menu in the guestroom did not match the menu in the dining room. Our server told us the room menus were supposed to have been replaced. The service was acceptable and nothing more.

Business center

The business center was a typical HGI center with "on demand" printing available and miscellaneous office supplies.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained several working cardio machines. There was a TV, although the remote was missing both times that I used the center.