I have stayed in a lot of Holiday Inns in the past, and the Holiday Inn Columbus North I-85 in Columbus, Georgia was by far the worst property I have ever stayed in.
I understand that construction and improvements are necessary to maintain a hotel, and I’ve stayed in numerous hotels in the middle of a remodeling process. However, this hotel appears to have made little (if any) effort to reduce the impact for guests.
While the lobby area was fairly nice, there were large piles of construction debris around the entire hotel. The side entrance closest to my room had a mountain of debris (read trash here) that made it impossible to enter without climbing through it and collecting dirt on shoes, clothing, and luggage. There was no way into the building that one could avoid tracking dust and dirt into the hotel hallways, or back into the car. The access ramp leading to the door was covered with construction materials, and the only way I could get my rolling luggage to the door was to lift it up and over the curb – stepping through the pile instead of next to it. But I felt oh-so-much better when I saw the tattered sign placed inside the door that said “pardon our dust.”
I went into my assigned room. I couldn’t believe this was a Holiday Inn property.
The guest room sliding glass doors opened to the debris filled parking lot. The doors didn’t close tightly and had a gap large enough to let in a cold breeze. The room smelled musty or like an animal had been in it, and the mini-fridge was sitting on the floor in the entryway to the room with the cord stretched out along the wall to reach the room’s only outlet. Lamp shades were askew and the sofa cushions didn’t match the sofa. The bathtub stopper was broken, and in order to take a shower the stopper (very nasty) had to be pulled out of the drain and set aside or the water wouldn’t drain.
I am a female business traveler and I never felt safe in this room. As I look back on this experience, I can’t believe I stayed. But I did, and I survived to tell the tale.
And, in the midst all the negatives, there is one positive note. The desk staff I encountered were pleasant and professional. It is my opinion that they should be commended for maintaining professionalism in a hostile environment. Either that - or they should be awarded Purple Hearts.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Lubbock in my rear view mirror
I had to smile when I first saw the name of this hotel... Holiday Inn Lubbock - Hotel & Towers. Towers? In Lubbock, Texas? (The name still cracks me up.)
The hotel staff was very pleasant, made me feel like a valued guest, and upgraded me to a suite. Actually, I got the feeling that I could have had my pick of rooms since the hotel had only a few cars in the parking lot, and seemed almost empty.
The area of the hotel the suites are in is set apart from the rest of the hotel and had a convenient side entrance. The room itself was nothing spectacular, but it was clean and quiet.
It turns out that the section of the hotel with the suites had an open space with a fountain that could have been considered an atrium if you squinted your eyes. I guess that counts. I found it rather amusing that the "atrium" still had an imitation floral arrangement in the shape of a cross that was obviously left over from a memorial service. I guess that's one way to keep decorating costs at a minimum.
I tried the restaurant for dinner, and while only three tables were occupied, I heard the guy in the next booth saying his meal took thirty minutes to arrive. I ordered a salad, so it's hard to mess that up.
When I was checking out I mentioned how quiet it was at the hotel, and was told it is usually empty except for game weekends and Tech graduation. I wonder if they leave floral arrangements, too?
The hotel staff was very pleasant, made me feel like a valued guest, and upgraded me to a suite. Actually, I got the feeling that I could have had my pick of rooms since the hotel had only a few cars in the parking lot, and seemed almost empty.
The area of the hotel the suites are in is set apart from the rest of the hotel and had a convenient side entrance. The room itself was nothing spectacular, but it was clean and quiet.
It turns out that the section of the hotel with the suites had an open space with a fountain that could have been considered an atrium if you squinted your eyes. I guess that counts. I found it rather amusing that the "atrium" still had an imitation floral arrangement in the shape of a cross that was obviously left over from a memorial service. I guess that's one way to keep decorating costs at a minimum.
I tried the restaurant for dinner, and while only three tables were occupied, I heard the guy in the next booth saying his meal took thirty minutes to arrive. I ordered a salad, so it's hard to mess that up.
When I was checking out I mentioned how quiet it was at the hotel, and was told it is usually empty except for game weekends and Tech graduation. I wonder if they leave floral arrangements, too?
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Alleys of Austin
Occasionally I find myself in a non-Holiday Inn property, so it's only fair that I subject the other hotels to the same scrutiny offered to my hotel chain of choice. I found myself this trip staying four nights in a lovely Marriott property, the Renaissance Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas. It was a wonderful experience, as most of my Marriott stays are. I'm not sure why I don't stay more often at the chain. My father was a Marriott "Black Card" holder - pretty high up on the Marriott frequent traveler chain from what I understand.
It was a bit too high-priced for my regular business trips, though. Probably the reason I don't stay in such hotels too often.
This was a great hotel stay. Excellent service, and a beautiful well-lit room with an exceptionally comfortable bed. It was a good location for my home base, had complimentary on-site parking, but charged $13.00 a day for internet. Another added perk was the proximity of a nice upscale shopping mall within walking distance (for evening entertainment) and a terrific Japanese Restaurant next door with $5.00 Martini specials.
I enjoyed Austin. It's a really pretty place. But if you visit you have to be careful. I was driving along enjoying the scenery while on the way to a meeting, and I found out that other people on the road don't want you to enjoy the scenery. They just want you to get out of the way.
I drove by the Church of Conscious Harmony and found myself wondering what the services were like. Does the congregation sit around listening to someone with one of those tuning harmonica thingies that barbershop quartets use to get their pitch? And is there somewhere a Church of Unconscious Harmony? The church was right down the street from the Telepathic Tattoo Shop. I hope the Church of Conscious Harmony doesn't interfere with the psychic nature of the tattoo artists. That could get ugly.
It was a bit too high-priced for my regular business trips, though. Probably the reason I don't stay in such hotels too often.
This was a great hotel stay. Excellent service, and a beautiful well-lit room with an exceptionally comfortable bed. It was a good location for my home base, had complimentary on-site parking, but charged $13.00 a day for internet. Another added perk was the proximity of a nice upscale shopping mall within walking distance (for evening entertainment) and a terrific Japanese Restaurant next door with $5.00 Martini specials.
I enjoyed Austin. It's a really pretty place. But if you visit you have to be careful. I was driving along enjoying the scenery while on the way to a meeting, and I found out that other people on the road don't want you to enjoy the scenery. They just want you to get out of the way.
I drove by the Church of Conscious Harmony and found myself wondering what the services were like. Does the congregation sit around listening to someone with one of those tuning harmonica thingies that barbershop quartets use to get their pitch? And is there somewhere a Church of Unconscious Harmony? The church was right down the street from the Telepathic Tattoo Shop. I hope the Church of Conscious Harmony doesn't interfere with the psychic nature of the tattoo artists. That could get ugly.
Friday, August 8, 2008
A Steak Out
I've never been to Baton Rouge, Louisana before. I selected the Holiday Inn Baton Rouge on College Drive based on its location in relation to my meetings. It is a bit of a challenge to get to the first time if you don't know about the weird intersection that you have to negotiate to get to the correct street. All in all this is one of the nicest (regular) Holiday Inn Hotels I've stayed in to date. They truly understand customer service.
Tonight after a recommendation by the front desk person I ate dinner at the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse just down the street. I just spent thirty minutes writing about the best steak dinner I've ever had. (It was a word doc and I didn't do an automatic save.) Before I could post it to the blog the hotel wireless kicked me off. So now you'll just have to imagine that you've read my glowing review of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Sorry. I think you would have enjoyed it.
Even a nice hotel has a few problems now and then.
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