Monday, April 21, 2014

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown


We stayed in this Holiday Inn twice before this stay, although I could not find any previous reviews I had written about this property. Our first stay was shortly after the hotel had opened, and I recall that the stay was basic and non-impressive. We had a fabulous stay when we stayed in this hotel August 2010. We had booked several rooms, and we received an upgrade to an executive room. I remember that the bar service and beverages were excellent, and I had received some type of beverage coupon for having Platinum status.


April 2014, Weekend, Free night stay, King executive room #811


Status perks and check-in

I used a free night certificate for this stay, and I was excited to see that the Holiday Inn allowed me to make a reservation for an executive room with the certificate. I did not receive any recognition or extra perks for being a Platinum member when I checked in. Last time, I thought that I had also received bottled water. The check-in area was quite busy when I checked in around 3:30 p.m., so it is possible that the agent forgot, and I did not ask.

Guestroom 811

The guestroom was exactly the same as the room we had August 2010, except that the room in 2010 was on a different floor; I think we had been on the 5th floor at that time. Guestroom 811 is on the top floor directly across from the elevator.

An open closet with 6 hangers and a safe was located by the entrance door. The closet also contained a folding luggage rack, an iron, and an ironing board. I did not think 6 hangers was very many hangers, and I would have liked it if the room had also contained a nice bathrobe.

The bathroom was located to the left, and the kitchen area was on the right just past the closet. The kitchen area and counter space were spacious. The bar style counter contained a single-serve coffeemaker with two ceramic mugs, coffee and tea supplies, a plastic ice bucket with two glass glasses, and a sink. A small fridge was located under the counter, and a microwave was on the back counter across from the fridge.


Inside the fridge there was a laminated card with Happy Hour information in the lounge from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. After we had checked out the next day, I thought I should have opened the microwave to see if that had also contained anything hidden, like popcorn.

The bathroom was not very big, although it was sufficient. It contained a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod. The shower head was a nice large one with changeable spray patterns.

Bathing amenities were placed in the shower and on the vanity, and two more glass glasses were on the vanity as well. A hairdryer was mounted on the wall. The kitchen and bathroom floor were both tile.

The sleeping and living area was spacious. It contained a king size bed, two nightstands with a clock, telephone, and lamps, a soft chair and foot stool, sofa, coffee table, desk and chair, floor lamps, and a flatscreen TV in an entertainment style cabinet. There was a lamp with plugs on the desk; however, there was not a telephone on the desk. The seating was comfortable, and the bed quality was average.

This guestroom has a connecting room door, as did the similar guestroom we had stayed in August 2010. We did not hear any noise through the connecting door, although the hallway noise and outside vehicle traffic was quite audible. I did not recall hearing so much traffic noise in 2010. The Internect connection speed was good, although there was a delay for the sign on page after connecting any of my devices--laptop, iPad, and phone.


Food & Beverage

We did not have anything to eat at the hotel, although we did go to the lounge during Happy Hour. The prices were good, and the bartender provided great service.

Pool area

There is an inside pool and whirlpool tub in this hotel, although we did not use either one.

Misc.

This hotel is located just across the river from downtown Grand Rapids, and the pedestrian bridge makes the area easily accessible. This is the only hotel downtown that I am aware of that does not charge for parking. The Amway Grand Plaza, JW Marriott, and Marriott Courtyard all charge for overnight parking.

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