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| Comfy bed at Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel |
I love hotels. It may
sound strange but I do. Maybe it’s all
the hoteliness of it all. The beds made
with fresh sheets and extra pillows. The
shower and tub all sparkly clean with nice fluffy towels. All of the efficient, little shampoos and
soaps. And the best – the very best part
– is that I don’t have to clean up! The
used towels disappear, the beds get made, and all is reset as if by elves.
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| Awesome bed at Boston Park Plaza hotel |
Okay, I know that not all hotels are perfect and traveling
on a budget as I do, I’ve had my share of crappy hotel stays. I read reviews and check out the star ratings
of the places I stay and do my best to select locations that are safe, clean,
and try hard, even if they’re not part of the chain hotels. I think that’s important. On vacation, we stayed at the Americana Hotel
in Arlington VA.
TripAdvisor.com reviewers said it was run down, yes, but inexpensive in
an expensive market (Washington
DC) and clean and friendly. For the most part, they were right. The front desk staff was attentive and very
helpful, not acquiring the glazed over look of the frazzled, phone juggling,
direction giving, name tag wearing, maintenance calling, folks I’ve met in some
of the chains. The breakfast area in the
lobby looked recently remodeled but a bit cramped, but you can tell they were
trying . . . donuts, muffins, cereal and good hot coffee. We stayed there after having spent a week in
a Wyndham Clubs resort in Williamsburg,
VA, which was awesome, spacious,
and generous, like a perfect little home away from home for us.
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| In room coffee at Seaport Boston Hotel |
So in comparison, the Americana Hotel in Arlington had a few
things that were starkly differentiating.
Much smaller space (2 br condo vs. 1 room hotel with 3 people and
perhaps you get the picture), no refrigerator or microwave (these are things
I’m coming to require in a room-maybe I’m asking too much), really – I mean
really – small bathroom with very little counter space or shelf space to put
out our toiletries, a rattling and noisy air conditioner, and kind of a damp
mustiness that I may have been imagining, but probably not. But in its defense, the room at the Americana
Hotel, had a great flowing shower and that noisy air conditioner kept the
steamy summer temps nice and cool. And
with rates at just over half the cost of other hotels in the area, I can see
why it is a regular traveler’s favorite in the area. I would recommend it if you can deal with the
dated but squeaky clean yellow tile in the bathroom and the not flat screen
TV. If you’re looking for a place to
crash after a day of visiting the Smithsonian
Museums and other capitol
sites, this was fine. It was within
walking distance to the Metro and a mall and plenty of restaurants.
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| Bed at Hampton Inn Chicopee MA |
The hotel I’m staying in at the moment is the Hampton Inn in Chicopee, Massachusetts. I’m here because the tourism organization
that I work for, The Maine Highlands, is
exhibiting at The Big E, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of my
pilgrimage. New in my position last
year, I hadn’t booked rooms for my group as far in advance as is needed and
found myself booking here in Chicopee which is a bit further from the
fairgrounds than most exhibitors like to be, therefore rooms were available at
the last minute. This year I booked a
room closer to the fair for my volunteers, but having had a great experience
here last year, booked myself at the Hampton Inn in Chicopee.
When I got here yesterday afternoon, I was really glad I did
book here. Within the last year, the
lobby has had a fabulous makeover. They
moved the free breakfast zone from the main lobby area to a separate room off
of the lobby. The free breakfast is one
of the draws for me. Another is the free
hot coffee available 24/7. At night, I
get 2 cups robust coffee black to take to my room. I like to have coffee first thing in the
morning, and am not into getting dressed to go downstairs for coffee. When my husband is with me, he does that
(he’s one of those morning people) but on my own, I get the coffee, some
creamers, and a cup of tea for that evening, then in the morning, I microwave
the coffee (I know I know – not everyone likes microwave coffee and I’m usually
one of those people but I’d rather have microwaved coffee than have to get
dressed). The room, a regular room, not
a suite or anything, is comfortable, feels clean, and has the stuff I love in a
hotel room – fridge, microwave, large desk with free wifi – a huge plus – beds
with four pillows on each bed, a fluffy white duvet, a cool lap desk so I can
write in bed, big TV with Showtime, and nice complimentary toiletries like
shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and mouthwash.
Plenty of towels, lots of light, a big comfy chair, huge closet, and
rooms to spread out all my stuff. I
travel with a lot of stuff. Breakfast
this morning was a filling mix of scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, one of those
pour-flip-sizzle waffles, mixed fresh fruit, and yep, more coffee. They also had a three tiered display case of
pastries, muffins, bagels and breads and three kinds of cereal. I like to fill up at breakfast so that I can
go for a while without having to stop to eat.
Oh and the showers . . . its so nice to take a shower
without that pesky having-to-leave-hot-water-for-others thing.
The absolute best thing:
I don’t have to do dishes.
Or slice or chop or negotiate and serve.
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| efficiency kitchen at Best Western Chocolate Lake Halifax NS |
It’s a mini vacation.
Ok, I haven’t been lounging by the pool or waiting in lines for a thrill
ride or museum, but the little niceties of a good hotel room make it feel like
that. At home, there’s always some
nagging chore that needs attention, something I have to tend to, work to be
done. In a hotel room that work might
still need doing but unless you took it with you, you simply can’t do it. You MUST sink back into the pillows and mush
your mind with Honey Boo-Boo. And in the
morning, there’s no delay that comes from starting a load of laundry before
work or getting the recycling out before the truck rolls around the corner.
So for you my dear readers, I will suffer through trade show
season staying at a variety of hotels along the way and when I can pull myself
out of the plush mountain of pillows, I will write about them.
I’d love to hear about what you love about hotels.
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| Big pile of pillows at Hampton Inn |
Written at the smooth and spacious desk in room 216 Hampton Inn Chicopee Massachusetts.
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