Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Grand Rapids, Michigan -- Radisson

Status perks
I am a Goldpoints Plus member; however, since I don't usually stay at Radisson hotels, and I am only a basic member, I did not expect to receive any perks. I was pleasantly surprised when we both received a river view room. We were traveling with friends, and had chosen this hotel because a mutual friend was playing in the band the evening of our stay. We had both booked the least expensive non-view room. 

Room
The room was a basic king-bed hotel room with a river view. The room contained a sleep number bed, which was comfortable. I did not think the couch was comfortable. The Internet connection speed was fast, and the desk seating was comfortable and easily adjustable. The flat screen TV in the room was huge--it must have been 42". I was glad that the carpet in the room looked new, since this is an older building, and some of the public areas needed to be refreshed. One bottle of water was provided in the room. The coffee amenities were good quality and included liquid cream, although I did not think the bathroom amenities were high quality. I do not recall the brand name as it was not a name I recognized. I used the shampoo and conditioner, and both items were watery. I was happy we were assigned a room on the top floor--as I had requested when making the reservation--and, a room next door to the friends we were traveling with.

Food & Beverage
We had deluxe nachos in the lounge, and would not recommend this item. The flavor was bland, and the food quality was poor. The service in the lounge, and in the restaurant the next morning, was excellent! We had not planned to have breakfast at the hotel; however, we received free breakfast coupons with our room. Without the coupons, the breakfast buffet costs $7.55 per person. A fresh omelet station was available, and the chef provided excellent service as well. Fresh fruit and fresh bread was available on the buffet. The hot items on the buffet--scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc.--did not look fresh or appetizing. The coffee served in the restaurant was good quality. Coffee was also available for hotel guests in the lobby by the restaurant entrance.

Pool & public areas
We walked into the pool area, but opted not to return with our suits because there were MANY children in the pool and the area was quite noisy. The large whirlpool was filled with young kids--even though a posted sign stated that kids 12 and under were not allowed. The sauna and fitness center were located in the pool area. The door to the fitness center was open, which seemed like it would make the room too hot for exercising. 

The interior hall outside the pool area smelled musty and unclean. The carpet in this area was extremely stained and dingy looking. Both elevators looked old and unclean. The elevator closest to the front desk was slow and noisy.

The Women's restroom near the lounge and restaurant needed to be cleaned the entire evening we were at the lounge. There was tissue and debris on the floor when we first arrived, and no one attended to the restroom that evening.

Overall
This was a great stay for the evening we had planned and the price we paid. We booked our rooms with a 30% off discount offer I had received. The room rate was $74.55. The offer I received did not state that breakfast was included, so the breakfast coupons were a pleasant surprise. I do not think I would choose this hotel unless I was attending an event in the hotel, such as we were the evening of this stay.

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