July 2014, Weekday, One-night, King corner guestroom #542
Status perks and check-in
We stayed at this hotel with a free night promotional certificate I had earned. I called the hotel prior to our stay to ask if parking was included and to request a room upgrade, if available. We have stayed in this hotel a few times over the years, and one time we received a suite guestroom with a separate bedroom. That stay was impressive--I had not inquired about an upgrade, and my status was only Silver then. That guestroom had an amazing view over the river.
When we arrived for this stay, we had been assigned a standard guestroom on the top floor. After I inquired about an upgrade, we were assigned an end king guestroom on the 5th floor. I do not know if this guestroom is considered a Jr. Suite or something different. The photos on the hotel website for the king guestrooms look like photos of the room we stayed in. The king guestrooms we have stayed in before were much smaller than this one.
When we arrived for this stay, we had been assigned a standard guestroom on the top floor. After I inquired about an upgrade, we were assigned an end king guestroom on the 5th floor. I do not know if this guestroom is considered a Jr. Suite or something different. The photos on the hotel website for the king guestrooms look like photos of the room we stayed in. The king guestrooms we have stayed in before were much smaller than this one.
Guestroom
This guestroom is located at the end of the hall behind a set of double doors in the hall, which could be closed. Our guestroom, and one room across the hall, were located behind the closed doors. The hallways doors did not have a keyed access. The guestroom across the hall was on the river side of the hotel. This guestroom has a view of the side street, Campau Ave.
The guestroom was spacious and comfortable. A closet was located by the entrance, and the bathroom was straight ahead from the entrance door.
The bathroom contained a long vanity, and a shower/tub combination. Paul Mitchell bathing amenities and good quality towels were provided. A hairdryer was provided in a bag, although I do not recall for sure if it was hanging on the bathroom door or if it was in the closet. I think it was in the closet on the shelf.
A small coffeepot with supplies was also located in the bathroom. Since the living area had so much space, I thought it would have been nicer to have the coffee in that area.
The open living and sleeping area contained a couple of different seating and working spaces. Two comfortable soft chairs, a lamp, and an end table were located near the entrance.
A sofa with built-in end tables was positioned against the bathroom wall facing the bed. Two more chairs, and a coffee table were also located in this area.
A long work desk with a chair was positioned facing the wall near the window across from the foot of the bed. A flatscreen TV on an armoire, and a microwave and small fridge were located between the desk and sofa area.
The king size bed was comfortable, as were all of the furnishings in the guestroom. Other than the coffee set up in the bathroom, I thought the guestroom was functional, comfortable, and tastefully decorated. This guestroom is in a good location away from guest noise.
Parking
Parking at the hotel was $16 a day, although we could have parked for free if we were dishonest. The front desk agent had given me a parking token to exit the lot when we checked in. I had been told that my free night certificate did not cover parking when I called beforehand, although the agent did not mention this during check-in. She apparently she did not make note of the fact that she had provided a parking token on our reservation.
We had not received a bill under the door when we were ready to checkout, so I called the front desk to ask if I was all set. The agent again asked if we had parked in the lot (same clerk who had checked us in the day before), and I said yes. She asked if I had a parking token, and I said yes. She then asked if I wanted to leave the $16 on my credit card.
Misc.
Although this hotel was not the JW Marriott (our favorite hotel in downtown Grand Rapids), this was still a great stay. The hotel is connected to the VanAndel Arena via the Skywalk, which was our reason for this stay. We attended a concert at the arena, as did several other guests we observed in the hotel that evening. Security personnel were keeping an eye on guests and traffic in the hotel elevator that evening.
This hotel has an inside pool and whirlpool tub on the Skywalk level, which is shared with condominium guests. We did not use the facilities during this stay.
The guestroom was spacious and comfortable. A closet was located by the entrance, and the bathroom was straight ahead from the entrance door.
The bathroom contained a long vanity, and a shower/tub combination. Paul Mitchell bathing amenities and good quality towels were provided. A hairdryer was provided in a bag, although I do not recall for sure if it was hanging on the bathroom door or if it was in the closet. I think it was in the closet on the shelf.
A small coffeepot with supplies was also located in the bathroom. Since the living area had so much space, I thought it would have been nicer to have the coffee in that area.
The open living and sleeping area contained a couple of different seating and working spaces. Two comfortable soft chairs, a lamp, and an end table were located near the entrance.
A sofa with built-in end tables was positioned against the bathroom wall facing the bed. Two more chairs, and a coffee table were also located in this area.
A long work desk with a chair was positioned facing the wall near the window across from the foot of the bed. A flatscreen TV on an armoire, and a microwave and small fridge were located between the desk and sofa area.
Parking
Parking at the hotel was $16 a day, although we could have parked for free if we were dishonest. The front desk agent had given me a parking token to exit the lot when we checked in. I had been told that my free night certificate did not cover parking when I called beforehand, although the agent did not mention this during check-in. She apparently she did not make note of the fact that she had provided a parking token on our reservation.
We had not received a bill under the door when we were ready to checkout, so I called the front desk to ask if I was all set. The agent again asked if we had parked in the lot (same clerk who had checked us in the day before), and I said yes. She asked if I had a parking token, and I said yes. She then asked if I wanted to leave the $16 on my credit card.
Misc.
Although this hotel was not the JW Marriott (our favorite hotel in downtown Grand Rapids), this was still a great stay. The hotel is connected to the VanAndel Arena via the Skywalk, which was our reason for this stay. We attended a concert at the arena, as did several other guests we observed in the hotel that evening. Security personnel were keeping an eye on guests and traffic in the hotel elevator that evening.
This hotel has an inside pool and whirlpool tub on the Skywalk level, which is shared with condominium guests. We did not use the facilities during this stay.