MrsW

@! Was this CP Aberdeen airport by any chance?

:D!

Oops sorry yes it was, my phone must have refreshed the page or something while typing... title edited. I know you had a good time there a few months ago so perhaps you can report back if you stay again?

MrsW

HIX Seattle SeaTac Airport

What is your Priority Club status? Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes, we received a good upgrade.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? We booked the cheapest standard room with 2 queens beds and received an upgrade to a huge suite. The bedroom has 2 queen beds, wardrobe, dressing table and TV. The living room has a sofabed, two occasional tables, a desk and chair plus a TV on a chest of drawers. Bizarrely, there is also a fridge freezer, dishwasher, microwave, hob and sink..... we didn't come to Seattle to cook our own food! There is a Keurig coffee machine with a generous selection of pods.

How are the rooms? Beds are comfortable. The sofabed and chair under the desk are worn.

How is the exec. lounge? NA

What was good and what was bad? Airport shuttle took three minutes to reach the hotel. We waited for six minutes after calling for it to arrive at the airport. My 500 welcome amenity points posted overnight following checkin. The last time I received 500 points from HIX was at SFO airport.
Breakfast was standard HIX carb heavy fare. There were some egg white omelettes, Chobani yoghurts and a selection of bananas, apples and oranges for the more health conscious. My kids made a beeline for the pancake machine and the cinnamon rolls.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Yes

MrsW

HIX Seattle City Centre

What is your Priority Club status? Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? We booked the cheapest king room and received a double upgrade to a king suite with jacuzzi.

How are the rooms? Large, with king bed, sofabed and armchair. Kitchenette on one side of the room with fridge, microwave and sink. Keurig coffee machine. Double jacuzzi bath which we loved. View of the Space Needle.

How is the exec. lounge? NA

What was good and what was bad? Proximity to Seattle Centre campus was the reason we decided to book - 5 minutes walk away. The pool was lovely and underused. We had it to ourselves. The staff were great. I bought a bottle of wine on our second night and needed a corkscrew. When I took it downstairs, the front desk colleague handed me a HIX branded corkscrew and said I could keep it.
Breakfast was mobbed and there was insufficient seating.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? It was pricey owing to the poor exchange rate, but competitive relative to other hotels. We would stay here again.

scubaccr

Crowne Plaza Amsterdam Zuid

What is your Priority Club status?
SPIRE (+ RA )

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Very happy, I prefered new stays of Clubroom+lounge versus older stays of 2-room J-Suite without lounge

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
o Two Separate Award Stays
o BOOKED = award night (30k) entry level room
o RECEIVED = Same on high floor 8/9 (when club is on flor 2)
o SPIRE CHECKIN AMENITY = Club Lounge (or drink, or 600pts)
o ASKED AT CHECKIN = Asked for a floor nearer clubfloor=2, both stays given 2nd floor room of ClubRoom.

How are the rooms?
Club Room on Floor=2, the Club Floor ... I like them
o Comfy king bed, 4x comfy pillows, comfychair+footstool, workdesk+5-wheel work chair, wardrobe+safe Two tall windows , plenty of daylight. Maybe a bit dark using room lights only
o TV (uk Chls BBC1/2/ , ITV1/2/4), coffee, minibar(chargeable)
o Club Room Bathroom is Shower only (large walkin, hand shower + rainfall), nice large+thick bath towels

How is the exec. lounge?
o A fair size, well furnished, shelf of DVD-Casess to borrow (then get DVD from reception)
o PC+Printer available
o Spire checkin amenity option (Lounge/drink/600pts). Before innovation in 2017 lounge never given foc to Spires (or Platinums before Spire introduced in July2015)
o Open 0630-2300, unmanned bar 1800-1900 happy hour when spirits+sparkling wine brought out
o fridges+drinks open all day, sodas, water, wine, beer (heineken)
o Multiple jars of sweets, cookies and fresh fruit out all day
o Breakfast
- Ham, sliced cheese, smoked salmon, sliced bread, crosants, rolls, loafs of bread, youghurt, cereal

What was good and what was bad?
Good
o Lounge access as a new(ish) Spire amenity option on both Paid+award stays
o Lounge Drinks (for me Beers) not just 6-8pm but available all day
o coffee machine and supply of takeout cups
o Option of reduced 10euro to upgrade Lounge Breakfast to Restaurant b/f (normally is 19euro pp/night)
Neutral
o Previously always upgraded before arrival to nice 2room J/Suite (without Lounge Access) but now no advance upgrades
o Each checkin offered std room on 8th/9th flors despite club-lounge vbeing floor=2. However each time I requested a floor nearer lounge floor=2 and was given flor=2 Club Room.
Bad
Nothing


Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Return ?
o Definitely, 7minutes train 1-stop to/from Schiphol, so convenient
o Have multiple great stays here over 5years or so
o I checked new Kimpton last night... Most Kimpton rooms including Junior Suites had no bath, so not worth paying more money for more central rebranded Kimpton hotel
Value?
o Spire will get value on both Paid+Award, now Club access is given. I prefer Clubroom+lounge to 2-room J-Suite w/o Club Lounge
o Award 30k / night with lounge when room is base 150euro++ , clubroom 200++is value, if you use club.. I was getting 0.56c/pt on award
(Sometimes Award is great valu when base room is over 220euro ! )
o Pre 2017, I always paid my rooms here (range range135-160++, points if 200++), always base room, always received j/suite.
With new RA renewal metric now only counting IC brand $$$'s I used some points up here, 2 stays, 6nights. However base room at 140++ lower end of rates if low occupancy is great value

SLGO

IC Shenzhen

What is your Priority Club status?
GOLD

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked the entry level 1 king bed deluxe room, surprisingly received 1 king premier suite.

How are the rooms?
Excellent. Sizable room (75 sqm as per hotel website) with separate living room and bedroom. Separate bathtub and shower, and the toilet has the Japanese-type cleaning function. 2 HDTVs with Bose system.

How is the exec. lounge?
Access was not granted.

What was good and what was bad?
Good: Warm welcome from reception staff, complimentary breakfast offered, very large swimming pool with a small poolside beach area, excellent connection to the SZ Metro, very good hotel and room condition
Bad: Other staff could be more friendly

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes

jpdx

ANA Sapporo

What is your Priority Club status?
Spire

Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
It was ok.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard room -- 1 night (Sat) on points, 1 night (Sun) paid -- received high floor.

How are the rooms?
Tiny. I couldn't find this particular room on the website, but it looks like a high floor, remodeled version of the Comfort Double. This is listed at 21sqm (200sqft), but feels smaller -- strangely, the bathroom is much larger than what would typically be found in a Japanese room of this size. It was hard to find a space for my suitcase, and it would have been impossible with two. Unusually for this kind of room in a Japanese business hotel, there’s a Nespresso machine.

How is the exec. lounge?
There's a lounge on the top floor, but I don't think it's an executive lounge. In any case, no access.

What was good and what was bad?
A slight upgrade to a very tiny, but at least fairly modern room, on a high floor. As is common in Japan, no benefits apart from a bottle of water and welcome points. Hotel was sold out, so the high floor, modern room, with non-smoking preference honored, is a decent outcome.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Japanese hotels are often insanely priced on Saturday nights -- in this case, Sapporo was almost fully booked, and the ANA initially posted rates of 30k yen, which inched up further until the hotel showed sold out some 3 weeks prior to the stay. On weeknights, rates are a small fraction -- 10k yen in this case. The points requirement usually reflects Saturday rates (40k in this case), making it an ok redemption for Saturday, and it’s obviously better to pay cash on Sunday.

SwerveDonkey

Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport

What is your Priority Club status?

Platinum Elite

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Yes.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked: Standard King

Received: King Suite

How are the rooms?

Okay. The layout is strange with the bathroom located in the middle of the bed area and the sitting area. Also, the overall room was quite small to be considered a "Suite".

How is the exec. lounge?

N/A

What was good and what was bad?

I didn't use much of the facility since it was quick stopover for a morning flight. The hotel looked recently renovated but was a bit disappointed in the room despite the upgrade.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?[/QUOTE]

Used points but don't think I would spend the ~$140 rate that I usually see. With that said, if I need to stay near the airport I'd stay here.

SwerveDonkey

Holiday Inn Express Greenwood

What is your Priority Club status?

Platinum Elite.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Not really. The sound proofing between the room and the hallway was terrible. The nose rooms doors made when shut was unbearable at times, although some of this was due to guests slamming them. Otherwise, the room was blend and cheap.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked: King Leisure

Received: King Leisure

How are the rooms?

Mediocre at best. The room felt outdated and cheap. The sound proofing is also horrendous. The bathroom and bed were solid, however.

How is the exec. lounge?

N/A

What was good and what was bad?

Bad: No upgrade but that's usually the case when I stay more than 5 nights. Rooms were sub-par and the noise in the hallway, even with the AC on full blast woke me up several times during my stay.

Good: Bathroom was decently sized and shower was great. Bed and pillows were comfortable.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?

Despite the the quality of the room, hotels are somewhat expensive in the Indy area and I thought the rate was fair. With that said, I would not return

SwerveDonkey

Crowne Plaza Springfield, IL

What is your Priority Club status?

Platinum Elite

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Yes. Overall a good hotel for the price.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked: King Worklife

Received: King Worklife

How are the rooms?

Spacious and recently renovated. The bed is oriented at an angle to make the room look bigger. Bathroom is large with a walk-in shower.

How is the exec. lounge?

N/A

What was good and what was bad?

Good: Room was fairly large along with comfortable bed and pillows. Bathroom was also adequately sized. Fitness room was small but had updated equipment which was a plus.

Bad: For being recently renovated I thought the room (i.e. walls and carpet) was a little beat up but that not really a big deal for me. While its nice to have a HVAC in room the fan wasn't loud enough to distort hallway noise.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?

Springfield is a pretty inexpensive city but regardless I thought the price for the product was fair. Yes, I'd return.

SwerveDonkey

Holiday Inn Express East Peoria - Riverfront

What is your Priority Club status?

Platinum Elite

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Yes.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked: King Leisure

Received: King Leisure

A little surprised I didn't upgraded since the hotel was dead that night but it wasn't a big deal.

How are the rooms?

The hotel is brand new and looks like a typical modern HIX. Bathroom was of decent size and had a walk-in shower. Otherwise nothing noteworthy.

How is the exec. lounge?

N/A

What was good and what was bad?

I didn't find any issues with the hotel. It was brand new and the room was in great shape. It was a very quick stay so I didn't have time to use the fitness room or eat breakfast.

The one issue I had was the washing machine was broken when I was there and caused a minor inconvenience.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?

Pretty much in downtown Peoria and if I was in the area again I'd return for the price.

SwerveDonkey

Holiday Inn Express Layton I-15

What is your Priority Club status?

Platinum Elite

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

No.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked: King Suite w/Jacuzzi

Received: King Suite w/Jacuzzi

Booked the most expensive room so obviously no upgrade possible.

How are the rooms?

A bit outdated. Didn't like how the vanity was right next to the room door and thought it could of easily fit in the separate room that had the shower and toilet. Otherwise, the room was adequately sized even with the Jacuzzi in it.

How is the exec. lounge?

N/A

What was good and what was bad?

Bad: First of all I don't think I've stayed at a hotel were you could so easily hear not only the people above you walking around but also in the room next you. It was BAD. Secondly, the hotel inexcusably modified my initial reservation and didn't include the bonus points I paid for. While in the end the hotel rewarded me with more points then I would originally received, it took awhile to sort it all out between the hotel and IHG rewards.

Good: Tons of restaurants nearby, otherwise I don't have anything else to rave about.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?[/QUOTE]

While the price was reasonable, I didn't enjoy my stay and won't be back.

chrism20

What is your Priority Club status?

Spire

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Yes
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked a regular double on P&C in order to complete accelerate targets. Reservation was modified within a couple of hours but still said standard double. No mention of upgrade at checkin although the young lady was clearly new. The room however was upgraded to an Exec on the 7th floor.

How are the rooms?

Quite nice. The hotel had two floors added before it joined IHG (Previously Ramada Encore). Decent size, light wood furnishings, king bed, double wardrobe, mini fridge with comp water and safe.

Bathroom was shower only with a window looking through to the bedroom - similar to some Novotels, however only about 60% of the glass was frosted.

How is the exec. lounge?

N/A

What was good and what was bad?

Good - room was clean, bed was comfy and the shower was powerful. Had pasta bolognaise in the evening and it was nice, the portion size was huge. The food quality at breakfast was also good (vouchers available the night before from reception which reduces the cost to £9.95.

The hotel is less than five minutes from North Acton Station on the Central Line and is about twenty minutes to Bond Street or Oxford Circus so although it's a not central it's easily reachable.

Bad - The window in the bathroom looking into the room. I'm not a fan of this, I can deal with it in Novotel's as you can switch it to block the view completely, also there is no nightlight so if you're not travelling alone and need to go to the toilet during the night you will flood the bedroom with light.

The other issue was there was quite a bit of external noise which may bother some. The hotel overlooks a busy junction and there is a lot of traffic noise. They appear to have forgot the soundproofing when they added the extra two floors. I live on a Main Street and am used to traffic noise but this may concern some people.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?

At the time of booking this was the hotel with cheapest cash element of P&C available in London and the location wasn't an issue for me.

I would return again if I got a rate that suited.

The hotel has 236 rooms and 87 of them are Exec so there is probably a decent chance of an upgrade here.

I stayed at the ICO2 the night before and the review for that is in the dedicated thread.

stigs

HI Oakville @ Bronte

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum.

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 King. Received upgrade to King Suite.

How are the rooms?
Living room with 1980s fold out sofa, small desk, dated chair, wet bar, cutlery. Small separate bedroom with closet & dresser. Each room has a 42" plasma. Decor and furniture dated & not comfortable.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A.

What was good and what was bad?

GOOD:
+ Higher-end lobby for a HI makes a great first impression
+ Room upgrade, welcoming check-in. Alas, the only pleasant staff encountered all week
+ Proximity to 403 & Glen Abbey golf
+ Quality food at Marquis Bistro ($$$)

BAD:
- Poor ventilation in rooms (no windows open & no air circulation vents)
- Room damp with old A/C on; hot & stuffy with A/C off
- Dated furniture & decor
- Several channels black "no signal"
- illogical backwards mini fridge setup - opened to a wall
- Overly-sensitive shower tap. Turn 5 degrees of 360 total & goes from lukewarm to scalding hot
- Elevators make loud 'ping' every time they hit the floor - stay far away
- Lone business centre PC very slow; printer useless
- On-site restaurant only open 8.5 hours/day (6-10am & 5:30-10pm)
- Rude & lazy housekeeping, only made bed & replaced towels (alarm clock not turned off from prior guest, woken in middle of night)
- Need a car to get around, nothing of interest in immediate area

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
At $150+/night in an industrial park far from downtown Toronto, not a very good value. But a great location for Glen Abbey golf.

stigs

HI Express & Suites: Oshawa Downtown

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, always a great stay.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked King. Received upgrade to King Suite.

How are the rooms?
Modern & sleek. One large, deep room. Fold out sofa, wet bar, large work desk area, comfortable chair, mini fridge, microwave. Hotel opened in 2016, everything in great shape. 42" plasma with solid channel selection.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A.

What was good and what was bad?

GOOD:
+ Room upgrade, smooth check-in
+ Staff are wonderful here & eager to please
+ Gorgeous modern room
+ Oversized suite (10M deep x 3.5M wide)
+ Decent shower pressure with hot water in seconds
+ Close proximity to 401 & GO train to Toronto
+ 10-minute walk to GM Centre (Oshawa Generals, concerts)
+ Above-average HIX breakfast offering
+ Many restaurants within walking distance
+ LCBO 200m from hotel

BAD:
- Sketchy area, but hotel is a couple blocks north of the majority of vagrants/addicts (best bet is to ignore)
- Not much of interest in immediate area, would avoid walking around at night
- Pool closes a bit early (10pm)

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
A good value when under $120. Had also been on pointbreaks, an excellent value.