White is right?

I stay often at the Intercontinental Dallas, in Dallas Texas. I like the hotel for the most part, but it has issues. My biggest complaint is the lack of wireless internet in the guest rooms. For almost four years now the front desk clerks have told me that "they are working on it." Yeah right.

I get free mini bar access at this property because I am a frequent, elite level guest (to be exact, I am a Royal Ambassador) so I guess I can overlook the whole wireless thing.

I've stayed at this particular hotel more times than I can count, and have a pretty good feel for the hotel and the types of clientele the hotel serves. Most of the time the people I encounter are business travelers, or people in town for conventions. This hotel does have it's share of interesting things going on, though. I mentioned in a previous entry the crazy guy at the bar. He was a regular for a while, but eventually they asked him not to come back. They said he got to be a little too much trouble, but I kind of liked the guy. And, I remained loyal to the hotel and stayed multiple times when the entire hotel was under renovation and wrapped in saran wrap. It was a real mess when it was under construction, but I stayed true. (Hey, a free mini-bar is great incentive.)

This particular stay was the first of four nights in different hotels on a long business trip. I should have known it was going to be an interesting couple of days when I walked out of my room at the Intercontinental the next morning. I wondered if I had stepped into a weird time warp or something. First, when I went for breakfast the concierge lounge on the executive floor was packed with people. And kids. Lots of kids. It reminded me of a Holiday Inn Express. This is not the norm for this property. I couldn't even sit at a table, so I took my Raisin Bran back to the room. That was a first for me.

But this time I was starting to think I had stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone.

When I went to check out the next morning I noticed that the entire lobby was filled with people in very interesting white attire. Skirts, saris, turbans, shawls, slacks - all white. I'm not sure what was going on or who they were.

After I checked out and went to my car I found a flyer on my windshield advertising Swami Somebodyorother speaking the next day at a neighboring city. Maybe that was the draw for the hotel.

Then again, maybe I just missed the memo on the dress d'jour.

Another use for Cheez-Its

I was upgraded to a lovely suite at the Intercontinental Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This hotel doesn't have a club floor, but gave me a couple of coupons for a free breakfast as well as a couple of free drinks at the bar. The waitress at the bar was just as cute as could be and told us she thought the appetizers during happy hour were really "great - and very upscale" and she was correct. The appetizers were wonderful - and unique to hotels. (That means they had something besides buffalo chicken wings and nachos.)

The hotel is very nice, but the parking garage was like driving through a maze. No problem, I left a trail of Cheez-Its so I could find my way back.

No touchdown here!

To be perfectly honest, I never even thought of checking the football schedule before I planned my last trip to New Orleans. Did you know that everything shuts down in New Orleans when the Saints open their season? I didn't. I figured it out when I checked into the lovely Intercontinental Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

When I went to my room there was a piece of paper next to my welcome letter that said I wouldn't be able to get in or out of the hotel the next day because of the game. Geez. "You can check out but you can never leave..." I remember that song.

I decided that I didn't want to get stuck there so I checked out early and went to a hotel nearer the airport.

Lesson learned.

Hummus? Humbug.

The Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois is beautiful. I was upgraded to a lovely two room suite, and the suite was architecturally like the rooms you see in those home decorating magazines. It was spectacular, but not for everyday living. So, what exactly does that mean?

Well, for starters there was no counter space in the bathroom. I decided that a man must have designed it. Yes, I know it's a sexist comment, but realistically - and in my opinion - the average man doesn't really need or use much counter space. And this bathroom had no counter space. I need counter space.

This bathroom had a free standing sink. I had to put my curling iron on the edge of the bathtub. That's just wrong. In fact, doesn't the little do-not-remove-warning-of-electrocution tag say not to put your curling iron on the edge of the bathtub??

And then there was no full length mirror in the room. I think this may be the first hotel I've ever stayed in that didn't have one. Further proof that the architect was a man.

Parking in the hotel was $22.00 a day, but from what I hear that was a bargain for Chicago. And, on the plus side - they had wireless internet access throughout the hotel. Yay!!

Finding my room required a map. The hotel had maze-like hallways. I think that guests shouldn't drink too much or they'll never find their way back to the room. Not that that is ever an issue for me... but I set a way-point on my GPS just in case.

A real down side to the hotel was that the club lounge was not open even though the hotel has been open for about a year and a half. The website said it had a concierge, and actually bragged about it. In fact, it was one of the reasons I booked it. This became a bit of an issue since I selected the hotel based on the fact that the lounge access would cut down on my meal cost.

When I asked the desk clerk why there was no concierge he said it had something to do with the steakhouse next door and a legal issue with the hotel restaurant. Uhm... Say what? The concierge isn't normally located in the hotel restaurant. This was just plain weird to me. I asked what they were going to do to make me happy. The young man at the desk gave me a couple of coupons for a free appetizer and a free drink. Later in the evening I went to the hotel bar for dinner and handed the coupon to the bartender. She told me the coupons were good for a small salad, a bowl of soup, or hummus. Hummus. Really?

The bartender said that was ridiculous and comped me a Caesar salad. I gave her a big tip.

Only normal people at the bar, please.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Dallas, Texas is becoming one of my favorite hotels. It's consistent, and I like that. I especially appreciate that the reception desk employees act like they really care that I am staying at their property. Yes, I know that this is all taught in customer service training, but it is still nice at the end of a long day.

But, I think I may be the only Platinum Ambassador at the hotel that has ever asked for a downgrade to a different room. They upgraded me to a lovely bi-level suite, and it was beautiful. But there was no way to access the internet in the bedroom. Really now, how can I tell these fascinating tales when I can't sit in bed and write while I'm watching TV? I'd rather be in a regular room so I can relax. It's the little things that make life on the road more pleasant.

Caution... repeat rant follows....

Am I the only person that travels that uses my computer for stuff other than work? Does every other traveler use their laptop only for work?

OK. I'm through ranting. I think that was actually a mini-rant. I guess I'm starting to mellow in my old age.

Speaking of mellowing, remember in an earlier blog about this hotel I mentioned a guy that was talking to himself in the bar? Well, the bartender told me tonight that the poor guy was recently banned from the bar. He said that he started getting a little too weird. I wonder how "too weird" is defined at the InterContinental? I've seen some very interesting and really weird people at hotel bars. I think it's a shame. That guy was certainly more interesting than sports or CNN on the bar TV. I'll miss him.

Don't forget to close the shades!

I lost my rental car in the parking garage at the InterContinental Hotel in Tampa, Florida. Thank goodness for the remote horn feature. I walked through several floors pushing the button until I got a response. I don't think anyone noticed unless they too, were wandering the parking garage.

There were a lot of cars in this garage since it was shared with the conjoined office building. I suppose it was a practical decision to combine parking, and the hotel bar was filled with people from the offices next door during happy hour. It's not a bad marketing idea.

When I stay in hotels I often open the shades in the morning so I can see better to put on my makeup. But not in this room. The view from the window was directly into the office building next door! I could almost read the names on the Rolodex. I bet those office employees could tell some tales.

I enjoyed the hotel and can't complain at all, except for the fact that I lost my rental car. But I can't blame that on the hotel. In fact, I think next time I'll log a way point on my GPS.

Georgia on my mind

I always have mixed emotions when I know I'm going to Atlanta, Georgia. I enjoy the city but hate the traffic, so when selecting a hotel in Atlanta my primary criteria is location. This particular trip took me to the Atlanta Buckhead district, so I decided to stay two nights in the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. This was a good choice for a really great hotel. The hotel is gorgeous. I had a standard king-sized room (no upgrade here, but none was expected). The generous sized room was absolutely beautiful with upscale decor, had a nice assortment of bathroom amenities, and offered an extremely comfortable bed.

But even diamonds can have flaws. For instance, don't expect any old-fashioned-southern-down-home-friendly hospitality. The front desk was all business and efficiency when I checked in. I was the only person at the desk at the time, and there was no chit-chat and only an obligatory smile.

Many times when staying in a hotel I choose to eat in the hotel lounge instead of the restaurant since they usually have a variety of appetizers that are meal-sized. Sometimes they even offer a full menu. There's really no reason to go to a restaurant if I'm not really in the mood for a large dinner. This being the case, I went to the hotel's lounge only to be told by the bartender (the only one on duty) that if I ordered there I would have to wait for an hour or more to receive the meal. Now this was not an empty hotel lounge as many often are - this was a busy lounge, and a very busy hotel. The lack of employees in the lounge seemed an oversight to me. Not really wanting to wait over an hour, I went to the restaurant. The fine dining restaurant was full service and open all night. My meal was excellent and served quickly.

Sensitive readers be advised that the following may be considered a rant.

Now, before I make my next comments I need to put something into perspective. This was not a cheap hotel. In fact, it was almost too pricey for my business travel. So, I have to ask this question: when you pay that much for a hotel, why do they charge an additional $20.00 a day for self parking? $20.00 a day?! (Valet parking was $30.00.) It's not as if the parking spaces were at a premium as the large underground garage was relatively empty. And charging for the internet is also a mystery to me. If McDonald's and Starbucks can offer free WiFi, you'd think that expensive hotels would consider their customers important enough to offer complimentary access. But I have discovered that the more expensive hotels usually charge for the internet as if their access is somehow better than the less expensive hotels. I think this is a problem that should be addressed in the industry as a whole.