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.

A Rose in the Desert

We've never gone anywhere on our actual anniversary because it is right in the middle of Texas' school spring break. So, this year when I mentioned this to my parents they asked if we'd ever thought about going to Vegas for our anniversary. After all, Spring Break wouldn't really make a difference there. Right? Right!

So my parents gave us a week at the Desert Rose Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. I think it is also a Hawthorne Suites, as well as a time share condo with the Shell Vacation Club.

I liked it. The location was great. It was right behind the Hooters Hotel and within walking distance from the MGM Grand and all the other hotels on that end of the strip. (Just for the record, I won a nice amount on the slots at the MGM!)

We had a comfortable two-room suite with free wireless internet, a simple continental breakfast, and evening wine and beer receptions. If you've ever been to Vegas you already know that the only thing free is alcohol while you are gambling. It was nice to have these complimentary amenities during our stay!

After long days of losing money, walking down the strip, seeing shows, and losing more money, it was nice to have a comfortable place to call home.

Run for the roses

My husband doesn't bring me roses. But it's okay - no, really. He fixes dinner and does laundry. I'm not sure I'd trade that for roses.

I know a little bit about roses though. Tyler roses come from Tyler, Texas and they are famous. Tyler is about 30 miles from Henderson, Texas. I'm not sure if there is any claim to fame in Henderson, but I imagine they have some visitors stop by on their run for the roses. Visitors would be well served if they stopped for the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Henderson,Texas.

I found the hotel almost outside of town. My GPS didn't know the hotel was there, so I guessed that it was a relatively new property. I guessed right. The hotel still had that new hotel smell, and the room had a 42" flat screen HDTV. That's better than most pricey hotels. They also had warm cookies ready in the lobby. Nice.

Warm cookies, roses, and a big screen TV. Hmmm. This could be the beginning of a real relationship...

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.

Speaking of planes...

The next day was on my top five worst airport experiences I've ever had.

First, I made the mistake of filling up the rental car at the only gas station I could see. It was across from the hotel - Suncoast Energys on Butler National Drive. It has an attached Wendy's Hamburgers. The station does not post prices and has a $2.00 mark-up on the gas. ($4.97 a gallon!) I asked if it was correct and they told me that they could charge it because they were the only option. I was furious, but had no choice since I had to get to the airport.

When I researched this gas station later, I found out that people have filed complaints for years with the Orlando BBB regarding this station. They said the practice is not illegal and is a case of "buyer beware."

So, BUYER BEWARE. This is the gas station across from Crowne Plaza Orlando Resort. Do not go to the Suncoast Energys gas station on Butler National Drive near the airport in Orlando Florida.

I have since learned that about a half mile up the street (where you can't see it by the way) there is a regular gas station. Go there instead.

Then there was the Orlando International Airport. Maybe I was just already irritated because of the gas station experience, but the line to check a bag was 2 hours long. Two hours! I've never had to wait two hours to check a bag other than the airport in Barcelona, Spain and then it was because I was in line with a gazillion other people that just got off the same cruise ship.

I had only given myself two hours total before my flight was scheduled to leave, and security looked as if it would take a minimum of an hour so I decided to carry on my bag. I think I'll just avoid Orlando from here on out. There are other airports in Florida.

Take two of these and please don't call me in the morning.

Four hotels in four nights is a little much. But the good thing is that there were no really bad ones on this trip. It's nice that I didn't have to end the trip with a bad hotel, and in fact the final night's stay was quite relaxing.

The Crowne Plaza Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida was another pleasant Crowne. I like a consistent brand like this. Every now and then I come across a lemon, but most of the time they really are nice.

While having dinner at the hotel bar, I learned that the hotel is usually full on weekends because the cruise lines contract with the hotel for pre-cruise packages. It's also very close to Disney World but I didn't see anyone that looked like the Magic Kingdom was their destination. There was a group of men talking about golf and drinking vodka and cranberry juice at the other end of the bar. Does that count, or is it a typical drink for golfers?

I wouldn't have minded taking a side trip to Disney World, but the accounting department might have been a little suspicious if I turned in a receipt from Donald Duck's Dairy Delights or Minnie's Marvelous Mousses.

Probably the most interesting thing about this hotel was the fact that the walls seemed thinner than most. Until I turned on the room fan I could hear the guy in the next room hacking and coughing. No quiet little cough there, oh no. This was loud and the kind of noise that makes you want to put on a face mask. I also think the bed in the other room must have been on the same wall as mine, because when the guy coughed sometimes he would hit the wall. I tried not to think about it too much since I didn't get a flu shot this year.

I wasn't upgraded to the concierge floor because I was told that the top floor was fully booked. I was given access to the Club Lounge though, and on my way passed the sign designating the floor as a "quiet zone." I wonder what they would have done if the man in the next room had have booked one of those rooms? Sent him complimentary throat lozenges?

I mostly hoped he wasn't going to be on the plane with me the next day.

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.

The coffee that made my stay

I checked in the Staybridge Suites in Naples, Florida after a very long day, changed clothes and headed out for a long evening of work.

When I went back to the hotel late that night, the nice young man at the front desk took one look at me and said he had just made a fresh pot of coffee.

Yup. That was a good stay.