Plainfield, Indiana: Homewood Suites by Hilton Indianapolis Airport/Plainfield

April 2019, Weekday, 2-nights, King studio guestroom 318

Diamond perks and check-in

I did not check-in before my arrival because there were not any available room choices on the top floor away from the elevator (my preferred location, as it is usually quieter). When I arrived, I had been preassigned a guestroom on the second floor. The agent gladly changed my room assignment, after I inquired about a room in my preferred location. I received a small bag with bottled water, which I believe all HiltonHonors members received.

View from guestroom 318 at Homewood Suites IND airport

King studio 318

The view from this guestroom overlooks the outside patio and basketball hoops. The sunset was beautiful. The windows could be partially opened, which I like for the fresh air; however, it was quite filthy between the window and screen. I imagine the windows in this guestroom had not been opened for quite some time.

The furnishings consisted of the standard amenities in Homewood Suites guestrooms: kitchen area with full size fridge, coffeemaker with supplies, dishwasher with supplies, stovetop, small table with two chairs; living room sofa, coffee table, desk with chair, flatscreen TV; king bed with nightstands, and bathroom area.

Grand Rapids, Michigan: SpringHill Suites GRR Airport Southeast

April 2019, Weekend-Holiday, 1-night, Queen guestroom 312 and 309

Platinum perks and check-in

During check-in, the agent asked if I wanted bonus points or a snack from the gift shop, which was the extent of my member recognition. She initially assigned us guestroom 312; however, when we discovered the fridge in that guestroom was not cooling, she switched us to guestroom 309.

Typical provided amenities at SpringHill Suites GRR. This is queen guestroom 312.
The microwave time is incorrect; we checked in after 4 PM

Queen guestroom 312 and 309

As I mentioned in the previous section, the fridge was not cooling in guestroom 312. Neither my husband nor I could find a control knob, so I called the front desk. The agent said she would come up and look at it. When she had not arrived over five minutes later, I decided to walk down to the front desk. As soon as I exited the guestroom, I heard female voices in the corridor. After I walked all of the way to the elevator (room 312 is about midway down the hall), I found the front desk agent chatting with another employee in front of the elevator. She concluded her conversation when she saw me, and then followed me back to the guestroom. After looking at the fridge, she said that it sounded like it was on, and that must be how cold it gets. We had Easter dinner leftovers with us, and the outside temperature was in the 70s, so I asked her if we could get a different room. I returned to the front desk with her, and she reassigned us to guestroom 309 across the hall.

Sitting area in queen guestroom 312 at SpringHill Suites GRR

Both guestrooms were set up exactly the same way: with a sitting area, and a bedroom area with two queen beds. There were two closets in the bedroom area.

A microwave, sink, small fridge, and sink were located in the area next  to the sitting room. A couple of plates and silverware were provided inside the microwave.

Bedroom area of guestroom 309

After we settled into guestroom 309, I noticed that several amenities were missing. I went to the front desk to get coffee cups (there were none in the guestroom), regular coffee (only decaf was provided), and an ice bag. Only one coffee packet was available at the front desk, and the agent brought another one to the guestroom for me later that evening. After I got ready for bed, I noticed there was also no shampoo or bath soap in the guestroom (there was a bar of facial soap). I had packed shower gel; however, I had not packed any shampoo. Very frustrating!

Sagging sofa in guestroom 312

The work area in guestroom 309 was comfortable; however, both guestrooms showed visual signs of age. The sofa in the first guestroom had a huge sag, and the sofa in the second guestroom had a large stain on it.