Please post your Priority Club Elite experiences (Archive Thread 2010)
Feb 18, 2010, 3:04 am
#91
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 774
Yes what's that all about then? There aren't many ICs in europe, but Barcelona is about the only place I'd expected to find and IC and found there is none. None in the pipeline either, and no (particularly) well located IHG properties at all, in fact. Strange, no? Anyone got a couple of million Euros they want to invest in a scheme I've had?
Feb 18, 2010, 3:04 am
#92
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Oz
Programs: QF LTG, Velocity FF Red, HH Diamond, PC Platinum Ambassador, UA Nothing
Posts: 1,914
Crowne Plaza Melbourne
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Absolutely
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked QUEEN PREMIUM RIVER SUITE NONSMOKING, PP Member BOGO rate. Received upgrade to the Presidential Suite.
How are the rooms?
Very good.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Location great and looked after extremely well.
Friendly and helpful staff.
Room service breakfast well priced though we did not use it.
Bottle of Red wine and card from the Manager.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Good, value, booked "2 for 1" which was well priced. I will return.
__________________
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Absolutely
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked QUEEN PREMIUM RIVER SUITE NONSMOKING, PP Member BOGO rate. Received upgrade to the Presidential Suite.
How are the rooms?
Very good.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Location great and looked after extremely well.
Friendly and helpful staff.
Room service breakfast well priced though we did not use it.
Bottle of Red wine and card from the Manager.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Good, value, booked "2 for 1" which was well priced. I will return.
__________________
Feb 18, 2010, 3:12 am
#93
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Shanghai and Bavaria
Programs: Spire RA, 1865 Voyager, Bonvoy Titanium, FB LP, LH SEN.
Posts: 3,104
Yes what's that all about then? There aren't many ICs in europe, but Barcelona is about the only place I'd expected to find and IC and found there is none. None in the pipeline either, and no (particularly) well located IHG properties at all, in fact. Strange, no? Anyone got a couple of million Euros they want to invest in a scheme I've had?
http://princesasofia.concorde-hotels.com/en/?
Shame that they don't have any good presence there anymore.
But there are plenty of great non-IHG hotels.
Feb 18, 2010, 8:58 pm
#94
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: Marriott, IHG, Delta, United
Posts: 575
HI - Big Rapids, Michigan
HI - Big Rapids, Michigan
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Very much so
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 2 QUEEN BEDS NONSMOKING, That's what I got.
How are the rooms?
Standard and Clean.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Good location, and received a 20 % off coupon at the restaurant for being a PC member. Nice indoor pool area.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Booked it on a cheap rate and had a good stay. I would return.
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Very much so
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 2 QUEEN BEDS NONSMOKING, That's what I got.
How are the rooms?
Standard and Clean.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Good location, and received a 20 % off coupon at the restaurant for being a PC member. Nice indoor pool area.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Booked it on a cheap rate and had a good stay. I would return.
Feb 19, 2010, 8:15 am
#95
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 149
IC ATHENAEUM ATHENS - Greece
IC ATHENAEUM ATHENS - Greece
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked "Acropolis view, club room" received "Acropolis view Junior club Suite"
How are the rooms?
Excellent. Very large with walk in closet, good sized bathroom, very large bed, desk, seating area with a sofa and two chairs plus a coffee table, another sofa and a flat screen LCD TV. All in excellent repair and very luxuriously finished.
How is the exec. lounge?
Good sized and fairly quiet on this occasion. A good breakfast was served here in the morning and the evening canapés were good quality lumps of meat and steak on skewers with the more standard fish based bite sized bits and pieces.
What was good and what was bad?
Everything was good.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Fair value of money, especially with the weekend cert and I would return
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked "Acropolis view, club room" received "Acropolis view Junior club Suite"
How are the rooms?
Excellent. Very large with walk in closet, good sized bathroom, very large bed, desk, seating area with a sofa and two chairs plus a coffee table, another sofa and a flat screen LCD TV. All in excellent repair and very luxuriously finished.
How is the exec. lounge?
Good sized and fairly quiet on this occasion. A good breakfast was served here in the morning and the evening canapés were good quality lumps of meat and steak on skewers with the more standard fish based bite sized bits and pieces.
What was good and what was bad?
Everything was good.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Fair value of money, especially with the weekend cert and I would return
Feb 19, 2010, 8:31 am
#96
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 149
CP - Athens City Centre - GREECE
CP - Athens city Centre - GREECE
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
It was okay.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked "Family room " received the same. I was told that it was an upgrade to a slightly bigger room when I queried it. it was in fact the largest room of that type on the floor according to the floor map - but was still not very large. This was points based stay so your mileage may vary if you actually paid!
The hotel give you a letter on check in which outlines the benefits for platinum members, of which more later, but the letter specifically excludes upgrades to the club floor.
How are the rooms?
Okay. The décor is a bit odd. It is all bright reds and blacks. There are glowing red neon tubes in the corridors. The rooms were in good repair and were fairly comfortable but I felt that they were small.
How is the exec. lounge?
I was not given access.
What was good and what was bad?
Good.
Platinum members get a drink token per person in the room per day of stay. So for a two day stay for two of us we got four tokens. The bar man said they could only be redeemed once per day though, but thsi might have been his personal rule!
Platinum members also get a free hours internet use, ordinary members get 30 minutes. The hotel tells you that this must be used in the business centre but I found it worked on the WiFi in the room too.
Platinum members also get a fruit plate on arrival and some water.
Bad
The attitude of the staff needs a bit of improvement, they were not particularly helpful, being rude in one instance. The hotel feels like a HI and is way below what I would expect at a CP.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I thought the value for money was poor and I would not return.
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
It was okay.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked "Family room " received the same. I was told that it was an upgrade to a slightly bigger room when I queried it. it was in fact the largest room of that type on the floor according to the floor map - but was still not very large. This was points based stay so your mileage may vary if you actually paid!
The hotel give you a letter on check in which outlines the benefits for platinum members, of which more later, but the letter specifically excludes upgrades to the club floor.
How are the rooms?
Okay. The décor is a bit odd. It is all bright reds and blacks. There are glowing red neon tubes in the corridors. The rooms were in good repair and were fairly comfortable but I felt that they were small.
How is the exec. lounge?
I was not given access.
What was good and what was bad?
Good.
Platinum members get a drink token per person in the room per day of stay. So for a two day stay for two of us we got four tokens. The bar man said they could only be redeemed once per day though, but thsi might have been his personal rule!
Platinum members also get a free hours internet use, ordinary members get 30 minutes. The hotel tells you that this must be used in the business centre but I found it worked on the WiFi in the room too.
Platinum members also get a fruit plate on arrival and some water.
Bad
The attitude of the staff needs a bit of improvement, they were not particularly helpful, being rude in one instance. The hotel feels like a HI and is way below what I would expect at a CP.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I thought the value for money was poor and I would not return.
Feb 19, 2010, 10:16 am
#97
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: AS 100K, AA Gold, IC Diamond AMB, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,840
Holiday Inn LAX
Holiday Inn LAX
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest available room from the Admirals Club at LAX once I found out our flight to PPT was delayed 24+ hours. Received a king room on the top floor (which they apparently reserve for Priority Club members).
How are the rooms?
Nice in a general HI sort of way. The hotel was recently refurbed. Very comfortable beds. The fan of the AC drowns out any airport noise (we requested and received a room facing LAX so we could watch planes landing).
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Decent hotel
Decent bar/restaurant
Good transport to/from LAX
Bad:
Nothing really
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes. Have stayed here before. Will stay again if our travels require an overnight at LAX.
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest available room from the Admirals Club at LAX once I found out our flight to PPT was delayed 24+ hours. Received a king room on the top floor (which they apparently reserve for Priority Club members).
How are the rooms?
Nice in a general HI sort of way. The hotel was recently refurbed. Very comfortable beds. The fan of the AC drowns out any airport noise (we requested and received a room facing LAX so we could watch planes landing).
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Decent hotel
Decent bar/restaurant
Good transport to/from LAX
Bad:
Nothing really
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes. Have stayed here before. Will stay again if our travels require an overnight at LAX.
Feb 20, 2010, 2:14 am
#98
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 34
Narita Holiday inn tokyo
- What is your Priority Club status? Plat RA
- Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
was ok
- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
booked standard - got standard - asked about upgrade - no one came back to me. booked 3 rooms for two nights, an evening dinner for 5 etc - so a bit disappointed with expreiance
- How are the rooms?
poor -in need of rerurbishment
- How is the exec. lounge?
is no exec lounge
- What was good and what was bad?
resturants good
Plat gets various vouchers
very close to airport
rooms poor
no upgrde or explanation
- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
better quality hotels in NRT area for same money
- Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
was ok
- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
booked standard - got standard - asked about upgrade - no one came back to me. booked 3 rooms for two nights, an evening dinner for 5 etc - so a bit disappointed with expreiance
- How are the rooms?
poor -in need of rerurbishment
- How is the exec. lounge?
is no exec lounge
- What was good and what was bad?
resturants good
Plat gets various vouchers
very close to airport
rooms poor
no upgrde or explanation
- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
better quality hotels in NRT area for same money
Feb 20, 2010, 2:07 pm
#99
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: PARIS (France)
Programs: AF/KLM Club 2000 | InterContinental Diamond RA |AMEX Plat | Visa Infinite |Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 10,961
CP - Athens city Centre - GREECE
How are the rooms?
Okay. The décor is a bit odd. It is all bright reds and blacks. There are glowing red neon tubes in the corridors. The rooms were in good repair and were fairly comfortable but I felt that they were small.
How is the exec. lounge?
I was not given access.
What was good and what was bad?
Bad
The attitude of the staff needs a bit of improvement, they were not particularly helpful, being rude in one instance. The hotel feels like a HI and is way below what I would expect at a CP.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I thought the value for money was poor and I would not return.
How are the rooms?
Okay. The décor is a bit odd. It is all bright reds and blacks. There are glowing red neon tubes in the corridors. The rooms were in good repair and were fairly comfortable but I felt that they were small.
How is the exec. lounge?
I was not given access.
What was good and what was bad?
Bad
The attitude of the staff needs a bit of improvement, they were not particularly helpful, being rude in one instance. The hotel feels like a HI and is way below what I would expect at a CP.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I thought the value for money was poor and I would not return.
Kistch decor
Unpleasant staff
Tiny room
No club access for Plat+
No free Internet
There is no reason to waste your money at CP Athens (only advantage: close to a metro station)
And considering the crisis which hits Greece, prices are insane
Feb 21, 2010, 1:45 pm
#100
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: Marriott, IHG, Delta, United
Posts: 575
HIX - Grand Rapids South (Cutlerville) - MICHIGAN
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, very much so.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked PointBreak room with "King Bed". Received that plus 2 free indoor waterpark passes.
How are the rooms?
Clean and comfy. Above average, but still a standard HIX room.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Good.
They have an attached indoor "waterpark" which is basically includes a giant 3 story waterslide, hot tub, lap pool, and kiddie pool with water fort and games. I'll admit it, I enjoyed the waterslide
Bad
None really, the waterpark was packed with people though.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Great value, as we got a nice room and 2 free waterpark passes for 5000points (pointbreak). Nice place to take the family in the Michigan winter. Definitely would return.
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, very much so.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked PointBreak room with "King Bed". Received that plus 2 free indoor waterpark passes.
How are the rooms?
Clean and comfy. Above average, but still a standard HIX room.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Good.
They have an attached indoor "waterpark" which is basically includes a giant 3 story waterslide, hot tub, lap pool, and kiddie pool with water fort and games. I'll admit it, I enjoyed the waterslide
Bad
None really, the waterpark was packed with people though.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Great value, as we got a nice room and 2 free waterpark passes for 5000points (pointbreak). Nice place to take the family in the Michigan winter. Definitely would return.
Feb 22, 2010, 12:04 am
#101
Join Date: Jun 2009
Programs: QF Gold, PC Platinum
Posts: 9
Holiday Inn, Darling Harbour
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 2 for 1, keep your certificate. Received upgrade to suite and two free drinks
How are the rooms?
Average
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Great location
Friendly and helpful staff.
Breakfast is standard
Very disappointed as I left some stuff in my room and it was not handed in so never received it back
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Depends on price
__________________
Oz Fest #7 May 28th-30th 2010
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 2 for 1, keep your certificate. Received upgrade to suite and two free drinks
How are the rooms?
Average
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
Great location
Friendly and helpful staff.
Breakfast is standard
Very disappointed as I left some stuff in my room and it was not handed in so never received it back
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Depends on price
__________________
Oz Fest #7 May 28th-30th 2010
Feb 22, 2010, 12:18 am
#102
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,099
ANA Sapporo Hotel
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Somewhat
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked the cheapest room after getting advice from the Front Desk staff as to what i would receive as a Plat member. This hotel has hardly any staff that can speak English thus Japanese was the only way to communicate to get all my benefits. Booked standard room and was upgraded to Exec room. They give "1 step" upgrade.
I booked then requested the upgrade which they did and then they proceeded to charge me for the upgrade and when i asked why my room rate was more expensive, i was told that it was correct. I rang up and talk to a different staff member who couldn't understand why his colleague was so foolish. The room rate was amended to the original rate and everything was good.
How are the rooms?
Claimed to be non smoking but smelt of smoke however the room was old however extremely clean and well looked after.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
I couldn't understand any of the English from the Front Office staff during check in and they were over the moon when they realized they didn't need to speak English after i started speaking Japanese. They never actual told me i got an upgrade or made any reference to my status.
However from the moment we walked in, we were greeted and our bags were taken care of. Overall the hotel is a Japanese business hotel with little or no foreigners visiting.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Great value for money. I imagine not many Platinum's visit this hotel as they seemed to have no idea how to deal with me. I guess they mainly take care of the ANA credit card guests and ANA airline elites rather than the Priority club members as the check in staff had no idea what platinum or priority club was.
Platinum
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Somewhat
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked the cheapest room after getting advice from the Front Desk staff as to what i would receive as a Plat member. This hotel has hardly any staff that can speak English thus Japanese was the only way to communicate to get all my benefits. Booked standard room and was upgraded to Exec room. They give "1 step" upgrade.
I booked then requested the upgrade which they did and then they proceeded to charge me for the upgrade and when i asked why my room rate was more expensive, i was told that it was correct. I rang up and talk to a different staff member who couldn't understand why his colleague was so foolish. The room rate was amended to the original rate and everything was good.
How are the rooms?
Claimed to be non smoking but smelt of smoke however the room was old however extremely clean and well looked after.
How is the exec. lounge?
N/A
What was good and what was bad?
I couldn't understand any of the English from the Front Office staff during check in and they were over the moon when they realized they didn't need to speak English after i started speaking Japanese. They never actual told me i got an upgrade or made any reference to my status.
However from the moment we walked in, we were greeted and our bags were taken care of. Overall the hotel is a Japanese business hotel with little or no foreigners visiting.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Great value for money. I imagine not many Platinum's visit this hotel as they seemed to have no idea how to deal with me. I guess they mainly take care of the ANA credit card guests and ANA airline elites rather than the Priority club members as the check in staff had no idea what platinum or priority club was.
Feb 22, 2010, 8:22 am
#103
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: AS 100K, AA Gold, IC Diamond AMB, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,840
Holiday Inn Golden Gateway (San Francisco, CA)
Holiday Inn Golden Gateway (San Francisco, CA)
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Not particularly
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest available room ($85/night weekend rate) and received, based on map they provide in their own materials, one of the smallest rooms they have available. The only "worse" rooms appeared to be those that are partially stuck behind the elevators. "You get what you pay for" and all that
How are the rooms?
Tiny. Tired. This is a "rebranded" HI (new logo, etc.) but I failed to see how this hotel, based on the guest room we were in at least, was able to pass muster. Furniture was old and tired, save for the flat screen TV. Clock/radio was from early 1980s. Heating/AC system old and very loud. Toilet from at least 1970, wasting tons of water with each flush. Sink and tub drained very slowly/poorly. They provide a plastic clip for you to fully close the drapes with.
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Location for price is excellent. This hotel is located on Van Ness Avenue, right next to the California St cable car
Price was hard to beat
Given 2 drink chits in the attached bar/restaurant at check-in
Staff at the attached bar was very friendly
Bad:
Everything else. Tiny room, weird hallway smells, rather rude front desk staff at check out.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
It was the cheapest PC property in San Francisco this past weekend. However, I don't think that we'll be returning here and will stick with the ICs instead
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Not particularly
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest available room ($85/night weekend rate) and received, based on map they provide in their own materials, one of the smallest rooms they have available. The only "worse" rooms appeared to be those that are partially stuck behind the elevators. "You get what you pay for" and all that
How are the rooms?
Tiny. Tired. This is a "rebranded" HI (new logo, etc.) but I failed to see how this hotel, based on the guest room we were in at least, was able to pass muster. Furniture was old and tired, save for the flat screen TV. Clock/radio was from early 1980s. Heating/AC system old and very loud. Toilet from at least 1970, wasting tons of water with each flush. Sink and tub drained very slowly/poorly. They provide a plastic clip for you to fully close the drapes with.
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Location for price is excellent. This hotel is located on Van Ness Avenue, right next to the California St cable car
Price was hard to beat
Given 2 drink chits in the attached bar/restaurant at check-in
Staff at the attached bar was very friendly
Bad:
Everything else. Tiny room, weird hallway smells, rather rude front desk staff at check out.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
It was the cheapest PC property in San Francisco this past weekend. However, I don't think that we'll be returning here and will stick with the ICs instead
Feb 22, 2010, 10:46 am
#104
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 774
Holiday Inn Nottingham, UK
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
No not really
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard double room and received just that. Rate was cheap (but then the hotel picks the rate, not me - it's no excuse.) Recognition was precisely zero - indeed I even had to give them a swipe of my card at checkin, something I haven't had to do at a HI for a long while. No mention of PC at all.
How are the rooms?
Room was so so. Some small stains on the carpet which was a shame as it was the only thing that actually looked like it belonged in a 'refurbished' hotel. Note this isn't a 'rebranded' HI so I wasn't expecting much anyway, but the website does say it's undergone a £2m refurbishment. Heaven knows what they spent it on! Room was very reminiscent of the sub-par HIs (Anyone seen Leeds-Garforth?) that I think IHG are keen to target with their 'improve or leave' rebranding.
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Really I'm not sure. The hotel's not close enough to the City Centre to realistically compete with the (two) other PC properties in the city, and Nottingham's the scariest place in the world (I've never seen a Sainsbury's with an almost 1:1 ratio of customers to security guards before!) The bar looked nice enough (but was busy with some people having a party of some sort so didn't try it) and there was plenty of parking, I guess.
Bad:
Well, the design of the rooms, doors, walls and corridors appears to have been deliberately chosen to amplify the noise from adjacent rooms and doors as far as the eye can see. I don't recall ever having been in a hotel where I could hear someone urinating in an adjoining room so clearly as I did here. On the first night I had to call Reception because there was a dog left in a room opposite clearly in distress. It was still there all weekend, waking us up early Saturday morning (ready for all the slamming doors) and, helpfully, at 3am when some tit decided to shove a survey form under the door which, quite rightly, the dog didn't like. Bathroom had brown grout around the tiles and mouldy sealant around the (small) bath. Nice basin + surround, but that was ruined by the HIX-grade toiletries (Shampoo-and-shower-gel-in-one in a single, lone dispenser? Really?)
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Well, well. This hotel was the same price as the HIX in town (which is actually pretty nice, the nicest HIX I've used) and only marginally less than the CP. Had I not been on a mattress run then I'd have spend the extra money and visited the CP, even though they charge £10 a day parking.
Bottom line: You get what you pay for. The exception being this HI, because there isn't £2m worth of refurbishment in this place by any standards.
What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador
Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
No not really
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard double room and received just that. Rate was cheap (but then the hotel picks the rate, not me - it's no excuse.) Recognition was precisely zero - indeed I even had to give them a swipe of my card at checkin, something I haven't had to do at a HI for a long while. No mention of PC at all.
How are the rooms?
Room was so so. Some small stains on the carpet which was a shame as it was the only thing that actually looked like it belonged in a 'refurbished' hotel. Note this isn't a 'rebranded' HI so I wasn't expecting much anyway, but the website does say it's undergone a £2m refurbishment. Heaven knows what they spent it on! Room was very reminiscent of the sub-par HIs (Anyone seen Leeds-Garforth?) that I think IHG are keen to target with their 'improve or leave' rebranding.
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Really I'm not sure. The hotel's not close enough to the City Centre to realistically compete with the (two) other PC properties in the city, and Nottingham's the scariest place in the world (I've never seen a Sainsbury's with an almost 1:1 ratio of customers to security guards before!) The bar looked nice enough (but was busy with some people having a party of some sort so didn't try it) and there was plenty of parking, I guess.
Bad:
Well, the design of the rooms, doors, walls and corridors appears to have been deliberately chosen to amplify the noise from adjacent rooms and doors as far as the eye can see. I don't recall ever having been in a hotel where I could hear someone urinating in an adjoining room so clearly as I did here. On the first night I had to call Reception because there was a dog left in a room opposite clearly in distress. It was still there all weekend, waking us up early Saturday morning (ready for all the slamming doors) and, helpfully, at 3am when some tit decided to shove a survey form under the door which, quite rightly, the dog didn't like. Bathroom had brown grout around the tiles and mouldy sealant around the (small) bath. Nice basin + surround, but that was ruined by the HIX-grade toiletries (Shampoo-and-shower-gel-in-one in a single, lone dispenser? Really?)
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Well, well. This hotel was the same price as the HIX in town (which is actually pretty nice, the nicest HIX I've used) and only marginally less than the CP. Had I not been on a mattress run then I'd have spend the extra money and visited the CP, even though they charge £10 a day parking.
Bottom line: You get what you pay for. The exception being this HI, because there isn't £2m worth of refurbishment in this place by any standards.
Feb 23, 2010, 2:33 pm
#105
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MDW
Programs: PC, WN, AA
Posts: 89
HIX Madison, WI
What is your Priority Club status?
Gold
Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Not really.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked a queen leisure, received exactly that.
How are the rooms?
Clean.
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good: inexpensive rate ($85) booked two days before stay.
Bad: Gold status not even acknowledged at check-in, which has not been my experience at other IHG hotels since I made Gold. No water bottle(s) or snacks in the room. The close proximity to the university and relatively cheap rates made it feel more like a college dorm. Plenty of tipsy students in the lobby and hallways at 3am, and loud conversations from the next-door neighbors well after that. Bed wasn't as comfortable as I'd have liked.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I got what I paid for, but I'll be taking a closer look at the DoubleTree next time, or I'll go back to Priceline for 3.5* rooms at $50.
Gold
Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Not really.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked a queen leisure, received exactly that.
How are the rooms?
Clean.
How is the exec. lounge?
n/a
What was good and what was bad?
Good: inexpensive rate ($85) booked two days before stay.
Bad: Gold status not even acknowledged at check-in, which has not been my experience at other IHG hotels since I made Gold. No water bottle(s) or snacks in the room. The close proximity to the university and relatively cheap rates made it feel more like a college dorm. Plenty of tipsy students in the lobby and hallways at 3am, and loud conversations from the next-door neighbors well after that. Bed wasn't as comfortable as I'd have liked.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I got what I paid for, but I'll be taking a closer look at the DoubleTree next time, or I'll go back to Priceline for 3.5* rooms at $50.