Frankly my dear, they sort of give a damn

Fort Worth North-Fossil Creek in Ft. Worth, Texas is a property next to a really big post office processing center. Its location right off the interstate makes it a bit of a challenge to leave the hotel because it requires a left turn on a busy street, but I solved this by turning right and driving down to the Liq-o-Rama parking lot a block or so down. Liq-o-Rama. It still makes me laugh as I type the name. Liq-o-Rama. OK. So it's been one of those weeks...

Now where was I? Oh, I was reviewing the hotel. Check in was smooth and the clerk at the front desk was pleasant and efficient. I was recognized as a platinum member immediately and my keys were ready and waiting. I was not offered an upgrade or any platinum perks other than a silver gift bag with potato chips, a bottle of water, and a (large) 3 Musketeers candy bar. It reminded me of breakfast when I was in college. Nothing wrong with that.

This hotel was either relatively new or recently remodeled and was in pretty decent shape. My room was a little too small for me, but like I said I wasn't upgraded. Maybe I'm just spoiled. The bed was comfortable though, and the room had plenty of electrical outlets.

One interesting feature was the little electronic "privacy/clean this room" switch on the wall. It lights up a little sign on the outside of your room. I've never seen that before. That means no one can steal your do not disturb sign off the door. I liked it.

I had a couple of issues. For one thing, the shampoo had been used. Now I know it was just soap, but it begged the question... What else was used? I figure the housekeeper didn't see it because the light was dim in the bathroom even if you turned on all three lights. There were three light switches in the bathroom, and none of the lights were heat lamps - just three lights.

I don't think the floor had been vacuumed. It didn't look like it. I was looking for a phone book and opened the nightstand drawer. In the drawer with the phone book was trash... including a used tissue. Gross.

The sound on all the TVs in the hotel was just weird. Some stations were really loud, some were nearly silent, and all of them were completely distorted when turned to NBC. It was extremely annoying. The desk guy told me they were trying to work it out with Direct TV. Later I learned (from a different hotel employee) that the hotel probably just didn't want to pay to get it fixed. But, since the batteries in the remote were dead it didn't make any difference anyway.

Not able to watch TV, I decided to go use the treadmill in the exercise room. The communal TV was turned to NBC.

There was no fan in the exercise room, and it was very hot. I'm not sure why they didn't have the air conditioner turned down as in most hotels. After 30 minutes on the treadmill I was glad to see a water cooler in the corner. I grabbed a cup, and the cooler was empty. That's the kind of experience that makes one want to go hang out at the hotel bar.

I went back to my room. The most interesting feature of the room was a larger-than-life picture of Rhett and Scarlett in a passionate embrace. It was totally out of character and in fact looked as if someone left their souvenir poster. But I liked it. Gone With the Wind is one of my all time favorite movies. It inspired me. "With God as my witness... I'll never go hungry again."

Especially since I had that big ol' candy bar.

If only they could all be like this

Near hotel perfection awaited me at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. From the moment I walked in the door until I walked out it was an outstanding experience. Check in was smooth, and I was recognized immediately as a priority member. I received a personalized envelope which had enclosed a thank you and a coupon for a complimentary drink and a full breakfast in the restaurant. I wasn't sure if I would use them though, because I was upgraded to a room on the the "key access only" executive club floor. One of the perks of the executive floor is a complimentary happy hour with appetizers, and complimentary continental breakfast. Ah, decisions decisions.

The room itself was great. When I arrived in the room waiting on the bed was a little gift bag with lavender linen spray, ear plugs, and an eye mask. I got the feeling that they really wanted guests to have a very restful night. I didn't need any help though, because the bed was comfortable and the room was quiet. I almost didn't need the fan, but left it on anyway. I slept very well.

There was a spacious desk and a plush lounge chair with an ottoman. Perfect for watching the large flat screen HD TV. Nice.

Sometimes I find myself wondering if my unpleasant hotel experiences cloud my judgment. After the previous experience did this one just seem better because the plumbing worked? Did I just imagine the softness of the bed? Was it really that terrific?

It was really that terrific.

You have to have a sense of humor

The Holiday Inn Express in Macon, Georgia was interesting. There was no fluff or warm fuzzies when I checked in, and no acknowledgment as a priority member at check in other than having my keys ready.

But they had little bags of popcorn on the counter for the guests, so I figured they had a little culture.

This was an older property, and was the old style of the hotel chain. It was very different in that the decor in the hallways was deep blue, yellow, and sage green. I was surprised when I first saw it, but it actually had a nice feel to it.

When I entered the room, sitting on the table was a laminated card that welcomed me as a platinum priority member, a bottle of water, and a small package of Famous Amos cookies. I did not receive an upgrade, and was given a room with two double beds. I don't have a problem with double beds, but these were hard beds. They did try to disguise them with a pillow top, but it only helped a little. The room was small and felt very cramped. I had to fight past my clothes and out the door, because the space for hanging up clothes was right next to the front door. There were no electric outlets that were not in use so I had to charge my phone in the bathroom.

I've mentioned before that in hotels I need to have a fan running constantly to keep outside noise from waking me up. This hotels window unit cycled on and off all night, and so did my sleep - even with ear plugs. I think I'm going to invest in one of those small white noise machines so I can listen to crashing waves or whale songs instead.

The cabinet with the fridge and microwave was placed in a location that only left about two feet clearance to get by to the bathroom. But, since the toilet only flushed every other time and the bathtub wouldn't drain, I wasn't particularly inclined to spend much time in there anyway.

Holiday Inn Express breakfasts are legendary. You may remember that the hotel chain even featured them in an advertising campaign at one time. The food is always the same everywhere, so in theory there should be no surprises. Well, this one was a surprise from start to finish. Oh, the product was the same, but the preparation was virtually non-existent. I started out trying the omelet. I'm not sure if it was even heated up, because the slice of cheese in the middle was cold. So I tossed it and thought I'd have biscuits and gravy instead. I couldn't open the biscuit because it was rock-hard. Now, this happened to be the one day I really needed something for breakfast because I was going to miss lunch due to my meeting schedule. I was determined to find something. I got a bowl of cereal, and the cereal was stale. I moved on to my last resort: Holiday Inn Express has a trademarked hot cinnamon roll. While I know they are quite tasty, I don't usually get them because I have tried to reduce my intake of sugar carbs. I placed a cinnamon roll on a plate and went back to my table. Anticipating the forbidden carbs, I anxiously took a bite. It was cold.

I took my coffee back to the room and ate a few Famous Amos cookies.

But I have saved my favorite feature for the last. When I opened the curtains to let in the morning sun, I discovered I had a corner room with a view... of the dumpsters and the roof of the neighboring Motel 6.

Now that's class.

A whole new world

I have a confession to make. After my last hotel experience in Columbus,Georgia I was a little nervous booking a trip there again. But after I thought about it - and, being the open minded person that I am - I decided not to book the Holiday Inn Columbus North I-85.

I booked the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites at Northlake (also in Columbus) instead. This was a good decision. I was warmly welcomed at the front desk by a friendly employee, immediately acknowledged as a repeat guest, and my priority check-in was ready and waiting. Less than five minutes after arriving, I was on my way to my room. I was upgraded to a spacious and comfortable suite and waiting for me on the table were bottled water and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Very nice.

For dinner I decided to try out the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant next door because it was, well... next door. On my way to dinner I stopped by the front desk because I was looking for a pencil sharpener (can't do Sudoku with a pen, you see) but they didn't have one. The nice desk lady was very apologetic. I told her it really was okay. She gave me a coupon for a free appetizer at the Roadhouse.

It was happy hour at the Texas Roadhouse. Margaritas were $1.50. I think a person could get very happy on six bucks. I had an excellent steak dinner, but could've made an entire meal out of salad (with their homemade house vinaigrette dressing) and rolls.

By the time I got back to the room I'd forgotten all about my Sudoku. I guess I didn't need that pencil sharpener after all.

Out In the West Texas town of El Paso

I didn't fall in love with the El Paso Airport Holiday Inn. I chose this hotel mainly because of its proximity to the airport in El Paso, Texas. I do that a lot because its just easier most of the time. This time it wasn't such a good thing.

First impressions.
Let's start at the first trip to the hotel desk. Just off the plane, I decided to see if I could check in a little early - usually this works since I'm a Platinum Priority Member. Plus, I'd made my reservation over a month before. When I arrived at the hotel the (pleasant) desk girl told me they didn't have a room yet. OK. No problem. I know I'm early so I'll come back later - I just hoped I'd get lucky before my appointment. Oh, and she said I couldn't have an executive room because they were full. Hmm. So, I went to my appointment, and came back after the regular check-in time. Now the desk girl (a different one from the first) said they only had one room available in the "front" section with a sofa bed. What did that mean I asked? She said it has a sofa in the room. "A suite?" I asked. "No, only a sofa" she said. "You mean I have to sleep on a sofa?" "No," she said - "it has a bed." I decided we didn't speak the same language, said ok and took the key. I went to the assigned room and discovered that it was an outside room with a door that opened to a high traffic area. (I somehow wasn't expecting a cheap motel.) Anyway, I went back to the desk and explained that as a single female traveler I preferred a room opening into an inside hallway. Did they have any inside? She said yes, but they were in the back section. What? She directed me to an out-building behind the main hotel. Fine. Will I still have access to the concierge lounge? "Of course," she said.

The room.
So off I went to the Back 40 to find my room. Opening the door, I flipped on the light switch only to find that it was not connected to any light. No, really. I tried them all. It was pretty easy to do since there were only two lights in the entire room, and no entryway light either. I turned on the bathroom light to see if it would help, and only one of the three fluorescent bulbs worked. Now I'm thinking I'll have to go sit in the car the next morning to put on my makeup because the room is so dark. No reading in bed either because the light didn't reach that far. I couldn't use my laptop because the battery was low and there were no plugs in the room. Well, there was one plug on the desk, but it was too far away and I was recharging my cell phone with it. The room itself was in general disrepair. For instance, the air conditioner had one speed and temperature. The wall had been poorly patched. The ceiling had been filled in with so many layers of texture that I was afraid it would fall in on me if it was bumped.

But there was a sofa in the room.

Wining and dining.
Before I went to the room to settle in for the night I went to the concierge room to have a glass of wine. I went up to the bar and the cute young thing asked me my name. I told her and she said she was sorry but I wasn't on her list. I told her I wasn't surprised because they didn't have a room for me, but I was eligible for the concierge. After a little more discussion she wrote my name on her list and gave me a glass of wine. She was quite friendly and understood proper customer service. After a glass of wine I decided to try the hotel restaurant. The restaurant was actually very good - no complaints there. The restaurant was nearly empty though, so I don't know how it would have been if it had been busy.

The final straw.
I was supposed to stay two nights in this hotel. It was a little thing that pushed me over the edge. The next morning I lifted the lid on the coffee maker to pour in the water, but the hinge was broken and the whole lid came off and fell on the floor. That was it. The irritation of it all just got to me. I called a different hotel, made a reservation and checked out.

What a difference a few miles can make.
About 20 miles away I found the El Paso Sunland Holiday Inn. Nothing but kudos to this hotel. The staff was outstanding, the room (I got a complimentary upgrade because of the Platinum status) was wonderful. They put me in a bi-level jacuzzi suite. The downstairs has a large sitting area and a jacuzzi, and upstairs has a king-sized pillow top bed and a huge shower. The only (minor) negatives I can offer here is that the room has an outside corridor entrance and it is upstairs with no elevator. But, the room is on the second floor, has a great security latch and is well worth the climb. I was told that the hotel has been recently renovated, so I imagine the regular rooms are also very nice.

After a margarita and a 45 minute soak in the jacuzzi... I have decided that life on the road isn't too bad sometimes.