Stay Report: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Baton Rouge South (Baton Rouge - November 2020)

 Stay Report: SpringHill Suites Baton Rouge South
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Hurricanes are common place in New Orleans and sometimes they are destructive and other times not.  This past hurricane, Hurricane Zeta, was unusually powerful with high winds that caused extensive damage to the electricity poles.  For that reason, we were without power for at least 3 days before we decided to go to Baton Rouge to spend the night, charge some electronics, and just relax.  I have previously stayed at a SpringHill Suites and enjoyed the spacious rooms and complimentary amenities, so based on this I decided to book the SpringHill Suites Baton Rouge South.  

From the exterior, the hotel looks like a standard Springhill Suites.  Inside, the lobby included the check-in desks, a small pantry to purchase forgotten items, a nice relaxing lounge/sitting area, as well as the restaurant where the breakfast is served in the morning.  The hotel was only three floors so the first floor contained other hotel features such as business center, the pool, complimentary coffee/tea in the lobby, and a washer/dryer.  At check-in the service was basic, I was not greeted as a Rewards member, and the staff did the minimal of their job; I was only there for one night so just received my key and proceeded to my room. 

For some reason I received a room reserved for disability access so the layout was a bit different.  As

you entered the door, the room was smaller than other Springhill Suites but bigger than a standard hotel room.  As you entered, there was a large entryway to accommodate disability equipment.  The door to the bathroom was on the left while the right had space to move around or put a luggage rack.  The bathroom itself was bigger and had handle rails, but the counter space on the sink was very tiny and could barely hold anything; the hotel did provide soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and towels.  Back in the room, the beds were located along the left wall and we had a room with two double beds so both beds were against the wall with a nightstand in the middle; there were also outlets available on the nightstand.  Along the right side of the wall was open armoire which contained shelves on top and a microwave and refrigerator on the bottom.  Connected to that was a desk which contained a lamp (with outlets) as well as a TV.  Continuing along the rightside was a couch that was in between the desk and the window and there was a TV mounted on the wall across from the couch.  It was a decent size room but generally Springhill Suites have bigger rooms, so I was not sure if this was a modified version or if this was another type of hotel room that was turned into a Springhill Suites.

The hotel provides a decent amount of facilities for guests to enjoy including complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, complimentary breakfast, a fitness center, laundry facilities, indoor pool, business center, and complimentary coffee and hot water.  The wifi was open, did not involve any passwords or login and could connect as many devices as you wanted.  The pool, fitness center, and laundry were open to everyone and while not large facilities were decent enough to provide the basics.  The hot water + coffee were available throughout the day and the complimentary breakfast was available in the morning - normally it is a buffet but given the pandemic it was modified to where you come and select prepackaged cereals, fruit, yogurt, muffins, etc and take them back to your room to eat.  Its a basic breakfast and its decent and glad hotels are still offering this service.  Overall, Springhill Suites provide the guests with a good night’s sleep and a lot of a facilities.  The room is not perfect, but it’s decent and they are generally clean and spacious.

Stay Report: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Gainesville (Florida - December 2015)

Stay Report: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Gainesville
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photo courtesy Marriott.com

I was on my way to Miami and passing through Florida when I decided to stay the night in Gainesville.  I have previously stayed at SpringHill Suites and have enjoyed the spacious rooms and the complimentary amenities, so based on this I decided to book the SpringHill Suites in Gainesville. From the exterior, the hotel looks like a standard Springhill Suites.  Inside, the lobby included the check-in desks, a small pantry to purchase forgotten items, a nice relaxing lounge/sitting area, as well as the restaurant where the breakfast is served in the morning.  Check-in was efficient, I received my key and proceeded to my room. 

The room was nice and spacious.  The first part of the room was divided into a left and right section.  The left section contained a counter against one wall and the TV on top of a chest against the other wall.  The counter contained a mini-fridge on the bottom and a microwave and a coffee station on top; the counter also contained plates and cups.  Across from the counter, next to the partial wall, was a chest with drawers on the bottom a TV on top that swiveled to allow access from either the bedroom or the lounge.  On the other side, the right section contained a couch that turned into a sofa bed, as well as a desk.   Behind the desk was a wall, a ¾ wall that separated the lounge/sitting area from the bedroom/bathroom area.  The half-wall provides some separation but not complete separation. 

The beds were located against the right side of the wall, while the bathroom was on the left.  The beds were decent and comfortable, and provided a good night’s sleep.  There was one nightstand in between the two beds.  Next to the second bed, close to the window and away from the half wall, was a small closet to store items.  The closet was small and out of place as it was hard to access and hard to open.  Across from the beds, in the middle of the room, was the access to the bathroom.  The bathroom is laid out with an open sink, which can be loud if you are sharing the room with others.  The other bathroom facilities are behind a door, including the toilet and the bathtub, but the quality of the facilities was a bit low and made the room look cheap.

photo courtesy of Marriott.com

The hotel provides a decent amount of facilities for guests to enjoy including complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, complimentary breakfast, and a fitness center.  As I had arrived fairly late at night and left early the next morning, I was only able to enjoy a few of the facilities such as the wifi, free and a decent speed; the complimentary parking which had plenty of spaces; and the complimentary breakfast, which was basic but decent. 

Overall, Springhill Suites provide the guests with a good night’s sleep and a lot of a facilities.  The room is not perfect, but it’s decent and they are generally clean and spacious.