Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Foxborough, Massachusetts / Residence Inn

October 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King 1-bedroom #324


Status perks and check-in
I received the standard Platinum member bonus points. My guestroom upgrade experience at Residence Inn properties has been similar to Marriott Courtyard: I have sometimes received an upgrade after asking, and have rarely received an automatic room upgrade.

There was quite a commotion going on at this Residence Inn when I first arrived. I observed several police cars and a fire engine in front of the building, as well as many guests and employees standing in the parking lot. This hotel is located in a nice neighborhood, so I wondered what was going on. I got out of my car to talk with one of the employees. It sounded like a guest had set off the smoke alarm in one of the guest rooms. A short time later, everyone had cleared out, and I entered the hotel to check-in. I did not smell or observe anything out of the ordinary inside the hotel.

Guestroom 324
This guestroom is located on the back side of the building on the top floor. It was clean and comfortable. The guestroom had been recently remodeled, and the furnishings looked new. 


The kitchen area contained all of the Residence Inn amenities: full size fridge, electric range, dishwasher, microwave, coffeepot with supplies, dishes in the cupboards, microwave popcorn, and a table with two chairs. I have stayed in many Residence Inns with only a stovetop and no oven, although this guestroom had both.



The living room area contained an entry table, nice large work desk and chair, sofa, coffee table, and flatscreen TV on an armoire.





The bedroom contained a king size bed, nightstands with lamps, a telephone, and an alarm clock, and another flatscreen TV on an armoire.









The bathroom contained a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod.

The vanity was located outside of the bathing area, across from a closet. The vanity presented a problem for me. It was quite tall, and the sink is set back against the wall. I am 5' 3" tall, and I had to stand on my toes to brush my teeth!

I thought this guestroom was great when I arrived; however, my opinion changed after spending the night. The wireless Internet speed was incredibly slow, and the guestroom was not well soundproofed. Even though this is a one-bedroom suite, with a door on the bedroom, I could hear guests in the hall, and I was awakened by noisy guests that night. I could also smell smoke in my guestroom, even though this is a non-smoking hotel.

Food & Beverage
Minimal food was served at the evening social the night of my stay. The social calendar listed "nachos" on the menu, and that was definitely accurate. Refried beans were also included, as well as tossed salad, two unbranded sodas, and juice.

Breakfast the next morning included scrambled eggs, hash browns, Canadian bacon, cold cereals, oatmeal, breads and bagels, waffle maker, milk, juices, coffee, and tea.

Fitness center
The fitness center contained four cardio machines without cardio theater, hand weights, flatscreen TV, water cooler, towels, and sani-wipes.


Misc. and overall
This hotel is located in a business park area near an apartment community. There is a Marriott Courtyard just down the road. I chose the Residence Inn instead of the Courtyard because the cost was less. Afterward, I wished I had searched more diligently for a better rate at the Courtyard. 

I usually do my homework pretty well, and I did not do that this time. Some extra research before my stay would have alerted me about the things I did not like: hallway noise, evening social menu, and smoke smell in the guestroom. Several guest reviews on TripAdvisor, which I had not read before my stay, complain of smoke smell in the guestroom, and about noisy guests in the hall. The fact that these same complaints came from more than one guest, make me think that what I experienced was not unusual. I read a reply from the hotel manager to one of the reviewers about the smoke smell. She asked the guest to contact her since this hotel is 100% non-smoking. This kind of thing needs to be handled at the time of occurrence by hotel staff, IMO. The front desk agent asked me if everything was okay when I checked out, so I told her about the noisy guests, and the smoke smell. She did not say anything, except, "I am sorry." Also, if the hotel is 100% non-smoking, why isn't housekeeping trained to report this? I do not think it should be up to guests to make sure that a hotel lives up to its standards.

A couple of other things that should have tipped me off before my stay: A night at Residence Inn is not usually less than Courtyard, so I should have wondered why the cost was less, even after I noticed that the hotel had been remodeled. The evening social menu is listed on the hotel website, and I must have forgotten to check this before my stay. 

Another thing to consider, if you collect Marriott Rewards points, is that points at extended stay properties, like Residence Inn, are earned at only half the rate of a hotel, like the Courtyard. I am glad that I now have my stay documented, in case I do not remember this experience the next time I need a hotel in this area.

Springfield, Missouri--SGF / Courtyard Springfield Airport

September 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #319


Status perks and check-in
I received the basic reward of extra points for being a Platinum member. I always wonder why Marriott Courtyard hotels do not give room upgrades to higher status guests, like the full service hotels do. I have received a room upgrade at Courtyard hotels before; however, I have always had to request it.

I returned my rental car and stayed at this Courtyard the night before an early flight. The hotel shuttle arrived at the airport to pick me up fairly quickly, although there was not a guestroom available when I arrived. I was less than an hour early of check-in time, and I had called twice before I arrived. Once, to request the airport shuttle, and again to inquire about nearby restaurants. The employee did not request my name either time. I always like it when the employee requests my name along with my telephone number, in case anything comes up. And, this would have let her know which guest would soon be checking in!

I had picked up a late lunch at the airport, so I gladly said I would wait for a guestroom in a quiet area on the top floor. I sat down at a table in the lobby to have my lunch and wait. The front desk agent was friendly, and she assigned me a guestroom on the top floor fairly quickly. The first guestroom that she assigned me had a connecting room door, so I returned to the front desk, and was reassigned to guestroom 319. I do not recall the number of the first guestroom. It was about half way down the same hallway from where 319 is located.

Guestroom 
Guestroom 319 is located on the top floor in the corner. It is in a fairly quiet area. The stairway is located next to the guestroom, and the door noise from guests using the stairs was minimal. The window faces the main road. The hotel is far enough away from the road that traffic noise was not a problem.


This is a basic guestroom with a sofa, coffee table, desk and chair, flatscreen TV on an armoire, king size bed, and nightstands with lighted alarm clock.



Several lights were located in the guestroom; above the nightstands, on the desk, and next to the sofa. The HVAC unit was an older style unit on the outside wall. It made a lot of noise, and fortunately could be turned off.



A single serve coffeemaker was located on the small vanity outside of the bathing and toilet area. A hairdryer was mounted on the wall.


A large closet with a mirrored door was located across from the vanity. The bathroom area was a decent size. It contained a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod.























Food & Beverage
I had the Asian chicken salad, which I had had before at the Courtyard in Hacienda Heights, California.  Both pictures of the salads look similar; however, the salad at this Courtyard was not nearly as delicious as the one I had had before. If this had been the first time I had tried this item, I would probably never order it again. I had a glass of Pino Noir that was on special that evening, and that was very good.

Business center
The computer in the lobby was not working when I first tried to use it. I do not recall the exact error message on the screen. It was something similar to, "not enough memory," or "unable to run." An employee got the computer to work after turning it off and restarting it; however, it was working very slowly, and I finally gave up on what I had been trying to print.

Misc.
There are a couple of fast food restaurants near this hotel; however, they are across 160, which is a fairly busy road. I was glad I had picked up lunch at McAlister's Deli in the airport before the shuttle picked me up.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Joplin, Missouri / Residence Inn

September 2013, Weekday, 2-nights, King 1-bedroom #431


Status perks and check-in

I arrived at the Joplin Residence Inn shortly after 2 p.m. I was able to check-in, and I received the standard Platinum bonus points.


Guestroom 431

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the end of the hall. It was a basic extended stay guestroom with plenty of room. It included a kitchen area, work and living area, bedroom, and bathroom. Appliances and dishes were included with the furnishings, and coffee, tea, and microwave popcorn were provided. Appliances that are not visible in the photos are a microwave and stovetop. This guestroom did not have an oven, as is shown in some guestroom photos on the Marriott web page.

Guestroom 431

The guestroom was not well maintained, and it was not very clean. It smelled as bad as the Mishawaka, Indiana Residence Inn I had stayed in a few weeks prior to this stay, except the odor was different. This guestroom smelled dusty and dirty. The carpet and furnishings were all old, and the guestroom smelled like none of the furnishings had been cleaned or shampooed in years. Or, maybe they had never been cleaned! 

Guestroom 431

I dialed zero from the guestroom telephone, and the front desk. I asked if housekeeping had Febreeze or odor remover they could come and spray. Several minutes later, the front desk agent called me back to say that housekeeping was not in the building, so it would be awhile. Several minutes after this, there was a knock on the guestroom door. The staff member who entered the room with a spray bottle appeared to be someone from engineering. He agreed that the room smelled stagnant. He sprayed the guestroom thoroughly, opened all the windows and doors, and offered further assistance. He was very helpful; however, after the spray scent wore off, the guestroom odor had not subsided.


Other cleanliness and maintenance issues with the guestroom included: small bits of debris on the floor that had been missed, a buildup of dust in the corners and along the edges of the walls, hairs that had been missed, the tub drain was clogged, and the coffeemaker looked old. I called about the tub drain before I went out the first morning. When I returned, I did not see any evidence that staff had been in the guestroom (other than housekeeping); however, the drain had been cleared. The coffemaker worked; however, I am pretty sure that the quality did not meet Marriott standards. I have been in a Marriott hotel before when staff members were touching up the char marks on the guestroom coffeemakers because this is a Marriott standard--or, so I was told by that employee.

I have included photos of some of the guestroom cleanliness problems, as well as some basic photos of the guestroom to provide a clear view of how the guestroom was setup. 

Coffeepot base
The desk in the guestroom provided sufficient space for working; however, the Intenet connection speed in the guestroom was extremely slow. I used the ethernet cable provided on the desk, and it was not any faster than the wireless connection speed.

closet floor

hair on the shower wall that washed down after I turned the shower on

hair in bathroom sink


Food & Beverage

I thought the food provided both evenings was very good. Food items the first night included enchiladas, refried beans, nachos, and several toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, olives, and tomatoes. Wine and beer was served, although I do not know what brand. The red wine was kind of sweet, although it was acceptable for one glass. Food the second evening included burgers on the grill,  assorted burger toppings, potato and macaroni salad, tossed salad, and cookies.

Breakfast items included scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, breads, a waffle maker, milk, juices, and hot beverages. I am sure there were additional food items that I do not recall. I have only listed the items that I recall with certainty, because I did not write everything down while I was there.

Business center

I tried to use the lobby computer to print something off the Internet, and did not succeed. I gave up after several minutes, because the Internet connection speed on the lobby computer was worse than what I experienced in the guestroom.

Fitness center

The fitness center was adequate, and I did not have any trouble getting a treadmill either morning. My key did not work the first morning, and I had to get an employee from the front desk to let me in. She made a comment about something being wrong, because she had to let everyone in that morning. The second morning, my key worked fine.

Misc. and overall

The outside sitting area by the BBQ grill was nice. It looked clean and well maintained. Most of the inside of this hotel was in the same condition as my guestroom. The carpet in the halls, stairways, and elevator, was stained, unclean, and in poor condition. This is a photo of the elevator floor.

I thought this looked like a decent Residence Inn before my stay; however, in hindsight, I wished I had chosen the Homewood Suites instead. I had been trying to get more Marriott points for a vacation we have this winter, which must have been why I chose the Residence Inn this time. In the future, I think I will try not to let the points factor influence my hotel choice as much!

elevator floor

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Mattoon, Illinois / Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites and the Corvette Funfest

September 2013, Weekend, 2-nights, King suite #200

Status perks and check-in
We arrived at this Holiday Inn Express shortly after check-in time. The front desk agent did not recognize my status or tell me what kind of room I was receiving. I was going to ask if there was a room available on the top floor when I saw that our room was on the second floor, until I saw the actual guestroom number. I wrote a review about suite #300 when we stayed at this hotel a couple of years ago, so when I saw that we had been assigned guestroom 200, I knew we had received an upgrade to a suite. According to the guestroom diagrams, there are only two large suites in this hotel, so we were elated to see this!

Guestroom
This guestroom was as we expected--it was exactly the same inside as suite 300. This guestroom is on the 2nd floor above the pool area, and suite 300 is on the top floor. The suite was pretty soundproof. We heard occasional footsteps overhead, although it was not anything too disturbing.

bedroom door on left
Since this suite is exactly the same as the one I described in my last review, most of what I am sharing in this category are the guestroom photos.

Here are two photos of the living room and kitchen area. One thing I failed to mention in my last review, is that the windows in the living room and in the bedroom, both had screens in them, and the windows could be opened about half way.

The hotel had updated bath amenities at the time of our second stay. Bath & Body Works brand was provided, which is what I have seen in all Holiday Inn Express hotels since summer 2013. I was not sure if all of the Holiday Inn Express hotels had changed over yet, so I called this hotel a couple of days before our stay to specifically ask this question. The person I spoke with on the telephone, told me that they did not have the Bath & Body Works brand, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them in the guestroom.


The spacious bedroom was a separate room with a bedroom door. There were separate HVAC controls in the bedroom and in the living room. There was an ethernet connection at the desk in the bedroom. The wireless Internet connection was not very good in the living room, although it came in fine at the bedroom desk (I did not use the ethernet connection).

guestroom diagram











Food & Beverage
Breakfast was similar both mornings: scrambled eggs, sausage, sausage gravy with biscuits, cold cereals, instant oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, white breads, pancake maker, Yoplait yogurt, hard boiled eggs, coffee, juices, and milk.

Pool area
The pool area was clean and comfortable. There were several comfortable chairs and several tables. I had thought that there were also a few loungers in the pool area, although I do not see any in my photos.

We thought the warm water temperature in the whirlpool tub was perfect. There is a door to an outside grassy area behind the whirlpool tub; however, there was no way to get back into the hotel from the back, and there is nothing outside. We thought this would have been a fabulous place for an outside patio/sitting area.

Overall and Corvette Funfest
We stayed at this hotel to attend the Corvette Funfest at Mid America Motorworks in Effingham, Illinois. We did not receive corvette souvenir keys from the hotel this time, and I did not see a Funfest newspaper at the hotel, although the rest of our stay was pretty much the same.

Bachman & Turner played at the Funfest Saturday night, and we met Turner during dinner. The concert was great, although it was quite a bit colder, than it had been previous years that we attended. They had fireworks after the concert this year, which I do not recall from any of the previous years.

This was our 5th or 6th time attending the Corvette Funfest. The first few times we went, the entire show, including parking, was free. A few years later, they started charging $25 for basic admittance, which includes parking and two tickets to the concert.

We had a great time, although some things were not as organized as previous years. We waited longer in the registration line on Saturday, than we ever had to wait before. The car parking was not as meticulous and aligned as usual. When we were given our tickets for the drawings during the registration process, the person told us which tickets were for which drawings in reverse order. Unfortunately for us, we did not realize this until after we had already deposited our incorrect tickets in the first box. Therefore, we ended up with no entries for any of the drawings because we could not put what we had left in the other box. We were not told that we needed our registration cards to enter the concert. We had tickets for the concert; however, Funfest attendees got to enter the concert an hour before regular admission guests. We did not realize this when we carried our chairs to the entrance at the time we had been told we could enter, so we then had to return to our car to get our registration cards.

We have always stayed in a hotel when we go the Corvette Funfest--in Effingham, Mattoon, and even Tuscola. This year, we decided that if we go again, we would haul our corvette, and stay in a camper on the Funfest grounds. It would be much nicer to be able to walk to and from the show at any time without needing to pack everything for the day, or drive back and forth.


Thursday, October 3, 2013

South Bend, Indiana - SBN / DoubleTree by Hilton

September 2013, Weekday - Weekend, King guestroom #742

Status perks and check-in
Before my arrival, I was not sure what kind of room I was going to receive at this DoubleTree. I had originally planned to stay at this hotel for only one night, and when I changed my stay to two nights, I noticed that my original confirmation email had been for an executive room, even though the reservation details on the Hilton site were for a standard guestroom. I would not have booked an executive floor room, unless the cost was the same. My assumption, is that the confirmation email was somehow incorrect. At any rate, I had printed a copy of it before my arrival, just in case I did not receive a good quality guestroom.

HHonors room on the executive floor
At check-in, the agent assigned me a corner guestroom, which is slightly larger than a regular guestroom. I received access to the executive lounge, although the guestroom I received is not on the executive floor. The agent knew that I preferred a higher floor room in a quiet area. The HHonors floor at this hotel is on the 3rd floor, which is also where the executive lounge is located. Usually, the executive floors are on the top floors at hotels, although this is the second hotel I have stayed in recently, that has the priority floor and lounge on a lower floor. The other hotel was a new Marriott, and this hotel had been recently remodeled. This made me wonder if this is a new hotel trend. I also received a breakfast coupon for Saturday morning since the executive lounge was not open that day. Unfortunately, I left before breakfast, so I was not able to use the coupon.

view from guestroom
Guestroom 742
This spacious guestroom is located on the 7th floor at the end of the hall. It has large windows on two sides, and there is a decent view of the river. This hotel has 9 floors; however, the front desk agent had told me that this was the highest available corner guestroom. 





The bathroom was located across from the guestroom entrance. The bathing area contained a large walk-in shower, and the toilet. The vanity was located outside of the bathing area, across from a closet with mirrored doors. Bath amenities and a hairdryer were provided in the vanity area. The towels were good quality.

The closet contained a large safe, several hangers, a folding luggage rack, and an iron and ironing board. There was not a bathrobe in this guestroom; however, the front desk agent had told me I could get one when I asked about this during check-in. I called after I got settled in, and an employee delivered a plush robe within 10 minutes.

A full length mirror was mounted on the wall in the entry/hallway area between the guestroom door and the bedroom area. 

The bedroom area contained a flatscreen TV on an armoire, a good size desk with chair, a soft chair, footstool, end table, lamps, a king size bed, and nightstands with a telephone and lighted alarm clock. 

A telephone, ice bucket, two glass glasses, and two bottles of water were on the desk. The water must have been complimentary. There was no price on the water, and I was not charged after I drank the two bottles and they were replaced on stayover. A double single-serve coffee machine with supplies was on the armoire, and a small fridge was located inside the armoire. Lamps and electrical outlets were positioned at the head of the bed. 

desk chair
The guestroom was comfortable, and great for working. The bed was superb--silky soft sheets and super comfy mattress and pillows. The room was well soundproofed, and I did not hear hardly any noise from outside the guestroom. 

guestroom diagram
The desk chair was quite dirty/dusty, and I needed to wipe it off. The dust was thick enough that I noticed it before I sat down without specifically looking for it. Other than that, the guestroom was clean and well maintained. The HVAC unit ran quietly, and it could also be turned off, if desired. 



Transtar Flatbread
Food & Beverage
I had the Transtar Baker's Flatbread from room service one evening. The flavor was excellent, and the service was very fast. In fact, my food arrived a couple of minutes before I expected it. The photo looks kind of pizza; however, this food item did not taste like pizza to me. Probably because it had been prepared with better quality ingredients, and the crust was thin.





Executive lounge
Chicken tenders, a few fresh veggies, and cheese and crackers were served the first evening of my stay. The lounge host offered a complimentary glass of wine or beer. It looked like there were charge slips out for the beverages, so I am not sure if only the first one was on the house. I should have asked what brand of wine was served, because it was very good. I did not think the food served in the lounge was very good. The lounge was closed the second night of my stay.

Scrambled eggs, cold cereal, oatmeal, coffee, tea, milk, and juices were served for breakfast the next morning. I do not recall what type of breads or pastries were available.

Fitness center
This hotel has a fabulous fitness center. There must have been 10 or more cardio machines with cardio theater, and a good number of weight machines too. Additionally, there were hand weights, exercise benches and balls, towels, sani-wipes, and a water cooler.

lobby view from the 7th floor
facing Washington St
Misc. and shuttle
This hotel has a spacious open lobby area. Starbucks and 1st Source Bank are located within the hotel at the street level. Covered parking is adjacent to the hotel and the cost was $9 a night. The hotel is located on the edge of a 2 to 4 block area with dining and businesses. I did not think the area looked very safe heading northwest of the hotel, and the shuttle driver said as much when he picked me up at the airport.

The shuttle ride to the airport took about 10 minutes. 

I had a great stay at this hotel, and I would definitely choose it again.

South Bend - Mishawaka, Indiana / Residence Inn

September 2013, Weekday, 2-nights, King studio #407

Status perks and check-in
The front desk agent provided friendly assistance, and she recognized my status. I arrived at this Residence Inn before check-in time, and she said that was okay, because she had just set my room aside. Other than the standard Platinum perk of a gift shop amenity or extra points, I did not receive a room upgrade or any additional perks.

Guestroom
I was glad I had left my luggage in the car, because when I arrived at the guestroom, neither of the keys worked, and I had to return to the font desk. Guestroom 407 is by the elevator, and the elevator was quite noisy, so when I told the agent my keys did not work, I said that if a room was available farther away from the elevator, I would rather have that. She said that the only other room available on the top floor was a feather-free room. She assured me that the guestrooms are well soundproofed, so she recoded my key, and I returned to the guestroom.

The guestroom looked fabulous; however, it had a strong musty damp odor. I was surprised by the odor, because the guestroom looked like it had been recently remodeled.

The bedding looked clean, and I did not see any visible mold, so I opened the windows, turned on the fans, and went to retrieve my luggage. Every time I reentered the guestroom, the damp smell was overpowering. Because of this, I refigured my schedule, checked my next hotel options, and then departed from this hotel a day early. I had originally planned to stay for three nights.

The kitchen area included a full size fridge, dishwasher, sink, stovetop, microwave, full size coffee pot with supplies, microwave popcorn, and cupboards with dishes. A table with two chairs, and a desk and chair, were located between the kitchen and living area. An ethernet connection and cord were on the desk, along with a telephone and lamp.

The living area contained a sofa, coffee table, footstool, soft chair, and lamp. A flatscreen TV on a swivel stand was located on an armoire between the living and sleeping area.

view from window by bed
The bedroom area contained a king size bed, and nightstands with a telephone and lighted alarm clock. Lamps and electrical outlets were positioned at the head of the bed. The window in the bedroom could be opened, and there was a soothing fountain  at the neighboring property outside the window.

bathtub wall
The bathing area contained a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod. Although I did not see any obvious mold in the guestroom, the walls in the tub area looked like they were always wet. I wondered if a lot of damp or moldy areas had just been covered over during the remodel, instead of being replaced.

The vanity was located outside the bathing area, across from a closet. Bath amenities were on the vanity, and a hairdryer was mounted on the wall.

guestroom disgram
The front desk agent was correct about the noise. I did not hear any noise from inside the guestroom, and the elevator was definitely a noisy one! I probably would have slept well in this hotel, and I would have stayed longer, had it not been for the damp smell.

Food & Beverage
Brats were served at the evening reception one night. Other items included romaine lettuce (no salad toppings except sunflower seeds), chips, cookies, and a frozen dessert pie. Beverages included wine (the red wine was quite sweet), draft beer, cans of soda, and milk.

Baked potatoes with toppings were served the second night--sweet potatoes, and white Idaho potatoes. Romaine lettuce was out again, with no salad toppings except the sunflower seeds and dressings.

Breakfast in the mornings included scrambled eggs, turkey Canadian bacon, potato cakes, parfaits, yogurt, milk, juices, waffle maker, cold cereal, oatmeal, apples and bananas.

Business center
I printed a couple of documents at the printer near the front desk and eating area. I thought it was odd that I was not able to print a reservation confirmation from my email for a competitor hotel. When I tried to do this from my email, I received a message that said, "unauthorized cell." I then saved the document to a PDF for printing, and received the same message (the hotel name automatically saved for the file name). After this, I saved it as a PDF, and renamed it "res," and then I was able to print it.

Fitness center
There were three or more working cardio machines with cardio theater in the fitness center. I did not have a problem getting an available machine anytime that I visited. The room also contained a flatscreen TV with remote, hand weights, a water cooler, towels, and sani-wipes.

Misc.
When I left this hotel my last morning, I observed an employee dumping a large wheeled bucket of water in the parking lot, which I thought was kind of odd. The employee was someone I had seen the day before, who appeared to be the manager (or similar) and not housekeeping. When I walked by, I could smell a strong musty damp odor, like the smell in the guestroom.

There are several dining choices near this hotel. I would not recommend Houlihan's across the street. In my home state, we have a Houlihan's in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is fabulous. I have dined there several times, and the food and service at that restaurant have always been excellent, even when it is busy.

The Ahi Tuna salad that I had at the Mishawaka Houlihan's was bland, and the service was terrible. It was over 90 degrees the day that I dined there at the end of the lunch hour (after 1 p.m.). The restaurant appeared to have been busy before my arrival; however, it started to empty out about the time I arrived. After being seated, I was not greeted for 5 minutes, and I did not receive any water for several minutes after this, even though I requested it right away. I waited a long time for my food (unfortunately, I forgot to time this part), and then I had to get up to request silverware and a napkin. My water glass was never refilled, even though it was empty before the end of my meal, and my server did not checkback with me during the meal.