Stay Report: Tru by Hilton Salt Lake City Airport (Salt Lake City, UT - October 2020)

Stay Report: Tru by Hilton Salt Lake City Airport
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I concluded my trip in Salt Lake City and since my flight departed from here, I wanted a hotel that was near the airport.  There were many options to choose from - it is an international airport and hub - but I had never experienced Tru by Hilton so I looked into it and the price was right so I booked it.  It was easy to book the hotel through the HHonors website and easy to manage through the app.  Given the look, the pricepoint, and the plethora of complimentary amenities, it seems the hotel is competing with Fairfield Inn by Marriott and other mid-scale brands. 

The hotel is near the airport and is located in a business park surrounded by offices, parking garages, and other hotels.  It is an odd-location in that there are no services - no gas stations, no restaurants - nothing close by so you need a car to access everything.  Also, the hotel is on the on the main road but set behind a huge parking lot and faces the highway - and shares a parking lot with a Comfort Inn; so an odd location.  When you enter the hotel, there is an open lobby with a circular check-in desks in the middle.  There are couches and lounging areas against the walls and surrounded the check-in desks, and in the back corner there was a pool table (now covered due to pandemic).  The chairs and desks would be ideal to lounge, work, meet, or gather all in one area.  Check-in took a while but eventually I received the key and proceeded towards the elevator to the room. In front of the elevator was a 'community board' which listed the temperature for the area, sights to see, notes from the staff, and other items; it was a cross between a dorm, a hostel, and an office.  

The room itself reminded me of an bigger IbisStyles room (review here).  As you entered, on the left

was the bathroom on the right-side wall was a mirror and hooks.  The bathroom was contained a sink with decent counter space, a toilet, a shelf running along the wall for decoration and more storage space, as well as shower with a glass door.  There were toiletries in the bathroom next to the sink and inside the shower - next to the sink was hand soap and lotion while in the shower was shampoo, conditioner, and body wash; like the Ibis they were in the squeeze bottles but they did not smell good at all so I avoided them.  There was an open closet in between the bathroom and the main room and the closet contained a shelf to store your luggage on, an open rack and hangers to hang your clothes, and against the wall was the iron and ironing board.  Underneath the luggage storage was the refrigerator - it was a nice addition but an odd location.  Further into the room against the left wall were the two beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were a decent size and provided a good nights sleep so no complaints there; there were also plenty of outlets next to the bed and on the nightstand to charge all the electronics.  An interesting feature is that underneath the bed, part of it had been hollowed to allow for additional luggage or shoe storage; it was a good use of space.  Along the right side of the wall was a long shelf which contained the TV on stop, outlets against the wall (and you could place the electronics on the shelf) and underneath the shelf was a movable desk and chair.  There was a room AC and ontop of the AC was another shelf so I was not sure if this was a decoration piece to cover the AC or another storage area.  Overall, the average room size had decreased but the use of space was better and there was nothing extra in the room so it did not feel crowded or overstuffed - it felt comfortable and basic.

There were plenty of amenities for the guests including complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, complimentary airport shuttle, complimentary breakfast, fitness center, pool table and congregating area, and lots of space in the lobby to hang out, do work, or meetup.  The wifi was really strong and you were able to get lots of work done, and complimentary breakfast was still being provided; you could stop by the front desk and grab a to-go box which contained two hard-boiled eggs (in costco package), a bagel + cream cheese, yogurt, and utensils.  Coffee, hot cocoa, juice, and water were also available so overall it was a nice option and glad they still offered it.

In the end, I was not sure what to expect from Tru by Hilton but what I experienced was a more European-style hospitality with some American-features.  The room design and utilization of space was very European but the availability of lots of amenities for the guests to enjoy was definitely American; however, for the price point the room and amenities provided were a great bargain so definitely a good competition.

Stay Report: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Virgin Zion National Park (Virgin, UT - October 2020)

  Stay Report: Fairfield Inn by Marriott
Virgin Zion National Park 
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Zion National Park and was staying there for one night, and when I looked online Fairfield Inn was giving the best rate and the reviews looked decent.  I have stayed at Fairfield Inn before and generally they were decent but I never really had high expectations; but my last stay in Houston at the Fairfield Inn exceeded my expectations (see review here).  That was my mindset going on - a decent hotel that provides complimentary parking, complimentary breakfast, and complimentary wifi.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the Marriott website, and once booked it was easy to manage through the Marriott app.  

The hotel is actually located in Virgin, Utah which did not seem that far from the park on Google Maps but when driving it did take about 15-20 minutes (depending on traffic).  The location is beautiful as its surrounded by nature and a background of mountains.  All of the hotels in the area have the same general look, which is nice because it makes it uniform and also does not impeded the nature scenery.  The look is very wide but not very tall - and the Fairfield Inn had two floors.  The look is more like an old-school motel with a courtyard in the middle and rooms surrounding, but the hotel looked and felt updated and modern.  As you enter the lobby, the check-in desks are to the right while straight ahead is the kitchen and dining area.  There are hallways to the left and right that lead to the guest rooms as well as other amenities, and there are entrances on either hallway and in the middle of each hallway to the rooms.  The check-in process was not that great - the barely college-age workers did not have any customer service skills at all and their uniform also looked unkempt so it was not a great representation of neither the hotel nor the brand.  From the outside and inside, the hotel looked modern and updated so I received my key, a paper to the amenities available, and made my way to the room.

The room itself was an updated version of the standard Fairfield Room.  As you opened the door, on the left-side was the bathroom while straight ahead was the main part of the room.  The bathroom had the sink on the left-side and a long counter that connected to the half-wall which provided some privacy to the toilet.  There was a walk-in shower on the right-side and hooks for towels/clothes next to the shower; the shower contained Paul Mitchell refillable shampoo, conditioner and body wash (there were the same products at Courtyard in Atlanta - review here - and they were very nice).  Usually there is a closet across from the bathroom but this time there was an open/updated closet between the closet and the room.  Half of the closet was open and provided more space to the room while other parts were closed to allow privacy; and part of the closet was connected to a storage area on which you could place your luggage.  The new design to the closet looked nice and updated and still kept the amenities of an iron, ironing board, a safe, a fridge, a microwave, and a coffee maker + coffee.  Further into the room, there was a king-size bed on left side of the room with a nightstand on either side.  Across from the bed was a large desk with a chair, and above the desk was the TV mounted on the wall.  Right next to the desk was a stand with a luggage place on top and drawers on the bottom.  The room provided a lot of amenities for the guests to enjoy, it was spacious, the bed was large and comfortable to sleep in, there were plenty of outlets spread across the room and next to the bed, and overall it was a nice and comfortable room. 

Fairfield Inn has some standard amenities at all its hotels including complimentary parking,

complimentary wifi, complimentary breakfast, and a fitness center.  The fitness center was open despite the pandemic, but there were signs asking everyone to keep safe and were a mask; the fitness center was big, had lots of updated equipment and had a water station.  The parking was vast and you could park next to a variety of entrances; the wifi was complimentary and fast enough to stream videos and check email.  Fairfield was still providing complimentary breakfast, but you stood in line to select from the limited menu and then you took the items back to your room to eat.  You could choose cereal, bagel, muffin, and/or fruit as well as coffee and/or juice and there were toasters and cream/sugar on the side for guests to partake it.  While it was not a vast selection, I am glad that Fairfield was still able to provide this service to guests.

Overall, it was another pleasant stay at Fairfield Inn.  They seem to be upgrading and updating their hotels and the renovations seems to be improving the experience.  This hotel was updated; the rooms were nice and spacious; there were plenty of amenities for guests to enjoy; and the hotel was spread out so you could practice social distancing.  The hotel did have plenty of signs asking guests were masks and there were plenty of entrances that you could utilize.  The only negative was that it was a longer drive than expected to Zion (but you also avoid traffic) and the check-in experience was not great; but other than that it was a great trip.

Stay Report: Element Houston Katy (Katy, TX - September 2020)

 Stay Report: Element Houston Katy 
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I travel to Houston a lot and normally I stay in or near The Galleria but this time I was going for a different reason and needed to be near Sugar Land, Texas.  Even though Sugar Land is a part of Houston it was further out of my way so I wanted to find a happy medium and through search I found the Element Houston Katy.  I have previously stayed at Element Hotels and have enjoyed them, from the environmental approach to the mini-suites and complimentary amenities.  I checked the distance and the price and both seem to be good so booked the hotel through the Marriott website, which was easy to do.  

The hotel's location is a bit odd as it is basically located in the Costco parking lot and behind some apartments.  It seems like the track of land was divided in half, with half of the land going to Costco and the other half going to apartments and the hotel.  From the roadway, the apartments come first and then the hotel is in the back; it just seemed unique to me.  In the front of the hotel was the parking lot and then the entrance to the hotel.  As you entered in to the hotel, there was a small check-in desk on left and left was the kitchen where generally the complimentary breakfast would be provided.  Straight ahead was a long and narrow sitting area/communal area with lots of couches and chairs.  These faced to the large windows and patio which also contained chairs and a bbq area.  After check-in, we received the key and proceeded to the room (the Element always provides their own luggage trolley's to assist in transporting your luggage - a great idea).

Element rooms are designed as mini-suites and resemble a New York studio apartment with a bed, a

sitting area, bathroom, and a mini-kitchen.  As you entered the room, on the right was a long but narrow bathroom with a large sink on a counter (the size of the sink reduced the counter space), a toilet, and a shower; there was soap for the sink and refillable shampoo/conditioner and body wash in the shower. In the hallway, across from the bathroom, was a closet with an iron, ironing board, and a place to hang your clothes.  Further into the room, along the left-side of the wall was the mini-kitchen which contained a sink, a stove, a large fridge, a dishwasher, plates, glasses, a sponge, and dishwashing liquid.  There was also a mini-sink and a coffee maker on the large counter space.  Continuing along the left-side of the wall, next to the kitchen was the TV which was mounted on the wall.  Along the right-side of the wall were the two beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were comfortable, large for two people, and provided a goodnights sleep.  There were also plenty of outlets near the bed or on the nightstand to charge all your electronic items.  In between the beds and the kitchen was a desk and chair on side, which faced the kitchen, and a chaise lounge chair which was against the side wall and also faced the kitchen.  Running along the side wall, above the chaise lounge chair, was the window which was large and let in lots of natural light.  Even though there were lots of items and amenities in the room, it did not feel compact or stuffed (like some other hotel rooms) but felt more like a studio apartment in New York City. 

The Element provides lots of amenities for its guest including complimentary wifi, complimentary parking, complimentary breakfast, access to luggage carts, a full-stocked and large gym, a bbq grill for guests to use. a large patio to host bbq and outside activities, as well as a large indoor seating area for guests to enjoy.  Due to the pandemic some amenities were not available or were curtailed, including breakfast which was not as extensive and mainly included mini-packs of cereal, yogurt, and breakfast bars which you could take to-go.  Also, due to the pandemic their housekeeping services were drastically reduced and this put pressure on the front-desk, which having difficulty in responding to this pressure.  Safety-wise, masks wearing and social-distancing signs were plastered everywhere but these were not enforced nor were guests ever reminded by staff.

Overall, it was an interesting stay at the Element.  The hotel room was nice, the amenities were still available, and the general vibe were good.  The service was a bit strained and the lack of adherence to safety protocols was a bit concerning.