By Lee Gilman
Classic
Quality Inn/ Comfort Inn hotel directory from 1983
Like
in almost everything else, there are good and bad hotels. But, by carefully
inspecting the hotel, you can avoid bad ones.
·
Look
at the outside. If it’s run-down outside, it’s likely not too nice inside,
either.
·
Avoid
exterior corridor hotels. These may be convenient, but it’s also easier for
burglars to enter rooms, as they can do so without passing the front desk.
·
Except
for the main entrance, a card-key should be required to enter all side
entrances.
·
Look
for electronic card locks for guestrooms. These are difficult to duplicate and
can be reprogrammed before each stay.
·
Always
ask to inspect rooms before electing to stay. If a hotel declines, then walk
away. They’re obviously hiding something.
·
Beware.
I’ve read stories about cigarette burns in “non smoking” rooms and other
problems.
·
The
use of the term “renovated” can be misleading. Some hotels simply buy new lobby
furniture or phones then boast that they “renovated” the hotel.
·
Remember,
if a company or group arranges your stay, then you may not have a choice.
From
my experience, fancy upscale hotels are not worth their premium price. Aside
from the gourmet dining and lavish décor in public areas, the hotels aren’t
anything special. The best values in lodging are mid-market hotels. But be
warned: Well known, well established chains like Holiday Inn, Ramada Inn, Quality Inn, and Howard Johnson often include older properties
that are past their prime. You can still find good hotels in these chains
(although Holiday and Quality are a notch above Ramada and HoJo.) Your best
choices are AmeriHost Inn, Sleep Inn, Microtel, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson,
and Wingate Inn. All of the
properties in these chains have interior corridors and were built fairly
recently. Wellesley Inn, AmeriSuites, Baymont Inn, Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, Fairfield/Courtyard by Marriott, and Holiday Inn Express are also among the
better choices. For the most part, budget chains like Econo Lodge, Super 8, Days
Inn, and Motel 6 should be avoided.
Many are older hotels, some were Quality Inns or Holiday Inns back in the
1970’s, but today are badly outdated and are often poorly maintained.
My
Hotel Reviews(all on www.tripadvisor.com)
Quality
Inn, Anderson, SC: Score 5/5 (March 2005)
In Anderson, there are a number of brand-new hotels by I-85 but
only a few in town. The Ramada and LaQuinta are older, exterior corridor
motels, and I have a grudge against Super 8 after two bad stays. The Quality
Inn therefore seems to be the best hotel choice if you want to stay on
Anderson's main strip.
I'm a college student at nearby Clemson University, and I stayed one night at
the Quality Inn to get away from my stuffy dorm room for one night, and to
treat myself with my tax refund.
It's a four story hotel with three restaurants including Applebee's within
walking distance. The outdoor pool wasn't open yet for the year, but it was
overcast and rainy during my stay anyway. Check-in was fast and efficient, and
the desk staff was very friendly.
My room was exactly as reserved- a king nonsmoking room. The room had a
coffeemaker, hairdryer, iron, microfridge, wireless internet access, and a
large TV with lots of channels- I was impressed. The room was very clean and
well maintained, and it was quiet. I never heard a noise from another room. The
bed was very comfortable- it was the best sleep I had in quite awhile (dorm
beds are NOT that nice).
The lobby has a computer workstation and breakfast in the morning was pretty
good, though I'm not a breakfast person.
Small complaints: No circulating fan in the bathroom, ice machine on 2nd floor
not working, 2nd floor vending area had broken light. I'm probably being a bit
nit-picky, though.
I've stayed at two Hyatts in the past year and this Quality Inn beats them
both. It was friendly, clean, and very well maintained, and an excellent value
at $65. I would definitely stay there again if given the chance.
Hyatt
Regency, Greenville, SC: Score 3/5 (October 2004, February 2005)
This is the first Hyatt I've stayed at, my preferences being with
Choice Hotels' Sleep, Comfort, and Quality brands. Based on my stay, little
differentiates the Hyatt from those brands except for Hyatt's public spaces.
The hotel boasts a beautiful glass-lined atrium with a pool and fountains. And
lots of plants. It's a beautiful setting. I was there with a college group. Due
to bad planning on our part, we had planned our retreat the same night Usher
and Kayne West were in Greenville [(October 2004 stay)], and the Hyatt was
hosting the after-party in the atrium. Not sure why this business hotel hosted
the after party though. The loud party kept us awake (we were obligated not to
attend the concert or the party by the university) and from our atrium-view
room could actually see the cops escorting partiers out in handcuffs.
The rooms were average hotel fare, clean and well maintained, but
indistinguishable from some much less expensive brands. Hotels like the Hyatt
obviously funnel their money into public spaces.
Hyatt
Regency, Louisville, KY: Score: 3/5 (November 2004)
I attended a conference for college students involved in campus
residential life, with over 800 students. The events for the conference were
split between the Hyatt's meeting rooms and facilities at University of
Louisville. Most of the nightly socials, including a Cranium tournament Friday
night and a closing banquet/dance Saturday night, were held in the hotel. The
first floor, with its myriad of ballrooms and boardrooms was confusing to
navigate. This is your typical atrium-style Hyatt hotel. The newsstand sold
12oz. sodas for $1.99. They can do this since NONE of the vending machines in
the hotel were working while we were there. Does anyone actually drink the $4
bottle of spring water left in the room?
With over 800 students, the three glass-enclosed elevators were overworked.
Waits of 10 minutes were common, and there were no places to sit while waiting
for the elevators. The hotel shares a stairwell with adjoining office
buildings, and the dorm-style stairwell belies the Hyatt's luxury pretensions.
There is a miniscule pool located on the fourth floor.
The rooms were serviceable but unimpressive. The bathroom counter was worn
somewhat, and the amenities were what you'd find in midpriced hotels, except
for the aforementioned $4 bottle of water which we left untouched. They did do
a good job of cleaning the rooms, though. Here and at the Greenville,SC Hyatt,
you have to leave your card-key inserted in the lock for 15-20 seconds. If you
pull it out too soon the door won't unlock. I wonder if this is a Hyatt
thing...
The restaurant and kitchen are on the first floor. The bar is on the second
floor. I ordered a plate of fries and it took over 30 minutes to get them. The
bartender was very nice though.
Directly next to the hotel is Louisville's Fourth Street district. Parking is
not free. Overall the Hyatt provided a satisfactory stay, but it wasn't
anything special.
Comfort
Inn, Stephens City, VA: Score: 5/5 (May 2004)
I have now made it a habit of selecting the Conmfort Inn Stephens
City when returning from vacation. The hotel is always well maintained. Every
time I visit I am greeted by a friendly and professional staff. Rooms are clean
and comfortable. It was recently renovated, with micro-fridges now in all
rooms. There is an excellent restaurant, Roma's, located within walking
distance of the hotel. Cost was about $70, and well worth it. Decent
continental breakfast. This hotel is highly recommended.
Fairfield
Inn, Boone, NC: Score 5/5 (November 2003)
While in Boone for a conference, I stayed at Fairfield Inn. The
conference had booked rooms at three Boone motels but this was the only chain
hotel used for the conference. This was good for me, since I am a bit leery of
unaffiliated hotels, and the main hotel for the conference, High Country Inn,
had exterior corridors. The Fairfield Inn features the much more secure
interior corridors. The public spaces and guestrooms were all very well
maintained. Although members of our conference were a bit rowdy the staff
handled the situation very professionally. I would recommend this hotel to
visitors to Boone and Appalachian State University.
Crowne
Plaza, Greenville, SC: Score 4/5 (October 2003)
I stayed here as part of a professional retreat for a college
organization. The hotel has a very nice public area with indoor pool and
sitting area. The rooms were typical fare: clean, comfortable, well maintained,
but nothing to set it apart from moderate hotels except for Crowne Plaza's
signature AM/FM/CD alarm clocks- easily the fanciest alarm clocks I've seen in
a hotel. An interesting note is that the Crowne Plaza overlooks a smaller
Greenville hotel that was set on fire by an arsonist last year. Still, it's
close to major downtown Greenville attractions and it isn't in a bad
neighborhood.
Sleep
Inn, Mt. Pleasant, SC: Score 5/5 (July 2003)
This hotel was clean, friendly, and well-maintained. It des sit
back quite a ways from US 17 and there's not much of a view. Rooms were clean,
well-lit, and comfortable, and the staff was friendly and professional.
Continental breakfast was standard fare. Keep in mind that this hotel has
walk-in showers only- no tubs. Overall it was a very nice place to stay.
Quality
Inn and Suites, Lumberton, NC: Score: 5/5 (July 2003)
The Quality Inn & Suites is an older, two-story hotel. It has
interior corridors, but the first floor rooms also have exterior access doors.
My family used it as a base to visit South of the Border. Our room on the first
floor was very well maintained considering the age of the property. It was
revamped recently with new furnishings. Rooms featured all the amenities one
would need for an overnight stay. The entire hotel was clean and rooms were
quiet at night. The staff was very friendly. The hotel's restaurant served very
good food for dinner and an acceptable free continental breakfast. For $60 a
night this hotel was an excellent value and I would definitely stay there
again. Would probably not return to South of the Border, though
Comfort
Inn, Clemson, SC: Score: 4/5 (August 2001)
Although I spent overnight back in 2001, I had a chance to revisit
in Feb. 2004 for a couple hours as part of a conference hosted by Clemson
University, where I attend.
We decided to stay here the night before move-in for my freshman year at
Clemson. I chose this hotel over the adjacent Sleep Inn because of the Comfort
Inn's "Platinum Award" status at the time. Check in was quick, the
staff was friendly, and the place was in good condition. The room was clean,
but devoid of any seating area- just two beds, the dresser with TV, and a
micro-fridge, which I found odd for an "award winning" hotel.
Somebody pulled the fire alarm at about 4:00 in the morning which disrupted
everyone's sleep, but, of course, that was no fault of the hotel. As we had to
leave at 6:30 to get a prime spot in front of my dorm for move in, I cannot
comment on the breakfast.
Fast forward to 2004. The hotel had deteriorated somewhat. No longer an award winner
and it went from 3 AAA diamonds to 2. The graffitti in the elevator and the
discolored wall in the hallway probably explains why. The central HVaC was also
on the fritz, so space heaters were in place. I spent the time in the
hospitality suite, which was in good condition. Not sure if it was clean to
begin with though, because when I arrived other students had already arrived
and statrted eating.
It's still probably a good place to stay, just a bit worn. Try the Sleep Inn
first, though.
Marriott
Hotel, Somerset, NJ: Score: 2/5 (July 2001)
Typical of upscale corporate hotels, the Somerset Marriott funnels
most of its money into its public areas. The lobby was very nicely done, but
the guestrooms and corridors showed signs of obvious wear. The hotel's
convenience store, vending machines, and dining (in room and restaurant) cost
an arm and a leg, as expected. There might have been about a dozen channels
available on the 80's-era TV set. The housekeepers spoke very broken English.
One day they lost the TV remote and it took them over two hours and several
calls to the desk to bring a replacement to the room. Tell me again why Mariott
is supposed to be "better" than Comfort Inn, because I certainly don't
see why.
Holiday
Inn Express, Richmond, VA: Score: 4/5 (July 2001)
I normally don't patronize the Holiday Inn chain, since I've found
that Choice Hotels are just as ood for a bit less. But, when I was travling
with relatives through Richmond, they chose the HI Express. We actually spent
half the night getting lost in Richmond. We returned to the motel at about
2:00AM only to be woken by the alarm clock about two hours later. It turns out
that someone had set the wrong time on the thing. The room itself was clean and
roomy, and I was impressed with the wide selection of TV channels. If I can get
a good deal I'd probably stay again.
Super
8 Motel, Middletown, NY: Score: 1/5 (March 2001)
I stayed here as part of a high school trip a while back. I
remember that this was the last motel I stayed at that didn't have electronic
locks. The hollow wooden doors had about a 2" gap between the bottom of
the door and the floor. The carpet was stained and the bathroom was clearly
dirty and well worn. I didn't notice any bugs that night, but that doesn't mean
the place was bug-free. I spent most of the night eating at a renovated former
Howard Johnson's next door (the hotel is still a Hojos but the restaurant is
not) then promptly went to sleep. Before leaving on the trip we were told the
motel would serve breakfast. It did not, so our advisors had to buy pastries
from a mini-mart. I am not a fan of the Super 8 chain, and would not have
stayed there except I was part of a group. I definitely would never stay at a
Super 8 again.
Comfort
Inn, Columbia, SC: Score: 4/5 (June 2000)
This low-rise, interior corridor Comfort Inn was very affordable
at $45 a night. Our room had one major flaw: a large hole burned in the carpet.
Other than that, though, the room was clean and in good working order.
Breakfast was standard continental fare. This hotel does sit back a bit from
Two Notch, and you have to use an access road to enter the parking lot.
This isn't the best Comfort Inn I've stayed at, but it was certainly a decent
place to stay and it met my expectations
Red
Roof Inn, Cincinnati, OH: Score: 3/5 (July 1998)
I stayed at this two story, exterior corridor motel soon after it
had converted to a Red Roof and shortly before Accor took over the Red Roof
chain. It had just been renovated, with new furnishings, and the room was clean
and comfortable. At the time of my stay, however, the TV channel selection was
wanting. Overall, it was an acceptable motel for a basic overnight stay.
Super
8 Motel, Nashville, TN: Score: 2/5 (July 1998)
My sister made reservations for us to stay here for her wedding.
Why she didn't let us choose the hotel, I don't know. This is an older, four
story motel. It used to have balconies, but sometime along the line they were
blocked off. The room was well equipped, not dirty but definitely worn. One of
the elevators was closed off for a day while it as being repainted. The smell
of the paint permeated through all of the corridors. All in all, upkeep was
barely adequate, even for Super 8 (and I don't expect very much out from Super
8 anyway.)
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2001-2003 Lee G. Gilman. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Hotel brand names are
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