Stay Report: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Houston by the Galleria (Houston, Texas - July 2020)

Stay Report: Doubletree Hotel & Suites Houston Galleria
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Travel around the world has been seriously diminished due to COVID-19.  Even when traveling, hotels and airlines are putting in special measures to ensure a safe and healthy travel experience.  I have been limiting my travels due to the pandemic, but recently I had to travel to Houston.  I have been to Houston many times and stayed at various hotels throughout the city, mostly in the Galleria area.  When I was looking this time, I found a good deal at the Doubletree in the Galleria area.  I have stayed here twice (see reviews here) and the experience was mixed - the rooms were nice but the service bad - but I decided to give it another try.

The hotel has gone through some renovations on the inside (and this was evident in my previous stay in 2017) and since then the only additions have been due to COVID, which included partitions around the check-in desk, markers on the floor for social distancing, wipes next to the elevator, and signs stating masks were required.  Other than that, everything was the same including how small the hotel entrance is; the layout of the hotel is such that you have the hotel building, the parking garage, and a small connector between the two.   As you enter the connector, the parking garage is to your right, the connector in the middle, and the hotel on the left; the entrance is small generally and gets more crowded once there is a rush. Both valet and self-parking are available.

The lobby itself is wide and spacious. The waiting area is right in front, while the check-in desks are to the

left and the elevators and meeting rooms are to the right.  As both the meeting rooms and elevators are in the same direction, it can become a bit crowded when there events taking place.  I have stayed at other hotels during the pandemic (see review here) and their restrictions were far more strict than what was done here.  There was no restriction on limiting the hotel to only guests so anyone could enter and exit as they please.  Also, even though the state had mandated a mask-wearing policy and the hotel had signs requesting masks be worn, there was no enforcement or verbal reminders regarding mask wearing.  In terms of social distancing, the only stickers on the floor were the ones in front of the check-in counters and they were not adhered to by most guests (nor enforced by the hotel staff).  Check-in was okay but there was no customer service aspect - no greeting, no welcoming a Hilton Honors member, and not checking the reservation before asking questions, in fact it was the bare minimum of service expected and required; even the cookies, which are normally handed out at the beginning had to be requested.  I received the key and proceeded to my room.  

The waiting area for the elevators can become crowded very quickly as there are 4 elevators all converging onto the same waiting area.  They did have wipes for guests to use to wipe down the surface, but this was at your personal preference.  Also, other hotels had enforced either a minimum number of guests in the elevators or only same-household groups in the elevators; none of that was mentioned nor enforced here and it was basically to each their own how they wanted to proceed.  Previously, given my status, I have been upgraded to a junior suite and those rooms, while outdated, are quite spacious; this time I was not upgraded so I was given a standard Doubletree room.  

As you enter the room, on the left was the bathroom which contained a toilet, a shower/tub, a sink with lots of counter space.  The bathroom was standard with standard amenities and toiletries needed to be requested from the front desk.  Further inside the room, on the left were two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were generally comfortable, decent in size and overall good in sleep comfort.  Across from the beds, against the wall, was a console that had a TV on top, an open shelf with the coffee/tea as well as ice bucket, drawers on the bottom, a fridge on the bottom, and a small table next to it.  There was a large window across one wall and in between the window and the bed was a chaise lounge chair.  There was a lot of furniture in the room and given the amount of things in the room, the standard size of the room, and then add people to that, the room felt small and cramped and some of the furniture needed to be removed to make the room feel more open.

The hotel is full-service so there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a pool, a gym, meeting rooms, business center, restaurant, parking garage, and wifi.  As I said earlier, parking was a nightmare both times I stayed here; you have to pay for parking so considering it requires payment, you think they would come up with a better solution.  The gym also needs to be remodeled as its small and is located on the 3rd floor, right next to other rooms (it looks like they converted two rooms into a gym).  The business center was 3 computers in the open lobby on the other side of the check-in desks.  There was complimentary printing, but there was also a lot of noise; the wifi was complimentary and provided decent speeds.  

Overall, its an average hotel in the Galleria area.   Plus points are the location, the hotel's signature cookies, and the spacious rooms and full-size fridge in the suites.  Negatives include inconsistent and poor customer service and horrible (paid) parking situation, and particularly to covid no enforcement or adherence to public health-related guidelines.  Given the horrible parking situation, the lack of adherence to public health guidelines and overall the general lack of service provided this was my last time staying at this hotel. 

Stay Report: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Houston by the Galleria (Houston, Texas - September 2014, 2017)

Stay Report: Doubletree Hotel & Suites Houston Galleria

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Photo courtesy of Hilton.com

As I travel often to Houston, I am always looking for a good hotel in the Galleria area. I have a special affinity to Doubletree thanks to the complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies they provide. There is a Doubletree hotel in the Galleria area and I have stayed here twice, each with different results. Overall, the rooms are mini-suites so they are large and spacious but the parking is always a nightmare.

photo courtesy of Hilton.com

The hotel is set aback from the main street but as the hotel is large, you can see it from the main street; one side of the hotel faces the main street but the entrance of the hotel is on a side street. Given how big the hotel is, the entrance to the hotel is very small. The layout of the hotel is such that you have the hotel building, the parking garage, and a small connector between the two. As you enter the connector, the parking garage is to your right, the connector in the middle, and the hotel on the left; the entrance is small generally and gets more crowded once there is a rush. Both valet and self-parking are available.

The lobby itself is wide and spacious. The waiting area is right in front, while the check-in desks are to the left and the elevators and meeting rooms are to the right. As both the meeting rooms and elevators are in the same direction, it can become a bit crowded when there events taking place. As I said, I have been here multiple times and each time the check-in was different. When I first arrived in 2014, it was extreme chaos when we checked in as the hotel could not handle a crowd. The lines were long and the check-in process was very cumbersome. When we finally got to the front, there was no greeting, no apologies for the wait, nothing - and no smile on any of their faces (there were 3 people working in the lobby checking in guests, and none of them were smiling). The check-in was taking a really long time, and no explanation was given, so I asked 'is everything ok'. The attendant replied 'I am looking for a room' and went back to staring at the screen. No customer service at this hotel. When we finally finished, no cookies were given; I had to ask for the cookies even though they are supposed to be given upon check-in. In 2017, it was a different story as the check-in process went smoother, they were more customer-friendly, and overall it was a more pleasant experience (in fact, the mood of the hotel felt lighter as well - they had recently gone through an upgrade and it improved the feel of the hotel).

Photo courtesy of Hilton.com

I received my key and took the elevators to the room. Even though there are 4 elevators, they can get busy really quickly and become very slow (I don't think the hotel was designed for the large rush of crowds they now receive). All the rooms at this DoubleTree are Suites so the room was very spacious and clean, and the beds were very comfortable. As you enter, on the left hand side is a galley kitchen, which is a bit outdated but provides a very large fridge.  The kitchen also contains a sink, lots of counter space, dishes, a microwave, and a stove.  There is also a round dining table with 4 chairs in the sitting room just right outside the kitchen.  The sitting room also contains a sofa-bed/couch with a coffee table, and in front of the sofa is an chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  The sitting room is very spacious, has lots of features for guests to enjoy, and can become private by closing the door between the sitting room and the bedroom.

The bedroom itself is also quite large.  You enter into a long corridor, which will

Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

eventually lead to the bathroom.  As you head down the corridor, the beds are on the left side In between the two beds was a night stand and in front of the beds was another chest with drawers on the bottom and TV on top.  The beds were spacious and comfortable, and provided a good night's sleep.  The bedroom area was quite spacious and easily allowed access to each item.  Continuing down the corridor leads to the open closet and the bathroom.  The closet is on the right and contains a place to hang items and a shelf to store items.  Next to the open closet is the bathroom which contains a shower, a toilet, and a double sink.  Considering how big the rooms area, the bathroom area is relatively smaller but overall its a comfortable room.

The hotel is full-service so there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a pool, a gym, meeting rooms, business center, restaurant, parking garage, and wifi.  As I said earlier, parking was a nightmare both times I stayed here; you have to pay for parking so considering it requires payment, you think they would come up with a better solution.  The gym also needs to be remodeled as its small and is located on the 3rd floor, right next to other rooms (it looks like they converted two rooms into a gym).  The business center was 3 computers in the open lobby on the other side of the check-in desks.  There was complimentary printing, but there was also a lot of noise.  The wifi was complimentary and provided decent speeds. 

Overall, its an average hotel in the Galleria area.   Plus points are the location, the spacious rooms, and the full-size fridge and kitchen available in the suites (as well as the cookies).  Negatives include inconsistent customer service and horrible (paid) parking situation.

Stay Report: Courtyard Atlanta Decatur Downtown/Emory (Decatur, GA - May 2020)

Stay Report: Courtyard Atlanta Decatur Downtown/Emory 

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Due to the COVID-19 situation, travel had been restricted and I was not planning any trips; however, due to family situation I needed to travel to Decatur, Georgia.  There are only a couple of hotels in the Decatur area and the Courtyard was the closest to where I needed to go.  It was easy to book the room through the Marriott website, but I would say that the prices were generally higher in the Decatur area versus other areas in Atlanta (Downtown or Perimeter).  During the booking process, there were constant notices regarding traveling during the pandemic and links towards each individual states response and guidelines for traveling during the pandemic.  

When I pulled up to the hotel, they had the doors restricted to either card access or you

had to be granted access into the hotel (similar to what hotels generally do at night but this was now the policy during the day).  In front of the check-in counters were tables where the keys were presented and where guests were asked to remain (which was approximately 6ft behind the check-in desks).  On the tables were printouts detailing the current situation and what services were and were not going to be available during the stay.  Since I was only staying for one night these did not apply to me but had I been staying more nights, if I wanted to my sheets changed I would be given a bag with sheets, towels, toiletries, and other housekeeping items and I would change my own sheets and towels, place the dirty linens in the bag and place the bag outside the room to be collected.  Considering there were not a lot of people in the hotel nor waiting to be checked in, the process was very quick and the service was good.

From the outside, the hotel did not look updated or renovated - it was decent but not brand new - however inside the hotel looked like it had been renovated and updated and had a really nice open lobby.  As you entered into the hotel, on the right hand side was the check-in counters, a mini service area with drinks, food, and other items for purchase, while on the left were some couches.  Straight ahead was a massive lobby with lots of chairs and tables to sit and relax on.  You had to cross through the big lobby to get to the elevators, and along with right-side was a conference room, the business center, as well as other meeting rooms; along the left side was the hotels restaurant (which was closed).  

My room was on the 4th floor and there were two elevators on either side which could

take me up to my floor.  The hotel was laid out like a U with rooms on either side and a the lobby in the middle; the window in the rooms would either face the outside or the lobby - my room faced the outside.  As you opened on the door, in the entryway on the right was the bathroom while on the left was a open and big closet.  The closet contained room for storage, a luggage rack, as well as an iron and ironing board.  The big bathroom contained a large sink, a toilet, and a bathtub; bathroom toiletries were limited but the shower had refillable shampoo, conditioner, and body wash (which smelled really nice).  Further into the room, on the right side was a little nook which contained the coffee maker and on the left side was a mirror.  Along the left wall were mini-open shelves which contained the fridge at the bottom and the ice chest and glasses on top.  This was connected to a shelf that had the TV on top of it and that led into the desk which a chair.  There were plugs along the wall and lights above the desk - mini lights and a lamp but more lights were needed (especially at night) and while there were plenty of plugs, there were no USB ports.  Along the right side were the two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The nightstand contained plugs and outlets and on the headboard were mini lamps as well as plugs - there were plenty of outlets scattered throughout the room.  The beds were big and comfortable, the bedframe seemed old as it kept making noise everytime someone moved - the beds provided a good nights sleep for one night but I am not sure I could handle the noise for multiple nights.  The room also contained a sitting chair next to the wall and a massive window which let in lots of natural light.

Amenities in the hotel included a fitness center, an indoor pool, a business center, meeting rooms, a restaurant, a mini-service area, complimentary wifi, and a parking garage (not complimentary).  Since I was only there for one night, I did not inquire which facilities were open given the current situation. I did use the wifi which was complimentary and did not require a code; the wifi was decent but sometimes spotty especially when you moved around the room.  Overall, it was a nice stay at the Courtyard.  The rooms were big, the beds were decent, there were plenty of outlets in the room, and the lobby was huge with lots of sitting area.    

Stay Report: Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center (Overland Park, KS - November 2015)

Stay Report: Sheraton Overland Park Hotel 

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photo courtesy of Marriott.com

A family friend was getting married at the Convention Center, so we decided to stay at the Sheraton as it connects to the Convention Center so it would be easier access.  From the outside the hotel does not look like a Sheraton, more like an upscale Hampton Inn.  As you walk inside the lobby, the check-in desks are to left and the elevators are behind the check-in desks.  To the right is the walkway to the convention center while straight ahead is a small sitting area and behind the partition is the hotel's restaurant.  Check-in was done quickly and we received the key and proceeded to the room.

The room was a standard hotel room with standard amenities.  As you entered the room,

on the right was the bathroom while on the left was the closet.  The closet was standard with hangers to hang your clothes beneath a shelf, a safe, an iron, and ironing board.  The bathroom was also standard with a tub, a toilet, a sink, and bathroom toiletries.  The room itself was also standard and it was a bit dark.  On the right side, against the wall, were two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  Across from the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  Additional furniture included a desk next to the chest, as well as a chair and lamp next to the window (the window looked out onto the parking lot).  While the room did not contain a fridge, there were plenty of outlets to plug in the devices so that was a nice touch.  The beds were extremely comfortable but both the room and bathroom looked liked a renovated older hotel (and you could clearly hear the bathroom through the wall).

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

The hotel is a full-service hotel so there are amenities for the guests to enjoy including a fitness center, a pool, meeting rooms, parking, hotel restaurant, and wifi.  The parking was complimentary and there were plenty of spaces available; and the wifi was also complimentary and the speeds were decent.  As we were there for a wedding I was not able to try the fitness center or the pool, but the easy access walkway to the convention center (where the wedding took place) was convenient.

photo courtesy of Booking.com

Overall, the hotel provide a comfortable bed and a decent room; however, it did not feel like a Sheraton.  The overall feel and look of the room felt more like a Hampton Inn or a mid-priced budget hotel rather than a full-service Sheraton.  The hotel is a decent place to stay and it's a convenient location to the Convention Center,  but when you book a Sheraton you expect a Sheraton experience; we booked a Sheraton and received a Hampton Inn experience.

Stay Report: Hilton Houston Westchase (Houston, Texas - October 2018)

Stay Report: Hilton Houston Westchase

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photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

I was planning a trip to Houston and wanted to stay near the Galleria area but could not find a good deal so I expanded my search.  I had previously stayed at the Hilton Houston Westchase for a family friends wedding, and the hotel was nice and located about 15-20 minutes away from the Galleria and I found a good deal so decided to restay at the hotel.  From the outside, hotel looks like a tall office building with an attached restaurant and parking surrounding the building.  The parking is free and ample but some of the parking is a little shady so I would be careful about leaving valuables in the car; the parking does fill up quickly, especially well-lit areas and those closest to the entrances.  The hotel is located next to a supermarket and easy access to many amenities and highways. 

Check-in was a breeze, the attendant gave us the key and explained everything that the

photo courtesy of Hilton.com

hotel offered. We went to our room, which was located on the 5th floor and two doors away from the elevator (we were a little skeptical about the proximity to the elevator, but no noise from the elevator or gathering around it was heard).  Both the rooms and the bathrooms had been updated with the new Hilton offerings, but the doors and other structures indicated the building itself was old.  As you entered the room, the bathroom was on the right while the closet was on the left.  The bathroom was a bit small but decent and contained a sink, a tub, a toilet, and bathroom toiletries.  The closet was also standard and contained a shelf, hangers to hang items, an iron and an ironing board.  Further into the room on right hand side were the two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The bed quality was very nice and the pillows were very nice, but the beds in the Hilton seemed smaller than the ones we got at the Doubletree (check out that review here); the bed could easily fit two people, but there is just enough room to fit 2. Across from the bed was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV as well as coffee stand on top. The bottom of the chest also contained a mini fridge a well as a safe.  The room also contained a desk and a chair next to the chest, and between the bed and the window was was a table and lamp (the window faced out onto the parking lot).  The room we had was on a corner so while it was shaped a little differently, there was still plenty of space to more around and be comfortable.

photo courtesy of Hilton.com

The hotel is a full service hotel so there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a restaurant, parking, wifi, a fitness center. meeting rooms, a business center, and a pool.  The parking was self-parking, there was no charge, and there were plenty of spaces available; however, as I said before some parking spots were not as well lit as others so I would be careful about leaving valuables in the car.  The wifi was complimentary and there was no limit on the number of devices that could be connected, and the speed was decent enough to check email and watch videos.  The fitness center was located on the first floor, en route from the elevator to the big conference room/meeting room, and seemed to be installed as an afterthought.  The fitness center was located next to other rooms so there is a lot of traffic passing by the fitness center and it was somewhat small as well, as only three, maybe four, people could work out at the same time; 4 people or more and the place would feel very congested and cramped. Again it seems as if the hotel took out an existing room and replaced it with the fitness center. The amenities inside the fitness center included decent equipment as well as fruit (not the best looking, but not the worst looking either), water, and cold towels.

In the end, the hotel provided a nice and comfortable room with free parking, free wifi, good customer service, and decent location with many restaurants and services within a short distance away.  While it is a bit further away from the Galleria (about a 15-minute drive) the added benefits of the hotel make the drive worth it.

Stay Report: TownePlace Suites by Marriott Houston Brookhollow (Houston, TX - June 2012)

Stay Report: TownePlace Suites Houston Brookhollow
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photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

I travel to Houston a lot, sometimes for pleasure and sometimes because I live in a hurricane-prone city so we need to evacuate.  In one of those instances of evacuation, I was looking for hotels in Houston.  I normally stay near The Galleria but that usually fills up quickly so this time I decided to book a bit out of town.  I found the TownePlace Suites in northwest Houston off of Highway 290.  Having driven through this area, I was familiar with the area so was comfortable with booking the hotel.  It was easy to book and manage the hotel through the Marriott app. 

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

The hotel is located on the side road of Highway 290 and there are many restaurants, shops, and hotels around the area.  The hotel is set aback from the main road, behind the shops and restaurants, and it looked decent enough from the outside.  We pulled up to the lobby and as you enter the front door, on the left was the lobby and straight ahead was the elevators; to the right of the entrance was the dining room and lounge where free breakfast was available.  To get to the room, we took the elevators to the second floor (there are only two floors to the hotel) and walked across a walkway that was open and underneath was the lobby.  Since it was an open lobby and walkway, this meant that all the noise from downstairs could be heard and amplified upstairs (it was loud and unpleasant).  The room we received was located right next to the lobby so we could hear all the noise and then some.

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

When we opened the door to our room,that is when the unpleasantness began.  The room smelled of cigarette smoke (even though we had booked and received a non-smoking room), and when I say smelled it reeked of the smell.  As you open the door, on the left side is a small open kitchen with a sink, a fridge, and drawers for basic items.  Just beyond the open kitchen is a desk that faced out the window.  On the other side was the bathroom which was standard with a toilet, a tub and a sink but the furnishing all looked old; beyond the bathroom was a sitting area with a couch/sofa bed.  In between the sitting area and the desk was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV stand on top.  Next to the couch was a half wall that separated the sitting and bedroom area.  In the bedroom area were two double beds, a nightstand in between, and a closet next the window.  Even though the place is called a ‘suite’ there were no partitions or separations between the rooms so everyone could hear everything – it didn’t feel like a suite, more like a loft that somebody had just designed into separate areas.  The designs of the furniture also smelled of smoke and looked dated – the room overall had a dated feel to it.
   

photo courtesy of Marriott.com

We had reserved a room for 3 days, but we could not see ourselves sleeping in this room for 3 days so we went downstairs to ask to be switched to another room.  The lobby attendant was anything but helpful or friendly and, without even looking or bothering to make any effort, said ‘we are full for tonight’.  Since we had arrived late in the afternoon/early evening, I understood that all rooms may not be available that evening so we said that we had reserved for three days so could we switch tomorrow – again we got a surly ‘no’.  When we informed the attendant of the smell, we got the response ‘well, it’s a non-smoking room’.  We had replied saying we understood it was a non-smoking room but it still smells so is there something they could spray to at least make the room a bit more pleasant for tonight – again a surly ‘fine!’ and huffed away.  It wasn’t so much the response but rather the lack of customer service (combined with the uncomfortable room) that made us decide to go looking for another hotel that night.  While we were at dinner, we noticed a hotel across the street from a different hotel (check out that review here).  We drove over, talked to the lobby attendant who was nice, customer-friendly, acknowledged our participation in their rewards program, and provided us with a bigger, more spacious room at a lower cost!

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

After we returned from dinner, we informed the hotel we were checking out the next morning and no one asked ‘why you are leaving after one day since you had booked three days’ and that is the main issue with the hotel – the lack of customer service and lack of customer attention.  It was our first experience at a TownePlace Suites and it was unpleasant so stayed in one since and avoid booking their properties!  To end on a positive note, the hotel does provide some complimentary amenities for guests including complimentary wifi, parking, breakfast, a fitness center, a bbq/picnic area, a pool/whirpool, as well as on-site laundry facility.

Stay Report: Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club (Frisco, Texas - October 2015)

Stay Report: Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club 

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I was looking for a place to stay in Frisco, and wanted something that was close to many of the shops and restaurants we wanted to visit.  I noticed the Westin Stonebriar and what drew me to the hotel was that 1) Westin usually have comfortable rooms which are spacious; 2) free parking; and 3) late checkout for spg members (at 4pm). 

The hotel is located next to a golf course so it is surrounded by land, and thus there are not many things available within walking distance; there are plenty of options within a 5 minute drive though.  The hotel does provide either paid valet or free self-parking, and spots were always available (just depended on how far you wanted to walk).  As you entered the hotel and walked straight, on the right was the bar and on the left was the check-in desk.  Right next to the bar were the elevators to the rooms.  Behind the elevators was a nice sitting/lobby area where guests could relax and look at the gardens/golf area.  Check-in was efficient, overall the customer service was really nice, and we received the keys and proceeded to the room. 

The rooms themselves were spacious and comfortable.  As you entered the room, on the

photo courtesy of Marriott.com

right was the bathroom while on the left was the closet.  The closet was standard and contained a place to hang your clothes, a shelf, a safe, an iron, and ironing board.  The bathroom was also standard and came with a toilet, a tub, a sink, bathroom toiletries and overall was a good size.  Further into the room, on the right were the two double beds with a night stand in the middle.  The beds were big enough to accommodate two people, there was plenty space to move around, and it provided a comfortable night's sleep.  Across from the bed was a chest with the TV on top, a coffee maker and two complimentary bottles of water while underneath were drawers as well as a fridge.  Next to the chest was a desk and chair, and from the chair you could look out the window onto the golf course; you could also sit on the chair next to the bed and look out onto the golf course as well.

photo courtesy of VisitDallas.com

The hotel looks like a country club so there are many amenities for guests to enjoy including a golf course, a large workout facility, locker rooms, a pool, and restaurants.  Since we were there for a wedding most time was spent outside the hotel, but sitting and walking around the hotel grounds was really beautiful and a nice form of exercise.  The hotel also provided wifi which was complimentary and had decent speeds.

Overall, it was a nice and comfortable stay at the Westin. 

photo courtesy of 3610realeastate.com

The rooms were spacious, the customer service was nice, and the hotel grounds were really well-maintained and beautiful so it was nice just to gaze out or take a walk around the hotel property.  While the hotel is not within walking distance to many services, there are many shops and restaurants within a 5-10 minute drive.  Overall, a great place to stay near Dallas.