Choosing a Hotel

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 Many are older hotels, some were Quality Inns or Holiday Inns back in the 1970’s, but today are badly outdated and are often poorly maintained.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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