Portage, Michigan / Homewood Suites by Hilton Kalamazoo-Portage

Weekday, 1-night, Kind studio suite 423

View to the east from front entrance

Arrival and status perks

The entrance at this Homewood Suites was beautiful. The hotel had been open less than a year at the time of my stay. It is located next to a newer Marriott Courtyard near I-94. 

The check-in process was efficient. I was initially assigned guestroom 325. Naturally, I inquired if this was a room on the top floor away from the elevator and activity. After looking at the computer a moment, the agent said she could reassign me suite 423 on the top floor. This was across from the elevator at the back of the building; however, so was suite 325. I said that would be fine. The front desk agent did not verbally recognize my status, although she must have seen it on my reservation. She said she saw I had bonus points chosen for my on-property benefit. She then offered me a bottle of water, which I gladly accepted.

View from living room window in suite 423;
creek visible when looking straight down

Suite 423

Suite 423 is a corner room located at the back of the building. It is about the same distance from the elevator as suite 325. There was a nice view of the trees and West Fork Portage Creek behind the property.

View from living room/sitting area

I liked the suite layout, which was similar to the studio suite I had stayed in at the Homewood Suites in Ft. Wayne. A couple of differences between the two rooms: the bathroom in this guestroom was located next to the bed, this guestroom had only one window in the living room area, it had only one table, and one desk chair. There was not a separate table or chair for dining.

Guestroom diagram from back of door

The kitchen area contained a full size fridge, dishwasher, cooktop, microwave, and coffeemaker with supplies. The living room area contained a comfortable sofa, footstool, coffee table, end table, and large flatscreen TV on an armoire. I forgot to take a photo of the sitting area from the entrance! A full length mirror was mounted on the wall across from the desk/table.

View from sitting area

Suite 423

The bed was super comfy, and the sheets were good quality. The fan in this guestroom was located above the bed, in the same location as the one in Ft. Wayne. I did not understand this placement. I would have preferred to circulate the air overhead in the sitting area, rather than overhead when I am sleeping. Not having a window next to the bed did not bother me, since the window in the sitting area did not open anyway.

Suite 423

Suite 423

Bath amenities and a good quality hairdryer were provided. The bath towels were also good quality. I liked the large walk-in shower. The closet across from the vanity contained hangers, an iron, ironing board, extra bedding, and a folding luggage rack.

Desk chair

The desk chair in this guestroom had the same situation as the one in Ft. Wayne; apparently, vacuuming or cleaning the chairs is not something housekeeping does regularly?! The lint is not visible in the photo above, although some of the hair is. This reminds of when I see dust buildup on the carpet along the walls when the corners of the room are not vacuumed regularly.

Bottom door stripping hanging loose at the end

There was a issue with the door into this guestroom, which hopefully has been taken care of, as I informed the front desk agent of the situation when I checked out. The door did not shut tight unless I pulled or pushed on it every time I entered or left the guestroom. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the stripping on the bottom of the door was not on the door correctly. If you enlarge the photo in this post titled "View from living room/sitting area," you can see there is a gap on the bottom left of the door where there is no stripping. In the photo above, you can see that the missing portion was hanging out at the end, rather than installed along the bottom of the door. The door did not shut without a tug, because the stripping that was hanging out was dragging along the floor and causing it to slow.

The complimentary Internet connection speed in the guestroom was good.

Food & Beverage

Menu on fridge in guestroom

A evening menu was posted on the fridge in the guestroom. The evening of my stay, the calendar description said, Pho Baby Pho, which consisted of breadsticks, noodles, a few toppings, and sauces. The food was fresh, and the flavor was good. I did not take a photo, and I do not recall the exact details of the toppings and sauce provided.

The evening beverages included two or three pitchers of [unlabeled] cold beverages, which looked like lemonade and ice tea. I do not drink either of those beverages, so I did not inquire what was in the pitchers. Soda, beer, and wine were not provided. I asked about wine, as I have stayed in some locations (depends on the state, I think) where the beer and wine is kept in the back room. I was told they are working on it.

Breakfast in the morning was fresh, and the flavor was good. This location had rolled oats with dried cranberries, nuts, and brown sugar available. Other items included eggs, bacon, corned beef hash, breads, and fruits.

Fitness center

The fitness center was open 24 hours, and it was busy when I visited. A treadmill was available, even though there were already three guests in the room when I arrived. Machines were equipped with cardio-theater, and everything functioned properly.

Stairwell

Misc. and overall

I prefer to take the stairs rather than the elevator, so I was glad to see the stairwell doors propped open to the hall, with an inviting looking staircase.

I-94 was easily accessible from the hotel. There were a couple of restaurants within walking distance, and there was a sidewalk along Trade Center Way. There is more land for sale next to the Marriott Courtyard, so it is likely there will be even more dining options available in the future.

I thought the cost for this stay was high, as it was more than $150. The rate at the Marriott Courtyard next door was similar.

Please let me know if you have any questions!