Grand Rapids, Michigan: Tru by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport

 November 2021, Sunday, 1-night, king guestroom 414

Sunset facing west the night of our stay.
Photo taken from car after leaving guestroom to run an errand.

Check-in, arrival, diamond perks

I checked in on the app and chose a corner top floor guestroom. I did not receive notification that my room was ready when we arrived after check-in time, so I stopped at the front desk. I was initially assigned guestroom 431, which I think is the room I had chosen. This room faces west, and would have had a sunset view. I scheduled a wake-up call for 3:45 AM during check-in. The agent gave me my keys, and said I could get some bottled water from the cooler. As I was getting the water, she stepped over with new keys, and said I was going to be in guestroom 414 instead. In hindsight, I should have questioned the room assignments. She had offered me water, so I assumed she was giving me an upgrade, or had at least checked for one.

Guestroom 414 in Tru by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport

King Guestroom 414

This is a basic guestroom on the top floor. It is in the center of the building across from the elevator. It faces the parking lot and street.

The room was comfortable and clean. In addition to the king size bed, it contained a large flatscreen TV, suitcase bench, desk and chair, and small fridge. There was no microwave or coffee in the guestroom. Apparently, many people miss not having a microwave, because front desk staff had mentioned this to me. I missed not having coffee in the guestroom more than I did a microwave, as I typically have coffee first thing in the morning, before I even shower.

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.

Grand Rapids, Michigan: DoubleTree by Hilton GRR airport

February and March 2019, Weekend, 1-night each, Executive king guestroom #322 and #156

I have stayed at this property several times from 2010 to the present. I stayed when it was a Hilton, when it was transitioning from Hilton to DoubleTree, and since it has fully changed to DoubleTree. You can find previous posts with additional hotel and room details (guestrooms 114, 300, 356, and 411) by using the search bar above, or by clicking on labels at the end of this post.

Copy of text conversation with hotel during February stay

Diamond perks and check-in

In February, I chose king guestroom 449 on the app when I checked in before arrival. We had had a guestroom in this hotel with a fridge before; however, none of the information on the app told me if the rooms had a fridge, so I asked about this when I received a welcome text before my arrival. At that time, I was told I had been upgraded to an executive king guestroom. When I arrived at the hotel, my room had not been assigned, and the agent said something about two queen beds. My February reservation was for one king bed, so I did not understand why she said that. I mentioned the text from the day before, which said I had been assigned an executive king room. The agent looked like she did not know anything about the text conversation. She assigned me guestroom 322. I received two beverage coupons, and would have also received breakfast, except we were leaving early in the morning.

In March, my reservation had been made for two queen beds. When I tried to check-in online, the only choices showing were that room type, even though I tried to apply other filters. I did not complete check-in, and I did not receive a welcome text before my arrival. The agent assigned me a king executive guestroom on the bottom floor when I arrived. We arrived after the 4:00 PM check-in time, and she told me that was the only king executive room currently available. In addition to the beverage coupons, I was able to enjoy breakfast the morning after my March stay.

Guestroom 322 at DoubleTree GRR

King executive guestrooms 322 and 156

Both of these guestrooms have a small fridge, and there were two bottles of water in the room. Neither of these rooms had been assigned to me before my arrival, so water must be standard in the executive guestrooms. The window from both rooms faces the courtyard.

View from guestroom 156 at DoubleTree

Grand Rapids, Michigan / DoubleTree by Hilton Grand Rapids Airport

September 2018, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom #300

I have stayed at this hotel at least four times, and this was my second stay after the property became a DoubleTree.

Gold perks and check-in

Check-in was efficient, and the DoubleTree cookie was delicious. I had reserved a queen guestroom, and received an automatic upgrade to a king guestroom. Two bottles of water had already been placed in the guestroom before my arrival. I also received beverage coupons to use in the lobby lounge and breakfast coupons. When the agent learned I would be leaving before breakfast in the morning, he gladly offered bonus points instead. The offer of breakfast and then points puzzled me, because I have always chosen extra bonus points for my stays, rather than breakfast. Fortunately, I checked my online profile after this stay, because all my bonus point preferences had been lost or reset, and continental breakfast or snack was checked under "my way" preferences. If I had paid closer attention to my receipts and points as they posted this year, I would have noticed this sooner. This change had been made sometime between the middle of February 2018 and the beginning of May 2018. I changed my choices back to points, and will pay closer attention going forward.

Guestroom 300

King guestroom 300

This guestroom is on the third floor at the end of the hall. The room location further reflects staff member's attention to detail, because I always request a top floor room in the corner or at the end of the hall, as it is usually quieter. I think I have stayed in this exact room before when this property was a Hilton; however, I could not find a previous post for this guestroom. Sometimes, when I get busy, I do not always post a review after my stay. Guestroom 411, which I previously stayed in at this DoubleTree, seems like a slightly larger room with a small fridge.

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Holiday Inn - GRR Airport

February 2018, Weekday, 1-night, King suite #230

Platinum perks and check-in

I redeemed points for this stay, and received an upgrade to a suite before our stay. I called IHG to make the reservation, because the site was not functioning properly when I tried to make the reservation online. When I called, I found out it was because the only available room type with points for three guests, was a queen-bed handicap guestroom. The agent said he could reserve that for me, and he suggested I call the hotel directly to see if they would upgrade me to a king suite because of my status. King suites have a sofa bed, whereas, a standard king guestroom does not. I called the hotel, and the agent happily fulfilled my request. At check-in, I received 500 Platinum bonus points, which posted to my account right after we checked out.

King suite 230

There are three floors at this hotel, and the agent had told me the suite on the top floor was not ready yet. We had arrived about 15 minutes early of check-in time, and gladly accepted the one on the second floor.

The suite was comfortable, and we loved it. The only thing we did not like about it, is that the lighting over the table in the work/sitting room was extremely dim. I am not sure how anyone could hold a meeting at the table. A guest we chatted with in the bar that evening commented that he did not like that the door into the guestroom opens into the bedroom instead of the sitting room. This suite served our purposes well.

Wet bar area in the work/sitting room

The workroom contained a small fridge, sink, table with four or five chairs, TV, work desk, and sofa sleeper.  A K-cup coffee maker with supplies was on the sink. I am guessing there was supposed to be a trash liner in the large trash can in this room. The lid was not set on all of the way, as if housekeeping had not completely finished up before leaving the room.

Room with sofa sleeper and table

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR / Crowne Plaza - Grand Rapids Airport

June 2016, Weekday, 1-night, King executive guestroom #539

Sunrise from guestroom

I have stayed in this Crowne Plaza many times. We had a few new experiences this time, so I am sharing that information below. You can find more information about this property in my previous blog posts at the following links: February 2016, club floor guestroom; January 2014 and August 2013, king guestroom and king club floor guestroom; December 2011, king suite; May 2011, king guestroom; and August 2010.

Arrival and status perks

I redeemed 20,000 points for a king executive guestroom, which I thought was a great value. As a Platinum member, I received my choice of an on-property goody bag or 600 bonus points. The bonus points posted to my account the day I checked in. I received access to the Club Lounge, although I am not sure if that was a Platinum perk or a guestroom perk. It seems like an executive guestroom would include access to the lounge.

Guestroom 539

This guestroom is on the top [5th] floor in the C-wing section of guestrooms. There are only four floors of guestrooms in the north section (D & E wings), so the fourth floor is the top floor in those wings. A guestroom diagram is provided in the blog posts from February 2016 and January 2014. We stayed in a guestroom on floor 5 once before, although I could not find a blog post with pictures for that stay. It must have been a long time ago, as I only recall a few vague details. I usually request an executive or club floor guestroom, and this was the first time I recalled any differences between the guestrooms. I think I will always request an executive guestroom for future stays!

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR / Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - airport

February 2016, Weekday, 1-night, Club floor guestroom #436 - 2 beds

I have stayed in this Crowne Plaza almost a dozen times, and following are links to reviews of some previous stays: January 2014, December 2011, May 2011, and August 2010. This hotel is located by my home airport, and they have an airport shuttle every 20 minutes.

fruit infused water available in the lobby

Arrival and status perks

My status has always been Platinum when I stayed in this hotel, as I quite traveling for work before the new IHG level, Spire Elite, had been added. When I did not reserve a club floor guestroom, I always received an upgrade to the club floor, although the lounge was not always open. I received an upgrade to a suite in December 2011, when I specifically requested it. For this stay, I redeemed points for a club floor guestroom with two beds, because our son was traveling with us. I was not able to reserve a suite with points, so I requested a suite upgrade, as there is not much room for three people in the regular guestrooms.

Check-in time is 4:00 p.m., and we arrived about 3:45 p.m. The agent did not mention the upgrade request in my reservation, and I decided not to ask about it. Although I did not receive a room upgrade, I did receive the 600 Platinum member bonus points.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR airport / Hilton - DoubleTree

February 2015, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom with mini-fridge, #411

I did not realize when I made this reservation that the hotel was changing from a Hilton to a DoubleTree. We stayed at this hotel a few times when the property was a Hilton, and here are links to reviews for two of those stays: March 2011 and April 2011. At the time of this stay, the hotel was still classified as a Hilton, and some remodeling was still in process.

Status perks and check-in

I received the 1,000 bonus points I have chosen for my Hilton Honors "my way" benefit, and I received two beverage coupons. This hotel does not have an executive floor, and I was told that they could not give out a suite upgrade unless it is authorized by the sales department, because the suite cost is so much higher.

Guestroom 411

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the center of the west wing. The window faces the courtyard. It had been nicely remodeled; however, there was a strong scent in the hallway and in our room that smelled like glue or urethane. Since the windows in the guestroom do not open, and there was no exhaust vent in the bathroom, I returned to the front desk to inquire about a different guestroom. The only other remodeled guestroom like the type we had reserved was on the first floor (#114). The front desk agent gave me a key so I could look at the room to see if we wanted to switch. The odor in the second guestroom was fainter than it had been in guestroom 411; however, I decided not to switch, because the first floor room is located by the elevator in a high traffic area.

GRR - Grand Rapids, Michigan / Crowne Plaza

November 2014, Weekday, 1-night, King Club Level Guestroom #410

Status perks and check-in

At check-in, I was recognized as a Platinum member and offered 500 bonus points or a goody bag. I chose the points; however, they did not post to my account with my hotel points after the stay. I filled out a missing points request online, and I then received my points within 24 hours. I had reserved a regular king guestroom, and I received an upgrade to the club level. 

Guestroom 410

This guestroom is in the north wing on the south side of the hall. I wish I had taken more photos of the guestroom. As many times as I have stayed in this hotel, I was surprised to see that I have not provided more information and photos from prior stays. I have often been busy with something else around the time of my stay, and did not take the time needed to share my entire experience. Links to some of my prior stays and photos are at the end of this review. Keep in mind that photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

The king guestrooms on the club floor are not all the same. Some have sofas, and some have only one chair. Some have a very small bathroom, and some have the bathroom vanity located outside the bathing area. I have stayed in guestrooms with a suit valet stand and shoeshine polisher, which are also larger rooms. They all have a balcony.

This guestroom had a closet at the entrance across from the bathroom. The closet contained hangers, extra bedding, and a folding luggage rack. I am sure it also contained an iron and ironing board, although I did not use or look for this. There was not a bathrobe in the guestroom; however, I called to request one, which was delivered within 15 minutes.

mold in the corners

The bathroom was very small with minimal counter space or room to turn around. A single-serve coffee maker with supplies was on the bathroom vanity. The towels were good quality; however, there was mold in the shower.

The guestroom area contained a king size bed, two nightstands with lamps, a clock, a flatscreen TV on an armoire, a desk and chair, and a chair and footstool.

The alarm clock did not work correctly. The time was set at 12:00 when we arrived. We were able to reset the time; however, we could not get the alarm set. There were no available outlets by the bed, so we had to plug our phones (alarm clock!) in at the desk. I have experienced this in all of the guestrooms in this hotel. This could be resolved, if the hotel would swap out the bed lamps for the kind with outlets in the base.

The balcony was dirty and there were leaves and debris on the floor. These were not recent leaves, as our leaves had all fallen from the trees a few weeks prior to our stay. In fact, it snowed the day we departed.

The Internet connection speed was good. We could hear the neighbors TV quite clearly in the hall. Fortunately, it was not very loud in our room.

Food & Beverage
We visited Aryana lounge during Happy Hour, which is Monday - Friday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The last time we stayed in this hotel it was also a Tuesday, so the Happy Hour food items were similar. The Happy Hour menu for Tuesday says: Slow Roasted with special in house seasoning Baby back rip tips, In house made potato chips, Beer cheese n crackers, Wrapped Pickles. Actual food items were: cold ribs, wrapped onions, and Gardetto type mix. No chips, no beer cheese or crackers, and no wrapped pickles.

The service was attentive when we arrived just before 5:00; however, it was poor after this. This was not because our server was too busy to attend to us; she was visiting with other patrons. Our bill was incorrect at the end, and after waiting five minutes for her to return, I went to the bar and had the bartender correct it. We had been charged for one more beverage than we received, and our bill did not reflect Happy Hour prices. Our bill was almost $10 less after I had it corrected. I think the exact amount was just over $7 difference.

Business center
I used the business center to print our boarding passes. I needed to enter the password from our key packet to access the Internet. There were only three sheets of paper in the printer, and I needed four to print all our boarding passes. Since there was no paper in the room, I reinserted one of the pages in the printer for the last page. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to insert it so that the last page did not print on top of one of the other boarding passes.

Club lounge
Guests receive one complimentary beer or wine in the club lounge. The beer choices were Budweiser, Miller, and Stella Artois. I do not know the wine brands, although I thought the red wine was acceptable. The food served in the lounge included ribs, wrapped pickles, vegetables and dip, and cheesecake. The same food items were served in the club lounge and the lobby bar during our last stay, too (June 2014; I did not get a review of that stay posted here). This time, it appeared they did not have enough wrapped pickles for both lounges, and the club lounge got them. I thought the wrapped pickles were better tasting than the wrapped onions.

The attendant in the lounge was the same woman we have seen during most of our visits. She does not welcome guests, and she does not smile. During our last stay, a very pleasant personable woman assisted us, who I had never met before. During that visit, we learned she is the breakfast attendant and was filling in that evening. We always have an early flight when we stay at this hotel, so I have never visited the club lounge for breakfast.

Shuttle service
One of the reasons we choose this hotel when we have an early morning flight is because of the dependable airport shuttle. This visit, we were not as satisfied with the shuttle service. We had signed up for the 4:30 a.m. shuttle because our morning flight was departing just before 6:00 a.m., and the shuttle runs every half hour. Hotel staff called our guestroom after 11:00 p.m. when we were sound asleep! They had called to ask if we could go to the airport at 5:00 a.m. instead. I said no, and I also mentioned we had been sleeping. The agent then proceeded to inquire about our flight time to make sure we could not wait until 5:00. I again said no, as I told her our flight time, and I said that we needed to be there before 5:00 to check our luggage. She then asked if we could go earlier because they had two full shuttle busses of 17 people at 4:30. I said we could do that if we had to, and then I asked why she had chosen us to call and ask us to make the change. She said that the other guests were all airline people. I understand the importance of airline crew for flight departures; however, I think I am an important [repeat] guest, too. I did not say this to her.

A male employee then started talking to her in the background. A few seconds later, he took the receiver, explained the entire situation to me again (unnecessarily, as I had already grasped it), and he then told us they would call us a cab at 4:30, if we did not all fit on the shuttle bus. This call lasted much longer than needed, and it was unnecessary in the end!

The next morning, I inquired about the shuttle situation when we got to the lobby. The front desk agent said she had been the one who called me the night before, and that they had it worked out. She said, "It's a good thing you are not big people." She offered no apology for the unnecessary wake-up call the evening before. When we boarded the shuttle bus, I observed nine seats in our van, and one seat remained unfilled. If there were nine seats in each van, that means there were 18 available seats, so it did not make any sense to me why they would have called us when only 17 seats were filled.

When we returned from our trip and called for the shuttle pickup from the airport, we received similar service. The employee who answered the telephone said, "Who are you with?" I said, "What do you mean? We stayed there before we left. Is that what you mean?" She then explained that the shuttle driver was on his way back to the hotel with a flight crew, and he would be back to get us and another flight crew after that.

When the shuttle driver arrived, we approached the van with our luggage while the flight crew (from our flight) remained inside the airport. The shuttle driver said to us, "We're going to be here awhile, because we have to wait for the flight crew." He walked away before we had a chance to reply or tell him the flight crew was already waiting. We opened the door and got inside the van since it was cold and snowing out. A few seconds later, the flight crew noticed the van and walked out from inside the airport. The shuttle driver returned from inside the car rental/parking garage area where he had walked several seconds after this. The entire process did not take long; however, we felt like we were treated very rudely.

Misc. and overall
I have stayed in this hotel several times, and this is the last time I plan to stay here. There are several airport hotel choices, and there is not much about this property that makes it any better than the rest. I did not like the mold in the shower, and areas of the hotel were starting to look neglected, even though it has not been long since the hotel was remodeled. Since I am a Platinum IHG member, and a repeat guest at this hotel, it would be nice if I was treated like a valued guest. We did receive an upgrade to the club level, although the guestroom we received is one of the smaller club floor rooms.

Here are links to my other reviews in this blog, which account for less than half of my stays at this property in the last few years. January 2014 and August 2013, December 2011, May 2011, August 2010.  

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR / Residence Inn Grand Rapids Airport

April 2014, Sunday night--Easter, 1-night, King studio guestroom #414

Status perks and check-in

view from bedroom

This was our first stay at this new Residence Inn, which opened December 2013. I thought the rate for the night of our stay was kind of high, so I contacted the general manager, and we were able to get a reduced rate. As a Gold member, I did not receive a room upgrade or any additional perks at check-in.

Guestroom
At check-in, the agent asked which floor I preferred, and I requested the top floor. Guestroom 414 is the second guestroom behind the elevator, and it overlooks the front parking lot.

The hotel still smelled new at the time of our stay. I was impressed with the well thought out features in the guestroom. The counter by the entrance door included a scooped spot, which worked well for a place to set keys, change, or small things so that they would not slide or be bumped off the counter. This was next to the sofa, and there were also outlets in this counter.

The kitchen area left of the entrance contained a full size fridge, stove burners, dishwasher, microwave, cupboards with dishes, and a coffee pot with supplies.  A small table with two chairs was against the wall. Microwave popcorn was not provided, which was unusual for a Residence Inn. The only other time that I did not receive popcorn in the guestroom after checking into a Residence Inn, I found out that the hotel had run out, and the agent allowed me to choose a snack from the gift shop. I did not inquire about popcorn at this hotel.

The sofa was comfortable, and the under sofa table fit well. A long desk with a chair was positioned against the wall in front of the window. The flatscreen TV located at the end of the desk could be turned so that it was visible from the bed as well.

A nightstand and light were located on both sides of the king size bed. The bed and pillows were comfortable, although I thought the sheets were quite scratchy.

The bathroom vanity and a closet were located between the bathing area and the bed. I liked that the floor in front of the vanity was tile, like the bathroom, and not carpet. The closet contained a folding luggage rack, iron, and ironing board.

The bathroom contained a large tile walk-in shower with glass doors, which we really liked. There were several ledges in the shower for personal items, and the large shower head was adjustable. Bathing amenities were provided, and the towels were good quality. A hairdryer was mounted on the wall by the vanity.

guestroom diagram

The guestroom was well laid out, and it was comfortable for working. I thought the entire guestroom was comfortable, aside from the scratchy sheets. Basic Internet service was complimentary, and enhanced service was available for purchase. I did not have any trouble with the complimentary service and speed, although there were not many guests in the hotel at the time of our stay.


Food & Beverages

April menu

I had an early flight the next morning, so I did not get to experience breakfast. My husband said that it was good, and that there were three or four hot food items.

The April menu on the refrigerator showed that food was served in the evening on Monday through Thursday. Sometimes Residence Inn provides the menu on the hotel website, although I could not find it online for this hotel.

Business center and lobby
Two computers and a printer were located in the lobby area. The printer for the lobby computers was in a cabinet underneath the computers, and I could not hear it printing. I initially had trouble finding my document, because there is another printer in the lobby across the room, which is the same brand as the one the computer said it was printing to. When my document did not print at that machine, I inquired at the front desk about where to find my document. She told me it was located in the cabinet. I do not know what the other printer was connected to.

I observed plenty of comfortable looking seating areas in the lobby, although we did not sit in this area.

Pool and outside area
The outside courtyard was clean and comfortable. The grill on the patio looked like it had never been used, although it must have been used, since BBQ was listed on the April menu for dates before our stay. The courtyard is next to the parking lot, between the front desk and the pool area. There is a partial wall between the courtyard and the parking lot, which partially blocks the parking lot view.



The pool and whirlpool tub are located inside. The seating in the pool area was comfortable. My husband said that the whirlpool tub was clean, although it could have been warmer.



Shuttle service
I stayed at this hotel because I had an early morning flight the next day. When I checked in, the agent told me that the shuttle was not running that early, and the hotel provided a cab.

Misc. and overall
This hotel is somewhat difficult to find, if you are not familiar with the area. I thought the signage for the Wyndham hotel was much more visible.

The public areas of the hotel were not tended to later in the day. It was the evening of Easter, and the hotel was not very full, so I assume staffing was also reduced. We observed something spilled on the floor by the elevator after we returned from dinner--possibly an ice cream cone or milkshake, which was never cleaned up. The spot was not very big, although we had to step around it each time that we walked by, because it looked sticky. There was also quite a bit of water around the pool area and in the hallway outside the pool. Neither of these issues were highly serious, although we were surprised that no one mopped up the sticky residue.

This is one of the nicest Residence Inn hotels I have stayed in. I thought that the guestroom was well laid out, and it was comfortable. Even so, I am not sure how often I will be able to stay here, since the rate is more than other airport hotels. 

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR airport / Crowne Plaza

January 2014, Weekday, King guestroom #384 (#439 below)

I have stayed in the Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - Airport hotel several times, since it is located at my home airport. It is not as nice as some of the Crowne Plaza hotels I have stayed in, although it is one of the better airport hotels in GRR for the price, and the shuttle service is dependable.

If you have any questions about this property, please ask! Here are links to some of my previous stays: December 2011, May 2011, August 2010. 

Status perks and check-in

I received access to the club lounge, although I did not receive a guestroom on the top floor. When I asked about this, the agent said that there were not any guestrooms available on the top floor. This hotel was not very full at the time of our stay (it is usually less than half full every time I have stayed here), so I am not sure why she said this. It did not really matter much, since I did not recall the club floor guestrooms having any better amenities than the standard guestrooms. One reason I prefer the top club floor, is because I often hear guests overhead when staying in hotels. I did not experience that in this hotel.

Since the club lounge had not been open during most of my stays in this hotel, I asked if the lounge would be open in the evening. The agent did not know, and after she checked with someone else, both employees said yes, although the times they provided were incorrect. The agent did not recognize my status, and she did not actually tell me I would have access to the lounge. This was implied after I inquired about the club floor and lounge when she provided my key packet.

I have never had the same employee check me in when I arrive in the afternoon or evening, so I suppose that accounts for the inconsistency at check-in. When I depart for the airport early in the morning, the same male employee that has been at this hotel for years is usually working. I like it when I see a familiar face at locations I frequent, because that makes me more comfortable with the business' character.

Guestroom 384

This guestroom is on the third floor, and the balcony faces the back courtyard. It has a connecting room door, which I was initially worried about. The guestroom next to us must have been empty, or the guest was very quiet, because we did not hear any noise next door. There were extremely loud guests in a guestroom down the hall, and we could hear their TV blaring every time we left the room. Fortunately, this was far enough away from our guestroom.

The bed was comfortable, and we were happy that this guestroom had a couch instead on one chair. There were not very many outlets in the guestroom. I had to unplug one of the lamps on the nightstand, in order to plug in my cell phone when we went to bed. I could have plugged in my phone on the desk; however, I wanted it next to the bed since we were using the alarm feature for an early morning flight the next day.

The bathroom vanity where the coffee was provided was not very spacious. A single-serve coffeemaker and supplies were provided, and the coffee quality was good. I brought liquid creamer from the club lounge back to the room for my coffee in the morning.

Pool

There was not anyone in the pool area when we used it that evening. The water was warm, and there are plenty of seats in this area. There were lounge chairs around the pool, and one table with chairs between the whirlpool tub and the pool. Additional tables and chairs were located on a level a few steps up. 

The pool is an indoor/outdoor pool, and we have stayed at this hotel in the summer when the outside area is open, although the tiki hut has never been open during any of our stays.

Club lounge

There were only two other guests in the lounge when we visited, and there were not any guests in the lounge when I returned to get liquid creamer for the guestroom coffee.

Each guest was allowed one complimentary alcoholic beverage. Domestic beer, and red and white wine was offered. Food items included chicken BBQ with buns, fresh vegetables and dip, and dessert. We were gone from the hotel before the lounge was open for breakfast.  

August 2013, Sunday night, King club floor guestroom 439 [possibly]

I stayed at this hotel in August 2013, and I did not have time to write up a review after that stay. I have a few photos of the guestroom, so I am sharing them below. I am not certain if the photos are of guestroom 439 or 472. The room number written on my packet says 472; however, the room number on my bill is 439. The guestroom is not marked on the guestroom diagram photo that I took, so I added arrows pointing to both guestrooms. I tend to think that I was in guestroom 439, because guestroom 472 looks like the balcony would be very close to another room or the outside of the building, and I do not recall ever being that close to another guestroom.

Club floor guestroom

Some of the king guestrooms in this hotel have a sofa, and some have just one chair. I have not been able to figure out how the chairs and sofas are allocated to which guestrooms.

The vanity in this club floor guestroom had a little more space than the one in guestroom 384. Bathroom amenities included a small bottle of Scope, and a vanity kit, which were not provided in the standard guestroom.

Club floor guestroom

Club floor guestroom

I had taken a photo of the key packet because the club lounge times that were written on the key packet were incorrect. Both times that the front desk agent provided the lounge times, I was told that it opens in the evening at 6 p.m., and it did not open until 6:30 p.m. 

Grand Rapids, Michigan -- GRR airport / Fairfield Inn

April 2012, Weekday, 1-night, 2-Queen guestroom #305

Status perks

I did not receive anything as a Gold member; not even an acknowledgement or thank you for my business. Since the following Marriott Gold perk was touted to me with an offer to upgrade to Gold: Room Upgrade: At no additional charge, we’ll do our best to upgrade you to our best-available guest room in the next room category level. Suites are excluded. I had hoped to receive a King guestroom, or at least an acknowledgment, if one was not available.

Check-in

This was one of the worst check-in experiences I have ever had. The employee did not cofirm my room type or rate, and he did not ask if I had been to the hotel before, or mention any amenities. He did not smile, and he mumbled so I had to ask him to repeat himself more than once. After he set my key packet on the counter, I asked if my room was just a basic King guestroom. He then told me that it was a double Queen room, and that the hotel was full.

Guestroom

Room 305 is located on the top floor near the end of the hall facing the back parking lot. The guestroom was a basic hotel room in fair condition. The carpet in the guestroom, and in the halls looked new, although the guestroom did not smell fresh. One of the bed throws was badly stained, and when I pulled back the sheets on the second bed, it had not been made up well. I had to tuck the sheets down around the mattress, so they wouldn't come off during the night.

The guestroom contained two beds, a desk and chair, and flatscreen TV placed on a low armoire. There was no seat except the desk chair, which was not very comfortable. I was surprised that there was not a luggage rack or place to set my suitcase. I had a medium size suitcase, which almost fit on the armoire beside the TV; however, there was no room to open it there. Two pleasant surprises were the coffee quality--Bold Beginnings by Royal Cup Coffee, and the bathroom amenities--Pantene shampoo and conditioner, and Vaseline lotion.

bed throw stains

The large window in the guestroom had a screen and opened fully. The bed and pillows were comfortable. I heard quite a bit of guest noise, as if someone was walking around overhead, which surprised me because this guestroom is on the top floor.

Food & Beverage
We stayed at this hotel because we had an early flight the next morning. We needed to leave at 4:30 AM, and did not expect any breakfast items to be ready at this time. I was surprised to find that an employee was already setting things up, and many food items were already available. The last time I stayed at a Fairfield Inn, the only breakfast sandwich was the unhealthy Jimmy Dean biscuit sandwich. Another pleasant surprise for me this stay, was the addition of a healthy Santa Fe whole grain pita egg sandwich.

Misc.   

I thought the public halls and stairways were clean, and they smelled fresh. This stay was acceptable, although I thought the AAA rate of $99 was high for the quality and type of guestroom. The entrance doors at this hotel are not power operated for easy entrance with a suitcase.

There are a few restaurants within walking distance of this hotel: Carrabba's, Hooters, Olive Garden, and Wendy's. This hotel is fairly close to the airport; however, they do not provide shuttle service.

Grand Rapids, Michigan--GRR airport / Crowne Plaza

December 2011, Weekday 2-nights, King Suite #440

Status perks

I requested and received an upgrade to a suite! I have stayed at this hotel many times, and this is the first time that has ever happened. I also had access to the Club lounge--well, my husband did. I was flying into Grand Rapids, and did not arrive until 10 p.m., so the lounge was closed when I arrived.

view from kitchen table

I was not intending to write another review about this property; however, since the suite photos are worth sharing, I decided to do so. To find additional information about this property from my other reviews, just enter the hotel name in the search bar at the top of this page.

Guestroom

The sleeping area was a separate bedroom with two doorways. It contained a king size bed, dresser, large flat screen TV, soft chair, and night stands. I was surprised that there were no curtains on the glass bedroom doors. The second entrance was between the bedroom and the bathroom area.

The bathroom where the toilet, shower, and sink were located was kind of small. A second sink and a closet were located in the area outside the bathing room. 

outer bathroom area

The spacious living area contained a comfortable couch, two soft chairs, a desk and chair, large flat screen TV, coffee table, end tables, armoire, dining table with four chairs, microwave, small fridge, and sink.

The couch was a sleeper sofa that our son used one evening. When I called to request bedding, housekeeping did an excellent job making up the entire bed. Since the mattress did not have a mattress pad on it, she left the room to get an extra blanket, which she put down under the sheets. 

view from glass bedroom doors

The door visible in the photo behind the kitchen table is a connecting guestroom door. The hotel was not very full during our stay, and it did not sound like there were any guests in the room next door. There was a hallway along the wall next to the kitchen table that led to the entrance door from the hall. There was a coat closet in the hall by the door. The guestroom had two outside balconies, which were not connected, and two heating units in the living room area. 

Club lounge

Even though I have stayed at this hotel several times, I had not been to the Club lounge for over a year. It was being remodeled for quite a while, and sometimes my stays were on the weekends or I had to leave before it opened in the morning. I usually received coupons to use in the lobby bar and/or at breakfast when the Club lounge was closed. My husband said that the front desk agent had told him it would be open for breakfast in the morning; however, it was not open. I might have been able to get breakfast coupons, if I had asked; however, I did not ask.

My husband visited the lounge in the evening before I arrived. He said that each guest was entitled to one complimentary alcoholic beverage. He had a beer and did not notice the other choices. He could not even tell me what kind of food items were out. I tried our keys the first morning to see if we could enter the lounge for bottled water, and the room was closed the rest of our stay.

Shuttle service

The airport shuttle service was prompt when we departed for the airport; however, I waited 40 minutes for the shuttle when I arrived around 10:00 p.m. the first evening. I was only mildly upset about the wait until after I called a second time 20+ minutes later. The person who answered the telephone, told me the driver had been waiting for me for over 10 minutes, and I was not there. Since I know the Grand Rapids airport well, I knew that was not true. If you follow my blog posts, you probably know I dislike dishonesty. I told her I had been waiting in the correct spot the entire time. When the driver arrived, I told him what she had said. He was shocked, and said he did not know why she had told me that because he had been at the mall dropping off (or, picking up) other guests.

Grand Rapids, Michigan--GRR airport / Marriott Courtyard

November 2011, Sunday night, King guestroom #302

Status perks

I had Silver status at the time of this stay, and did not receive an upgrade or any perks. I did not expect anything because that is usually my experience at Marriott hotels when my status is Silver. After this stay, I was offended that I had not received an upgrade, because after I checked out, I read a review on TripAdvisor from a guest who had booked a room for $46 on Priceline, and was upgraded to a suite! I find it insulting that this hotel would reward someone who booked a room for $46, and not a loyal guest.

Guestroom

The room was a basic older style Courtyard guestroom with a small balcony. It contained a chair and desk, older dresser and couch, and old style TV. The balcony was a nice touch, although there wasn't really a view or reason to want a balcony at this location. The guestroom had a connecting door, which I don't usually like since they are sometimes not very soundproof. I often forget to request a room without a connecting door, as was the case this time. The hotel was not very full the night of our stay, so the connecting door was not a problem. The HVAC wall unit was an older style that did not run silently as it turned on and off. The wireless Internet speed in the guestroom was good. The bed was acceptable, and since the rate we were paying was less than $100 (although much more than $46!), we found the guestroom satisfactory. The noise from the hallway was minimal.

Food & Beverage

This location did not have evening food service available. I was surprised, because I thought all of the Courtyard hotels offered at least some evening menu items. There were three dining options across 28th Street, which is too busy to cross on foot: Chili's, Papa Vino's Italian Kitchen, and Steak and Shake. The hotel restaurant opened at 6:00 AM, and I was gone before then, so I can not comment on any of the food quality.

Fitness center

The fitness center was open 24 hours. Even though it was a small room, it was adequate. There were four or five cardio machines with cardio theater, and the temperature was comfortable. It also contained hand weights, a scale, towels, and a TV.

Pool

An inside swimming pool and whirlpool tub are located next to the fitness center. I did not use the pool facility, although my husband did. He said it was clean, and the temperature in the whirlpool tub was good. There was no rinsing shower in the pool area.

Shuttle service & misc.

I stayed at this hotel because I had an early flight in the morning. The shuttle service was great; the driver was prompt, and it was an efficient trip to the airport.

I thought this property was outdated, and not as nice as other Courtyards I have stayed in. I think the normal rate of over $100 a night for this hotel is high. I do not have any serious complaints about the cleanliness, although there was a smoke situation the evening of our stay. Apparently, someone had left a heating unit on after breakfast, and the items inside (hard plastic serving dishes, or similar) started on fire that afternoon. When I checked in around 5:00 PM, the fire was out, the hotel entrance doors were all open, and the lobby smelled like smoke. There was still a slight odor in the air the next morning.

Grand Rapids, MI--GRR airport hotel / Crowne Plaza

May 2011, Weekend, 1-night, King executive floor (?) guestroom 

Status perks

This hotel is usually one of my first choices when I need an airport hotel because I have always been upgraded to an executive or club floor room in the past. The agent did not recognize my status or provide any information about the guestroom during check-in, so I was not sure if I had received an upgraded room or not.

Our stay was Friday of Memorial weekend, and there were only 11 rooms rented that evening. (I learned this from a front desk employee later). Imagine what an impressive review I would be writing about this property, if they had opted to give a Platinum member, an upgrade to a suite or better guestroom.

Guestroom

I did not take any photos this stay, and I neglected to write down the guestroom number. I believe we were in a guestroom on floor five in C-wing. I do not know if all of the guestrooms on floor five are executive rooms, or just some of them. This guestroom seemed smaller than others we have stayed in.

When I made this reservation, I had requested a high floor, corner room, in a quiet area. Although I  received a guestroom on the top floor, it was next to the elevator. I do not think there were any other guests in this hall, so the guestroom was in a quiet area, even though it was next to the elevator. It was not as nicely remodeled as some guestrooms I have stayed in, and there was only one soft chair in the room. I have stayed in other guestrooms at this hotel with a couch instead of one chair. That would have met our needs better, since there were two of us. It had a balcony overlooking the back courtyard.

Club Lounge

The Club Lounge remodeling had been completed, and the lounge was in use, although it was not open the evening of our stay. Sometimes, the room is still accessible for bottled water and such. I tried my key in the door, which did not work. Later that evening, I inquired about the Club room, or discount coupons in the hotel lounge. The front desk agent--who was different than the employee who had checked me in--gave me a couple of beverage coupons for the hotel lounge.

Food & Beverages

The service, food, and beverages in the lounge were excellent. I have liked every food and beverage item I have tried at this hotel since the lounge and restaurant were remodeled. We shared a chicken jerk sandwich, which was plenty large enough for two. The bartender let us use our beverage coupons for upgraded beverages.

Business center

I was able to print something in the business center without any difficulty or a charge. I have stayed in some Crowne Plazas that charge for printing. There was not a copy machine in the business center, and the front desk agent made a copy of two items for me. Front desk staff were also happy to let me leave a package I had scheduled for pickup the day we checked out.

Hotel shuttle & misc.

The morning shuttle was prompt, as was our pickup from the airport when we returned.

One reason I usually choose this property over the nearby Hilton (now a DoubleTree) is because of the perks I normally receive. Since I did not receive any perks this time until after I inquired, I am undecided about which hotel I will choose for future airport stays. The room we had was acceptable, although I did not understand why staff would have chosen not to give us a better room when the property was nearly empty. I'm sure we would have been more comfortable in a room with more space and a couch. I appreciate that the Front Desk agent gave us beverage coupons after I inquired about Platinum perks; however, I never like it when I have to request these things. It is much more impressive when perks are given without prompting.

Grand Rapids, MI / GRR airport hotel -- Staybridge Suites

Status perks

I received a coupon good for two items at the Suite Shop.

Room

I was disappointed when I saw that my guestroom was right next to the elevator and not on the top floor, because it's usually noisy in this area. When I make a reservation, I always request a room in a quiet area away from the elevator on the top floor; however, I have found that some hotels read the guest comments, and some do not. This was a Sunday night stay before an early flight I had, and I was not going to be there long, so I did not request a different room. The room was a studio king bed room with a full kitchen. It met my needs for the short stay; however, if I had planned to be in the area working for a length of time, I do not think I would be happy at this hotel. I did not think the couch or desk chair were very comfortable for working, and the room was a bit noisy--from guests in the hall and above me. The bed was comfortable, and I liked the fact that the large window had a screen and opened.

Food & beverage

This hotel does not provide food on Sunday evenings. An evening reception is included Monday - Thursday. Breakfast was included in the morning; however, I had to leave before then. I inquired about a breakfast to-go bag, and was told that is not offered. Sometimes, when I ask about this because of an early departure, the employee has let me grab something from the pantry.

Pool and outside area

The outside pool and hot tub had just opened for the summer the weekend of our stay; however, neither were usable. The pool was dirty, and the water in the hot tub was not warm. The outside seating area, tables, and grills for guest use were excellent. The seating was comfortable, and there was plenty of room.

Hotel shuttle and misc.

The hotel shuttle was very prompt in the morning. In fact, the driver took me right away after I checked out at the front desk, even though I arrived downstairs a few minutes early. This is one of a few hotels where I often stay when I have an early morning flight. 

This stay was similar to my other stays. I have always received the two Suite Shop items for being a Platinum PCR member, and I don't usually receive a room upgrade or a room on the top floor like I request when making my reservation. I received a room upgrade once at this hotel when I specifically requested it at check-in. Our son was staying with us that time, so I wanted a room with a bedroom, if it was available, and it was.

My husband was disappointed that he was not able to enjoy the pool and hot tub during  this stay. Especially since I had called the hotel that morning to ask if the pool area was open yet. I had been told it was opening that day. Apparently, some of the little details did not get completed on time.