Stay Report: The Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria (Houston, Texas - March 2015)

Stay Report: The Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria

I originally stayed at this property in November 2013.  I revisited the property in March 2015 and here is a combination of my experiences at the property.

I travel to Houston a lot and usually I like to stay in and around The Galleria area as it has access to the interstate and lots of restaurants and shops.  There are two hotels directly connected to the Galleria and both are Westin; the one facing Westheimer is the Westin Oak Galleria while the one facing W. Alabama is the Westin Galleria.  When the Westin was part of SPG I found some really good rates to stay at this hotel, but since Marriott took over it is very hard to find those special rates.  The reason I enjoyed the hotel is because 1) it is connected to the Galleria so you can go enjoy the mall and then walk back to your hotel room; 2) the service and the rooms were great; and 3) there is complimentary parking in the Galleria garages.

Even though the hotel is part of the Galleria complex there is a separate entrance to the hotel.  The main entrance is on the street level and there is also an access to the mall from the basement level.  As you enter into the lobby, the first thing you notice is how tall and open the lobby is but also how dark the lobby is.  The valet stand is outside the lobby and inside there is a waiting area while straight ahead are the check-in desks.  The elevators are to the rights of the check-in desks and if you continue towards the right you access the business center (computers and printers in the lobby), the bar, and the elevators which can take you up to the meeting area.  The lobby is very spacious and there are plenty of chairs and spaces for you to relax, but as I said before there is not a lot of natural light so the lobby can feel quite dark.  After check-in, I received my key and went to the elevator - the guest floors can only be accessed by key and its one of those elevators where you put in your key, press your floor and then you are told which elevator to proceed to.  It takes some getting used to at first and sometimes there can be a lot of people in one elevator.

When I got the room, the first thing I noticed was how spacious they were and how easily and comfortably 4 guests could fit in the room.  As you open the door, on the right is the bathroom and on the left is the closet.   The bathroom was standard with a toilet, a tub, a sink and toiletries but the main differences were that the bathroom was also a good size and the sink had a long counter to provide lots of storage.  The closet was standard with a shelf on top and places to hang your clothes on the bottom but the closet also contained the safe, an iron, and ironing board.  In the main part of the room, on the right-hand side, were the 2 large double-beds which were very spacious and very comfortable (they provided an excellent nights sleep).  In between the beds was a nightstand and in front of the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  There was a coffee stand next to the TV and there was a mini-fridge hidden as part of the chest.  Next to the chest was a large desk and chair in which you could do more work to add more storage space.  The room also contained a chair and lamp next to the bed that faced out to the windows – the windows faced onto Westheimer street and provided great views of the city down below.  As I said, the room was very spacious and the beds were comfortable so it provided for a great nights rest.
    

The Westin is a full-service hotel so there are many facilities for the guests to enjoy including a gym, restaurant, business center, meeting rooms, pool, wifi, and parking.  There are two parking options available, either valet or self-parking.  The self-parking is free, which is quite unusual in the Galleria area, and space was always available - even on the Thanksgiving holiday (the garage is the regulars shopping garage shared by all shoppers and there is an entrance to the mall and through this entrance there are elevators to take up to the hotel).  The wifi was complimentary for SPG members and it was relatively fast enough to check email and watch videos.  The business center was a bit odd as it was just some computers and a printer near the escalators in the lobby; given the size of the hotel I expected a dedicated business center.  The fitness center was nice but it was in an odd location; to access the fitness center you took the elevator the basement in which there was the mall access as well as garage access but this was the access to both for guests of the hotel as well as guests of the mall.  To access the fitness center, you had to cross this pathway to get to the other side of the hallway to access the fitness center.  The fitness center itself was very nice with updated equipment and enough of them to get a decent workout.  (Since this gym is smaller, guests of the Westin Oaks are able to use the bigger gym of the Westin Galleria which is located on the other side of the Galleria Mall).  

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

When I stayed at the hotel it was still part of SPG so I was able to take advantage of 2 Starwood programs – the ‘gear lending’ program and the ‘stay friendly’ program.  The ‘gear lending’ program is a partnership with New Balance and it allows guest to rent tennis shoes, gym shorts, gym shirt, and a mesh bag for $5.  These are fresh clothes that are laundered and they come to your room in a mesh bag and you can use them throughout your stay; upon checkout leave them in your room (or you will be charged the full price of each item).  You also get a pair of socks but those you get to keep.  The ‘stay friendly’ option is an environmental/eco option in which you do not choose housekeepings ervice throughout your stay, and for this you get either a coupon to the restaurant or 500 starpoints.  This means that no one will come in your room even to tidy up or make the bed or vacuum --- nothing.

Overall, it was a nice and comfortable stay in a hotel that is very conveniently connected to the Galleria.  The hotel provides comfortable and spacious rooms, complimentary self-parking, and easy and convenient access to the Galleria.  There are not many negatives to the hotel so that is why the Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria is at the top of my list of hotels to stay at in Houston in the Galleria area.  

Stay Report: Sheraton North Houston at IAH Airport

Stay Report: Sheraton North Houston at IAH Airport
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I have stayed at many places near Houston Bush Airport (IAH) and some places have been better than others.  Most places have been away from the airport, but I was looking for something that was closer so decided to try the Sheraton Houston Airport North.  I had also choose Sheraton because of the following benefit: most Sheratons allow a 4p checkout for SPG members.

There are many hotels near Houston Bush Airport, some of them are farther away while others are on the main airport road; the Sheraton is on the main airport road.  From the outside, the hotel looks big but not new.  There is plenty of free parking situated around the hotel.  I had pulled up to the lobby and went in to check in.

As you enter the hotel, on the right are the checkin desks while to the left are the

meeting rooms as well coffee shop.  Straight ahead are both the restaurant and bar.  I proceeded to the checkin desks and checked in; this is where one issue happened as I had to request the late checkout but it very difficult to get and the checkin staff was not very helpful.  I checked in, got my key and proceeded to the 8^th floor to my room.

There are 4 elevators located in the hotel and they quickly came each time we called the elevator.  The hotel is somewhat large and so that makes the hallways leading to the room very long.   We had to go down one hallway completely and then half the other hallway before we got to our room.  The room was located on the front side so it overlooked the front entrance and main airport road.  Even though the airport was close by, you could only hear the airplane noise in the parking lot and not in the rooms.

Our room was at the beginning of the second hallway – there was the initial hallway outside the elevator and that lead to the second hallway.  The room was a standard Sheraton room with two double beds.  As you opened the door, you entered into the hallway in which the closet were on the right and the bathroom on the left.  The bathroom was standard with a sink, a tub and a toilet and was a decent size.  The closet was also decent and came with a safe, an iron, and ironing board.  As you entered further into the room, on the left were the two double beds and on the right was the chest with TV on top.  Next to the chest was the desk which lead to the window, and there was also an armchair next to the window.  The beds themselves were decent, Sheraton style beds and provided a comfortable enough sleep.  While the room did not look modern, it looked like the fixtures had been updated.  There was a USB port adapter on the desk, but there were a lack of plugs in the room. 

The hotel is full service meaning they have a lot of amenities including a restaurant, a

bar, fitness center, a pool, free WiFi, conference rooms, and free parking.  Due to the short stay I was only able to try the free WiFi, which was decent but sometime slowed a bit.  The fitness center looked really nice and big, and the bar was definitely packed the night I was there.  The pool look underutilized and it seemed that there was a large outdoor space with a small pool.

Overall, it was an average stay at the Sheraton Houston Airport North.  While proximity to the airport was a convenience, the hotel did not impress me enough to make me want to stay there again.  There are other options at a lower cost that provide either the same or more standard of service, and with better service.

Stay Report: Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel (February 2017)

Stay Report: Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel
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For our last night in Amsterdam, we decided to stay near the airport as both of us had flights early in the morning the next day.  We had a choice between either staying in the city and  getting up early to leave for the airport, or stay near the airport and get some additional sleep - we choose the later.  Our plan was to leave our luggage in our hotel located in the city, go sightseeing, and then head to the airport hotel that night.

There are many hotels near Amsterdam Schipol airport - many are near the airport but there are three that are connected to the airport: the Hilton, the Sheraton, and the Mercure.  According to the reviews, the Sheraton is the one that is most centrally connected to the terminal (2-3 minute walk); the Mercure is located after security in the transit area (so has a lot of restrictions); and the Hilton is located a bit further from the terminal (5-10 minute).  Based on the reviews and information, we decided to book the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport hotel.

We had taken the bus directly from the city center to the airport.  The bus drops you off at Plaza Park 2 and from there you enter into the departures area.  You can see the Sheraton from Plaza Park 2, but the entrance is through the departures zone.  From the departures zone, you take a travellator that connects you to a bridge.  The bridge ultimate leads to a parking garage, but in the middle of the bridge is the entrance to the Sheraton.

You enter into the lobby area which has a nice open atrium with lots of windows and makes the place look very big.  As soon as you enter the lobby, on your left is the ‘business center’ with computer access (which is extremely slow) and some couches.  Further ahead in the lobby are the check-in desks.  Check-in was smooth and quick and we received our key to the room.  We were on the 6^th floor and the elevators were located opposite to the check-in desk.  In between the elevators and the check-in desk was the fitness center as well as the SPG check-in desk.  We took the elevators to our room.

The 6^th floor is an SPG floor which meant that one side had access to the SPG lounge while the other side did not.  Both sides had access to refreshment area which included free coffee.   We went to our room which was overlooking the atrium.

As you entered into the room, on your left was the entrance to the bathroom and on the right were the closets.  The closets contained an iron, an ironing board and a safe.  Even though the bathroom was pretty big, with a nice tub and long sink, the shower were pretty small comparatively.  The bathroom also contained nice Sheraton toiletries.  Further ahead in the room, on the left hand side were the two beds which were situated near each other.  Next to each bed was a nightstand.  The beds themselves were very comfortable and provided a really nice sleep.

Across from the bed was a chest with drawers on the bottom and the TV on top.  The chest also contained a fridge and the minibar. Between the bed and the window was a chair.  Overall the room size was very generous, and felt more like an American-size room versus the smaller European-size room.

The hotel had two restaurants, one on the bottom floor and one next to the lobby.  There was also a fitness center, which again was very large and provided a lot of nice equipment.  As an SPG member, free wifi was included but it was generally slow and always asked for the login.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the hotel.  The location was very good as the hotel is connected to the departure zone through a walkway, so it’s a 2-3 minute walk from the hotel to the departure zone.   The room size and bathroom size were also nice.  Negatives included slow in-room access and slow internet access in the business center.

A Stay Report: Le Parker Meridien, New York City (October 2016)

A Stay Report: Le Parker Meridien, New York City 
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There are many hotels in New York City, depending on what you are looking for and what you are willing to pay.  If you look, you can find some deals on hotels that are within Manhattan and close to a lot of the traditional sights and sounds.  I was looking for a hotel that was close to Manhattan and I found a deal with the Le Parker Meridien so I booked it (the hotel later did not honor the deal – more on that later).  The hotel has entrances on both 56th and 57th street near 7th avenue and is a very big and modern hotel.  The main lobby entrance is on 56th, while the entrance on 57th is through the hotel’s bar.  If you enter from 56th, the front desk and bellman on your left hand side while the elevators and gift shop are on the right.  Straight ahead is the concierge desk as well as entrance to the hotel bar, and next to the concierge desk is the line for the burger bar (which is very good, and as a hotel guest you avoid the line and have the burger delivered directly to your room).

I was staying with a friend, and they were arriving to the hotel before I was so I emailed and called the hotel to confirm my friend would have access to the room, and what was needed to grant access. On the phone, I was informed that I only needed to add his name to the reservation to ensure he received a key to the room; and via email I was told that they would charge his credit card instead of mine when he checked in. The hotel’s customer services was lacking, as they were not very friendly and were not consistent in their implementation of policy (this was throughout the stay). When I arrived to the hotel, I went up to the front desk to ensure my card was on the reservation and to confirm the room rate (both of which were messed up). I received my key and took the elevator up to my room.

The room was on the smaller side, but I guess that is consistent for NYC hotels.  As you entered into the room, on the left was the closet with a curtain as a closet door.  On the right was a built-in desk, and next to that was the entrance to the bathroom.  Further ahead in the room were the two beds on the right hand side and across from the beds was the TV on the wall and a couch below the TV.  There room was somewhat compact and there was not a lot of room between the bathroom door and the bed, between the two beds, and between the bed and the couch.  In between the beds was a nightstand.  The beds were somewhat comfortable, but felt more like an expensive Ikea bed versus a standard hotel bed.  There was also a lack of plugs available in the room, especially near the bed. 

The bathroom was equally as compact as the room.  The door opened to the outside to allow more room in the bathroom.  The bathroom had a sink on one side, a tub on the other, and the toilet in the middle with little room between each item. What was good about the bathroom were the amenities, which were very nice and very large in size. 

The hotel amenities included free in-room wifi, a fitness center on the basement level, an indoor pool, a spa, meeting rooms, a hotel bar, a famous burger place, and both a barbershop and beauty salon.  I tried the in-room wifi which was decent and was pretty fast for basic searches and emails.

Overall, the location of the hotel was very convenient but the lack of customer service and the small room size were a negative.  I was supposed to stay here for many nights, but after the first night decided there are other options available so decided to check out after the first night.

A Stay Report: Element New York, Times Square West (October 2016)

A Stay Report: Element New York, Times Square West
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I was in New York for the weekend and I needed to switch hotels so I looked on the Starwood app and the Element New York had a very good rate for one night.  Element is part of the Westin Hotel and is an eco-friendly hotel that offers studio rooms with a kitchen with a sink and a stove, a full fridge, free breakfast, and free wifi.  I have stayed I Element’s before and enjoyed the experience so decided to book the stay. 

The hotel is located on 38^th street, about 4 blocks from Times Square.  While is close enough to many attractions, it’s off the main street so the noise pollution is reduced.  When you walk up to the hotel, you first notice the outdoor seating that is available as part of the indoor lobby (part of the eco-aspect of the hotel).  As you enter inside the hotel, on the right hand side is the check in area while on the left is the concierge desk and the lobby seating area.  Check-in was quick and I was given the key to my room. 

The elevators are located in the middle of the lobby – with the check-in area and small sitting area in the front of the elevators, and then behind the elevators is the main dining and restaurant area where breakfast is served in the morning (and water and coffee are available throughout the day).  The sitting areas and the restaurant area offered enough seating during the daytime, but during breakfast time the place was overcrowded and the seating minimal.

The hotel has over 40 floors as well as the lobby floor and a ground/basement level.  The basement level consisted of the fitness center, which was a good size and offered a decent amount of equipment, plus laundry facilities.  These were nice amenities that are welcomed to any guests.  There were three elevators available, but the elevators were extremely slow.  There was always a long wait for the elevators, especially in rush times such as the morning, and because of the delayed they are generally very crowded.  I took the elevator up to my room on the 22^nd floor. 

My room was located right in front of the elevator, and throughout the night I could not hear the sounds. The hallway was somewhat narrow so it was only two steps from the elevator to my room.  Overall, my room looked more like a compact studio, with everything in one room.  As you walked into the room, along the right wall was the kitchen while along the left was the entrance to the bathroom.   The bathroom was relatively big as compared to the room, and it had a sink, a toilet, plus a standing shower with a rain head.  The kitchen had a full-size fridge, an oven, a microwave, a sink, plus stocked cupboards with plates, pots, and utensils.  There was also a coffee pot on the counter.  Right next to the kitchen, along with right-side wall, was a desk below and a TV on the wall.  The desk had many open drawers below it and on top had a DVD player plus other entertainment systems connected to the TV.  In between the desk and the window was a mini-sofa.  On the other side of the desk, was the bed.  It was supposed to be a king size bed but felt more like a queen, and it provided a pretty comfortable rest.  There was a small night stand between the bed and window, and on the other side of the bed was the mini-closet.  The closet was small in size and contained a mini safe plus a mini ironing board and a standard iron.  Overall, the room was decent for one or two people but it was narrow and tiny – a standard compact New York studio.

Hotel amenities included free in-room wifi, for as many devices as you need and the speed was pretty fast; free breakfast throughout the week and free happy hour Monday thru Thursday – I went on a Monday morning and the breakfast was very crowded and all the items needed to be refilled multiple times; a well-stocked gym; a business center; a laundry room; and an outdoor patio.

Overall, the hotel provided a lot of amenities and was conveniently located.  The additional amenities, both inside the hotel and inside the room, were appreciated and were a positive aspect.  Negative aspects included the narrow rooms and hallways, and the long wait times for the elevators.  

A Stay Report: Le Meridien Mexico City

A Stay Report: Le Meridien Mexico City
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When looking for hotels, I usually look for ones that are situated in connected areas – this means that the hotel is within walking distance to some activities, restaurant, services, and transportation.  Based on price, I had originally selected a hotel which was a bit further from the connected areas but was lower in price.  I then found a hotel that was more centrally located, but the price was a bit higher so I booked that hotel.  Le Meridien then had a sale on their hotels, and the Le Meridien Mexico City (LMMC) was centrally located, had great reviews, and the price was comparable to the other hotel so I booked it.

After I had booked the hotel, I wanted to contact the hotel regarding airport transportation (it is not included with the hotel).  Le Meridien is part of Starwood and they do not provide hotel email addresses easily, but luckily LMMC is active on social media so I sent them a facebook message and they responded very quickly.  The rates they offered were very competitive, so I booked the car service for all my transportation to/from the airport.  The hotel provided directions on where the car would meet us, and when we landed we followed the directions and the service was waiting for us.  The car service to and from the airport were not Le Meridien cars, but rather locally hired private taxis.  The payment could be made directly with the taxi or with the hotel, and each car was comfortable and clean. 

The hotel is located on one of the main thoroughfares  - Paseo de Reforma – is about a 10 minute walk to Bellas Artes and the historic district.  There are many restaurants and services either next to or near the hotel, and it is very accessible and safe to walk around the hotel.   You pull up to the hotel on the ground floor which has the concierge, a Starbucks, a waiting area for the transport, and elevators.  There are also circular stairs which take you up to the lobby level.  This level contains the check-in desks, the concierge desks, a bar/lounge, and elevators.  The hotel is laid out like a triangle, with the lobby and entrance at the tip of the triangle, thus it’s a bit smaller and compact.  Check in was efficient, and we were given our keys to our room.

Our room was located on the 14^th floor, which is indicated as an SPG Guest level.  As you

get out of the elevator, there is a small area with a chair and amenities on shelves inside the wall.  The amenities include extra bottles of water, apples, newspaper, and miniature treats.  It was a nice gesture and another way of recognizing loyalty.  

The room itself is very large and spacious.  As you open the door, you enter into the sitting area.  On the left hand side is a large console with a TV on it, and a couch and chair facing the TV; the couch can be turned into a sofa bed.   There was a table in front of the couch, plus a lamp and a coffee table on either side of the couch.  On the other side of the room was a chaise lounge to sit, and next to that was a mini kitchenette – which had a sink, a microwave, a mini-fridge, and storage on the bottom plus a coffee maker, water bottles (complimentary and paid), and other amenities on top of the counter.  Across from the kitchenette was the bathroom.  The bathroom was very large and spacious as well.  It contained a large counter with a sink, bottles of water (complimentary),a toilet, and a shower.  The shower head was very powerful and provided a nice shower.   

In between the kitchenette and the bathroom was a door that led to the bedroom.  The bedroom was also spacious and has a lot of room to move around.  As you entered into the bedroom, there was a closet on the right-hand side and a desk with a TV stand next to it.  On the other side were two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were comfortable and provided a nice and restful sleep for the night.  There were plenty of outlets around the room, and the nightstand had a plus + USB charging ports on it (very accessible and convenient).

Other hotel amenities that I used included wifi in the room, the business center, and the

concierge.  The free in-room wifi was a decent service and speed and you could connect as many devices as needed.  The business center was on the second floor next to the meeting rooms, and it was small and had older computers but it had all the basic services needed.  I also utilized the concierge at the hotel – and I had mixed interactions.  My conversations with the concierge prior to my arrival, to confirm the airport pick-up, were very convenient and efficient.  My conversations with the concierge at the hotel were also nice, but it was only when the concierge was available and that was not all the time.  There were times when I only wanted to reconfirm the airport pickup, and only the concierge could do that but they were not available (or it was too long to wait for them).  They were friendly, but I have had better concierge experiences (in fact, we went to another hotel for breakfast and their concierge provided better service in terms of information).  The hotel also has an indoor gym and meeting rooms that I was not able to try out.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Le Meridien Mexico City.  The spacious and comfortable rooms plus the convenient location made it a nice.  This combined with the extra amenities as SPG member were well appreciated.  The only negatives were the car pickup (which had to be reconfirmed but was prompt and on-time each time) and the concierge interaction; but other than that a very pleasant stay. 

Stay Report: Element Houston Vintage Park (Houston, Texas - December 2014)

Stay Report: Element Houston Vintage Park
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The Element Houston Vintage Park is a hotel “inspired by Westin Hotels, bringing together an eco-friendly environment with overall wellness…where guest can enjoy free breakfast, an evening reception and free internet access”

I had to go near Intercontinental Airport in Houston and was looking for places to stay when I noticed the Element Houston Vintage Park.  I heard some news items about the Element – which is the eco-friendly studio brand from Westin.  Right now they have a few properties scattered around the world, with one in Houston so I thought it would be nice to try --- after my experience, I would definitely go and seek out an Element; it was an excellent stay.   The rooms were spacious and well-laid out, the beds were also spacious and comfortable, there was enough lighting in the rooms, the free wifi was fast and really responsive, and the free breakfast was pretty good.  All this in an eco-friendly atmosphere made the stay all the more relaxing.

There are only two negatives I would say about this hotel – and both have to do with the location.  The hotel is located in a newly developed area and there are shops and restaurants near the hotel, but they are about a 2-3 minute walking distance --- this is fine during the day but at night there are very few lights.  That was my second negative, which was the road to the entrance of the hotel is not lit at all – the hotel is located on a one-way so if you are coming from the opposite way you have to pass the hotel and go down into the undeveloped section to make a u-turn to get to the right side of the street on which the hotel’s entrance is on – and that section of the road has no lights and is completely dark during the night.  As I said, those are the only two negatives as the rest of the experience inside the hotel was positive.

Once you walk inside the hotel, on the right-hand side is the check-in counter.  Beyond the check-in counters was a little pantry to buy snacks and beyond that was the elevators.  Across from the check-in was the dining area where the free breakfast is served (the breakfast was decent. There were standard items available that you normally would get as well as some unique items like egg, spinach, and mushroom on a toasted English muffin – but I did expect healthier or organic options and those were limited).   As you walk straight, there is a lounge/sitting area or relaxing area where you can also enjoy the free wifi.  To the left of this lounge is the business center which has access to two computers and a printer (during my visit, only one computer worked and the printer was not working).  Beyond the business center is the meeting room.  On the other side of the lounge/sitting area was the fitness center – which was spacious and had a nice array of machines – and a path to the outside which had an outdoor pool as well as an outdoor sitting/bbq area. 

Check-in was smooth and efficient and I was given my keys as well as a detailed explanation of the hotel and its amenities (which was good since it was my first time staying at the hotel).  I took the elevator to my room and when I opened the door, I thoroughly enjoyed the room. I had requested a room with 2 double beds so this is how my room was laid out: As you open the door, on the left were big closets (in an ikea-style design) which also contained a safe.  On the right was the bathroom which was very large and had a waterfall-style shower or hand-held shower.  The bathroom also had a low-flow toilet, low-flow sink, as well as refillable pumps for the the amenities instead of individual size toiletries (maintaining the environmental aspect throughout the room).  As you walked further into the room, on the left was the kitchen which was again ikea-designed and was quite big.  There was a very big fridge, a microwave, a sink, a stove, dishes and glasses, and pots and pans.  There was also two barstools and a little area to sit and eat at the kitchen.  Across from the kitchen was a desk/console combined into one.  This separated the bedroom from the main area.  The desk/console was a full desk that was extended to include a TV as well as a converter to plug in various devices and shelves below the TV.

The beds were quite comfortable and spacious and there were plenty of outlets near the beds and throughout the room.  In addition to the two beds, there was also a sofa that was very comfortable and could also turn into a sofa-bed.  Overall, it was a GREAT stay at the Element in a spacious room with comfortable beds.  The wifi was REALLY strong and fast both in the rooms and in the lobby.  It was a great stay in a place that is good for you and good for the environment.