Grand Rapids and West, Michigan: World of Winter and Outdoor Dining

 December 2020 - January 2021

I am sharing a few of our outside experiences during COVID-19 in Michigan. Restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, etc. have all been closed in Michigan since mid-November. The current reopen date is February 1, 2021.

Rosa Parks Circle where ice games were set up
(photo taken before games were out)

Grand Rapids World of Winter

We visited Grand Rapids two times after Christmas; once in December, and once in late January. We were surprised to see the city so empty after Christmas. Downtown was mostly empty in January also, although the area was getting a tad busier on Saturday afternoon before we departed. 

Before our second visit, we had seen photos online of some of the ice games, such as fuse ball, and bag toss. We had hoped more of the ice sculptures might be out early (they are usually out around the start of February); however, they were not. In fact, we did not see a couple of things that were on the World of Winter calendar, even though the start date for them was before we were there: the Ice Piano (Canal Park), and Grand Illuminations (Gillette Bridge behind DeVos Hall). The Singing Tree was not lit or signing when we walked through Canal Park. The original start time for this display was 11AM, so possibly it shuts off overnight until 11AM, although it does not specify that on the calendar. We walked through Canal Park in the late morning before 11:00. Our favorite display was the interactive seesaws--much cooler than portrayed in the video above! Yes, we went on one. 😊

Blue Water Bridge in distance

Grand Rapids, Michigan: Amway Grand Plaza Hilton Curio Collection

January 2021, Friday, one night, King guestroom #929

Grand Rapids sunset from our son's house, since we missed it
downtown. This was our stay after the Amway!

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

This was our first time staying at this property, and I had a difficult time choosing a room type when I made the reservation. I ended up just going with a king guestroom, as I was unsure what the actual differences were between the several different king guestroom descriptions. I received a welcome email from the front desk a few days before our stay listing COVID-19 guidelines and limited amenities. At that time, I learned the tower wing, which is where the fitness center and pool area are located, was closed for remodeling. We were somewhat disappointed, as I had not noticed that when making the reservation. I replied to the email, asking a few questions, and requesting late checkout. I received an immediate reply, which answered my questions, accommodated the late checkout request, and assured me we would be assigned a nice remodeled guestroom.

The morning of our stay, I received a text via the app telling me to check in. The guestroom being assigned to me was 929, which looked like a small corner room on the app, so I replied to the agent via chat before checking in. I inquired about the guestroom and an upgrade. The agent assured me that guestroom 929 is a nice remodeled corner room with a sofa. She said there were not any upgrades available. I used my phone for the room key, so we did not stop at the front desk when we arrived. Shortly after we arrived in the guestroom, I requested a bathrobe. An agent immediately delivered the robe, along with my diamond perks: breakfast coupons and bottled water.

Entrance door in main hall above.

Private hallway below.

King guestroom 929

This guestroom is in the Pantlind section of the hotel on the 9th floor in the northeast corner of the building. The hotel has 29 floors, although I think this section has only 12 to 15 floors (I do not recall exactly how many floors were above ours in the elevator). We had a view of the downtown buildings across the streets. We could not see Rosa Parks Circle from the guestroom; the lighted [Valentine's Day] heart dome on top of the building across from Rosa Parks Circle was barely visible from one of our windows.

Holland, Michigan: Staybridge Suites

December 2019, King bedroom suite #401, Weekdays, 2-nights

Sunrise from guestroom 401 at Holland Staybridge Suites

Reservations, arrival, platinum perks

I had reserved a one-bedroom king guestroom, as the price was good, and I did not want to hope for an upgrade from a studio suite. I think the only room type better than this for an upgrade, would be a two-bedroom suite, which we did not really need for the two of us. This was not offered, and we did not ask. The 500 platinum bonus points posted to my account shortly after check-in. The check-in process was efficient, and the associate was friendly.

View from suite 401 at Holland Staybridge Suites
Small creek along treeline

King one bedroom suite #401

This suite is located on the top floor in the corner, which is exactly my profile preference. The setup was comfortable and spacious. I was glad we had a top floor guestroom, as I had read reviews from other guests about the noise overhead. We did not hear any bothersome noise during our stay. The only noise we heard was an occasional door closing in the hallway, and the noise by the trash dumpster in the mornings. The first morning, we heard the dumpster being emptied, and the second morning, the person plowing the parking lots parked in that area. Neither of these noises bothered us much, and we fell right back asleep. I only mention this, in case you are a super light sleeper and want to stay away from this corner of the building. Although we were near US-31, we did not hear any traffic noise.

Suite 401 at Holland Staybridge Suites

The ice maker was not on in the fridge when we arrived, and the front desk agent gladly fulfilled my request for ice when we first arrived. Coffee, condiments, two dishwasher tablets, dish soap, paper towel, and dish cloths were provided. We not have housekeeping come to our room, and we were able to get a second day's supply of coffee from the front desk.