Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Englewood, Ohio / Hampton Inn & Suites Dayton Airport

May 2017, 2-Nights, Weekdays, 2 Queen beds, Rooms 420 and 320


Diamond perks and check-in

I arrived from the airport after dark. I decided to take 40/National Rd. rather than the interstate, as it looked like a direct route. The drive was about 10 minutes, and it would have been less except that there was a line of traffic behind a car going much slower than the speed limit. Fortunately, my GPS took me to the exact location of this hotel, because it was difficult to see the drive in the dark. There is no outside lighting at the entrance from the road.

During check-in, The agent did not specifically mention my status, although she did confirm that I wanted the bonus points for my on-property perk, and she also offered me a bottle of water. I did not receive an upgrade, and I did not receive the room type in my profile. I had reserved a room with two queen beds, because there were no king bed rooms available when I made the reservation. King study rooms were available, and I did not receive an upgrade to one of those (even after the agent offered to let me switch rooms).

View from guestroom 420

Guestrooms 320 and 420

Both of these guestrooms are exactly the same. The only difference was the style of the soap dish in the bathroom, and the carpet stains in room 320. I did not like the stale and moist odor in guestroom 320, or the cheap perfumey scent that had been used to try and mask the odor. I usually keep a small lavender spritzer in my luggage for situations like this; however, I discovered I did not have this in my bag. I called the front desk to ask if they had Febreeze or something in the hotel that I could use to spray in the guestroom. The agent said yes, and then she offered to switch me to another room. Since I could hear the floorboards in this hotel making noise, I agreed, and I said I would prefer something on the top floor, if possible (I had also made this request in my reservation notes). She told me the room directly above this one, 420, was available. I picked up my luggage, and she met me in the hallway with the new keys. Guestroom 420 did not smell any better than room 320. It was late, and I was ready for some sleep, so I made the best of it.


Photo taken in guestroom 320
The bathroom near the entrance was a decent size, although the overall size of both guestrooms was very small (the layout was exactly the same). The bathroom contained a tub/shower combination and a decent size vanity. There were several hooks on the wall above the toilet and behind the door. A hairdryer was mounted on the wall near the light switch. Neutrogena bath amenities were provided, and the towels were good quality. The bathroom light was very annoying, as it has an automatic sensor, which I could not find a way to turn off. I do not like it when I enter the bathroom half asleep during the night, and the lights come on!
Photo taken in guestroom 320
The guestroom contained two queen size beds, nightstand with lamp and alarm clock, single-serve coffeemaker with supplies, ice bucket, small fridge, microwave, suitcase bench, flatscreen TV on an armoire, desk with chair, and a straight-backed chair. There were two telephones in the guestrooms; one on the nightstand, and one on the desk. The cushion of the straight-backed chair in guestroom 320 was filthy, and the carpet was stained in front of the desk.












Carpet stain in guestroom 320

Chair in guestroom 320
The Internet connection speed in the guestroom was good, although I had to reconnect after 24 hours. The pillows and sheets were decent quality; however, the bed was hard. I did not hear much exterior noise from inside the guestroom.

Oatmeal with toppings

Breakfast

Breakfast offerings were similar both mornings: eggs, potatoes, sausage gravy with biscuits, old-fashioned oatmeal with toppings, cold cereals, bagels, breads, bananas, cut fruit (looked like canned), yogurt, two types of milk, and juices. A coffee/hot beverage station was set up in the seating area near the front desk.

Pool and fitness center

The open time posted for the pool and fitness center was 6:00 a.m. I observed a guest in the fitness center earlier than this, and I was able to access the room, as well.


I do not usually swim in hotel pools when I am traveling for work; however, I was recovering from foot surgery at the time of this stay, so I wanted to swim. I used the pool, and then showered afterward, as it did not look very clean. I did not observe a whirlpool tub.

The fitness center contained a couple of treadmills, a bicycle, hand weights, floor mat, water cooler,  sani-wipes, and towels. There was one flatscreen TV in the room; the machines did not have cardio-theater.

Misc.

When I woke up during the night after switching guestrooms, I realized I had left my rings in guestroom 320. I had taken them off, when I took my shower bag out of my luggage to look for my room spray. I called the front desk in the morning to ask if that room was still empty, and the agent said yes. I told him I had left two rings in the soap dish in that room, and he said he would get them for me. I did not hear back from him, so after 20 minutes or so, I got dressed and went down to the front desk. The agent told me there was not anything in the room. I told him that if no one had been in there, then my rings had to be in there, and that I knew exactly where they were - in the soap dish (like I had already told him). He handed me the master key without comment. I took the key and went to guestroom 320. Lucky for me, my rings were in the bathroom exactly where I had left them. I am not sure what the front desk agent did after I called. The light was on in the guestroom when I entered, and I did not think I had left it on the night before. When I took the key back to him, I told him I found my rings where I had left them. He did not say anything.

I chose this hotel because it has an airport shuttle, and then I did not end up using the shuttle. Also, I was going to be traveling toward Indiana and away from Dayton, so I thought this location would give me an easier drive. I do not think the drive time I saved was significant, and if I have need to stay in this area agin, I will choose a different hotel. This hotel needs some TLC, and I did not feel like a valued guest.



No comments:

Post a Comment