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.