Carmel, Indiana / Staybridge Suites Indianapolis-Carmel

December 2015, Sunday night, 1-night, King one-bedroom #216

I booked a queen studio room with points for this stay, as the king one-bedroom option was not available to book with points.

Status perks and check-in

It was dark before we arrived, and I could not find any dining options near the hotel on my phone or GPS, so I called to ask if there was anything nearby. The employee who answered the telephone said that the closest restaurant was about 1½ miles away. I also inquired about an upgrade at this time, and she looked up my reservation. The employee said she could give us a one-bedroom suite, which I happily accepted.

When we arrived at Staybridge Suites Indianapolis-Carmel, in addition to the guestroom upgrade, I was offered the same Platinum perk I had been offered at the Holiday Inn Express in Bowling Green, KY--trail mix snack and a bottle of water, or 500 bonus points. I chose the points, which were posted to my account within a week. As the front desk agent handed me my key packet, she provided information about the hotel, and directions to our guestroom on the second floor.

Staybridge Suites guestroom #216

This guestroom was spacious, clean, and comfortable. We were happy with our stay in this hotel, and I would choose to stay here again.

The kitchen area inside the entrance contained a full-size fridge with ice maker, electric burners, microwave, coffeemaker, dishwasher, dishcloths, and a full roll of paper towel. The cupboards were stocked with items like salt and pepper, coffee condiments, dishes, utensils, and hand dishwashing soap.

A bar with two comfortable seats was located at the edge of the kitchen area before the living room. A basket on the bar held a package of popcorn and coffee for the coffeemaker.

angle view from the entrance

A desk and chair were located across from the bar next to the living area. A lamp, telephone, pen, and notepad had been placed on the desk. The complimentary wifi worked well, and there was also an ethernet plug at the desk.

view straight ahead from entrance

The living room area contained a sofa, coffee table, flatscreen TV on an armoire, and a floor lamp. There was a screen in the large window, and the window could be partially opened.

A door separated the bedroom and bathroom from the kitchen/living room. The bedroom contained a king size bed, second flatscreen TV on an armoire, soft chair, and two nightstands with lamps, an alarm clock, and a telephone. The large window in this room was the same as the one in the living room. A full length mirror was mounted on the bedroom wall.

The bed and pillows were comfortable, and the sheets were decent quality.

The bathroom vanity and a closet were located before the bathroom bathing area. The closet contained extra bedding and pillows, hangers, an iron, ironing board, and a laundry basket.

One thing I always miss at Staybridge Suites is a luggage rack. This is considered an extended stay hotel; however, I frequently choose this brand for short stays, too. I prefer a luggage rack for short stays, as I do not usually unpack my suitcase unless I am staying more than two nights.

 

Bathing amenities, and a box of tissue were provided on the vanity. A  hairdryer was mounted on the wall. The towels were clean and good quality.

The bathing room contained a tub/shower combination and a toilet. The floor in both areas was tile.

This suite had a master switch by the door, which would turn out all of the lights. I loved this! I do not like to leave lights on when I leave a room, and sometimes this becomes a chore in larger suites like this.

Even though this suite is located fairly close to the elevator, we did not hear any disturbing noise from guests in the hall, nor from the elevator.

Food & Beverage

December menu 

This hotel provides hot breakfast daily, and an evening social Monday through Wednesday. Breakfast items included scrambled eggs, pizza, cold cereals, hot oatmeal, waffle maker, pastries, breads, juices, coffee, and tea. I thought the pizza was some kind of egg and cheese pizza; however, when I tried it, it was just cheese. It was different, although actually pretty good.

A calendar on the fridge in our guestroom listed the food items served in the evening for the month of December. We stayed on a Sunday, so an evening social was not provided the night of our stay. From previous experiences at StayBridge Suites, the salad bar has always been great, and the main dish items listed on the calendar sounded good. You can enlarge the calendar photo by clicking on it.

Pool area

There is a very large inside pool and hot tub in this hotel. The pool area is on the ground floor in the southwest corner. The water temperature in the tub was just right. There were several comfortable loungers around the pool area. This hotel is non-smoking; however, someone had been smoking in the pool area before we arrived. Either that, or smoking in the doorway with the door open. The smell was quite strong since the damp, warm air in the pool area was not moving much. We observed two adults and one child in the pool area when we arrived.

Misc. and overall

We thought this was a great hotel on the north side of town. We did not observe any restaurants within walking distance of this hotel, although there were several choices within a couple of miles. If it had been daylight, we probably would have walked to Carmel Tap House, as that was only 1½ miles away.

There is plenty of public seating inside the hotel by the reception area, and there is an outside patio with a fireplace. The photos on the hotel website look accurate.

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