Trip Report: InterCaribbean Airways, Providenciales to Grand Turk (July 2021)

 Stay Report: InterCaribbean Airways

Providenciales to Grand Turk

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I was planning a trip to Providenciales and wanted to see the other island of Grand Turk.  Grand Turk is mostly a cruise-ship driven city so when there are no cruise shops, and it is COVID, then there is nothing really to do there but I still wanted to check out.  Given the lack of economy in Grand Turk, the only option to get to the island was flying on InterCaribbean.  InterCaribbean is an airline based at Providenciales in Turks & Caicos and provides services to various Caribbean destinations.  I booked the flight online and booked the morning flight out to Grand Turk and the afternoon return.  I was very excited to try the product as I heard read a lot about the airline and the new management which was trying to build the airline into a better service provider to connect the Caribbean together.

My outbound and return flight operated very similarly.  Both were operated by an Embraer 120 with a2-2 seat configuration with about room for 30-40 passengers.  I think the plane was making the round back and forth because it was the same pilot and crew for both outbound and return.  The plane was definitely older as the quality of the seat and the plane had seen better days.  Flight time on both outbound and return is 30-minutes so given the short flight-time there was no inflight service but the views from the plane were plenty of entertainment.   Overall, the flight and plane were very basic.  It was a nice and short domestic flight - my only comment would the lack of friendliness by the flight attendant.  It was a short flight and the plane was very small so there was the opportunity for a more personalized and friendly interaction but the demeanor of the flight attendant was very strict and stoic.  There was definitely no island friendliness but that did not take away from the fantastic views from the plane.  

Stay Report: Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus (Istanbul, Turkey - November 2021)

 Stay Report: Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus
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I was meeting people in Istanbul and needed a hotel close to them.  They were staying in the Karakoy district of Istanbul so when I looked for nearby hotels I found the Novotel.  Novotels are part of Accorhotels and they are described as more upscale than ibis but less upscale than Sofitel.  I have stayed in Novotel before and thought it was a decent stay so decided to book the hotel again.  

The hotel is located in the back part of an entertainment section in this neighborhood where there are clubs and restaurants.  The back of the hotel faces this area while the front faces the river; there is still a lot of construction and renovations being done around the hotel so there are not a lot of services near the hotel.  The hotel is a 3-minute walk to the main street and from there you can access the tram, taxis, as well as walk another 5-7 minutes for more restaurants and services. 

As you enter the hotel, you pass the elevators to go towards the check-in desks on the right-side.  There are only two check-in desks and that was not sufficient for the size nor amount of people checking-in; it was a bit chaotic and there was a long wait depending on what time you checked in.  Further into the hotel is the bar and restaurant and on the left side is the small 'business' area with computer and printers (although the printer did not work for me so I had to send it to the front desk to print out - which a lot of people seemed to do).  I checked in, received my key and proceeded to my room.

The room was spacious and had all the amenities of a nice hotel.  You entered into the a hallway on

which the right-side of the hallway are closets that run along the hallway.  The closest consists both of a standard closet next to another closet with shelves; the closets provided a lot of storage places.  On the other side of the hallway was the bathroom which had the sink in the middle, the toilet on one side and the shower on the other (the shower had a window to the room and I do not know why so many hotels are doing this?!!).  As part of being a full-service hotel, the bathroom did have nice amenities including fair-trade products such as soap, shower gel, shampoo, and other products.  Additional bathroom amenities included very big and nice towels, which were good quality and very large towels. 

At the end of the hallway was the main section of the room which had two beds with nightstands on either side as well as reading lights.  The beds were bigger than a twin but definitely smaller than a full  so were both bit small in terms of length and width but they were comfortable enough and provided a comfortable sleep; the duvet on top was also comfortable as well.  Between the bed and the long window was a chair and a couch which was nice to sit and enjoy the view; in front of the bed was a desk to work on and a TV mounted on the wall.  In the bedroom section but connected to the closets was a section for the coffee maker, a fridge, and a safe in the room.  These were in the nook in the closets and provided a nice touch.

As a full-service hotel, there were many amenities that were provided. The hotel contains a bar, a restaurant, a pool, a fitness center,  a spa, free wifi, laundry services, room service, and a barber shop.  Most of these amenities were located on the basement level - I went during COVID so not all amenities were available.  The amenities I used were the free wifi, which was average and decent; and in the time of COVID a PCR test I booked through the hotel.  I needed a PCR test for arrival into my next country so I emailed the hotel and booked a PCR test through the hotel; if I had one in the morning I would have the results by the evening so I booked it for late morning.  The hotel got the timing wrong and I only found this out the night before when I went to confirm my appointment which turned out to be early morning and not late morning; all went well and I got my test done and the emailed the results to the front desk to print out (as the main printer was not working).  

In the end, it was an average stay at the Novotel.  The full service amenities provided by the hotel were nice, the location of the hotel was decent but this did not compensate for the poor customer service.  The hotel provided poor to minimal customer service.  The Novotel provides full service amenities, but not the full service customer service.

Stay Report: ibis budget Zurich Airport (Zurich - November 2021)

 Stay Report: ibis budget, Zurich Airport
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I was going to be in Zurich for a couple of hours and mostly transiting from different travels so I was looking for a place to sleep near the airport.  I was going to be transiting twice so my criteria was it had to be near the airport; near access to transportation; and have availability to leave luggage.  During my research I came across the ibis budget, Zurich Airport.  I have stayed at ibis' before (all throughout Europe) and have stayed at the ibis budget Brisbane Airport.  With each brand, some items are complimentary while others need to be paid for.  The ibis budget brand provides the least complimentary items but they also have the lowest rates.  My experience with ibis is that they provide a basic room with wifi and luggage hold at an affordable rate; since I was only going to be sleeping these - and the hotel met all my criteria - I booked the hotel.  

I was arriving late from another part of Switzerland via train and my flight was early the next day.  The hotel is across the street from the tram station and is only 1-2 stops away from the airport station - both of these make it very convenient as a transit hotel.  I took the tram from the main station towards the airport and got off at the stop and walked to the hotel.  From the outside the hotel does not look like much but it looked nice and clean

As you enter, there is a small waiting area to the left and then the check-in desks.  To the right are the  elevators as well as a very large dining/cafeteria as well as more rooms.  In the back were also elevators down to the ground level where there were more rooms as well as luggage lockers.  I checked in, received my key, and proceeded up to my room.

As I entered my room I noticed 2 things: first that it was a standard ibis room and second it was verysmall room.  As you entered there was a door on right with the toilet and further inside the room, again on the right, was a small sink outside and then the shower door; the bathroom had a toilet, a sink and a shower.  Towels were provided but the quality wasn't great so I would recommend bringing your ownk and there was shower gel in the shower and a small bar of soap near the sink.   There as no real separation between bathroom and bedroom so next to the sink was the on the right-side of the room while on the left side was a TV and a desk.  There was a decent size window across one wall which faced the backside of the airport but it did provide natural light.  Overall it was a very basic room but then again ibis provides a basic room at a lower price so for me it was fine.  The room had the basic amenities that I wanted which were 1) a decent size bed that was comfortable; 2) free wifi; 3) an en-suite connected or in the room and this room provided all that.  

Ibis hotels usually do not provide many amenities other hotels usually provide, and the ibis budget provides even less amenities.  Even though they did provide breakfast in the morning (for a separate charge), there was no restaurant in the hotel so if you were hungry in the afternoon or evening then you had to get food from the vending machines provided.  I did not realize but my second night at the hotel I had booked a rate that included breakfast so I went down in the morning and got my breakfast.  I have had breakfast at ibis in other countries and the quality of breakfast is decent; not great but decent and average and I would say the quality of the food here was also average.  They had croissants, meats, cheeses, fruit and nutella spreads so while not a wide variety, a decent enough breakfast.

There is no gym and no pool but the main amenity is the wifi.  With all Accorhotels, the hotel provides free wifi – it is basic but decent enough to check and send emails.  You can pay for faster internet speeds if that is necessary, and you can also pay to access the computers downstairs if you do not have a smartphone or computer.  This ibis did provide luggage lockers which were accessed for a fee; not all ibis had luggage lockers and some kept luggage for a small time for free but the luggage lockers was a nice addition.  

Overall, the ibis budget provided a decent night’s sleep in an updated room at a low cost.  While the rooms were not lavish nor plush, they provided enough for a good transit hotel. You do not pay a lot and so low expectations are met by a basic and clean room at a low price.

Stay Report: Element Arundel Mills BWI Airport (Hanover, MD - April 2020)

 Stay Report: Element Arundel Mills BWI Airport
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Travelling has change da lot during the pandemic.  A lot of people were not traveling as much so some hotels completed shuttered while others stayed open but reduced or eliminated some services and amenities.  I had to travel to Baltimore for work and I was going to use the hotel as a base for a couple of days so wanted a more extended-stay hotel.  I had 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 is located near Arundel Mills and is about a 15-minute drive from the airport.  The hotel does provide a shuttle to/from the airport as well as some surrounding areas.  The design of the hotel reminds me of Europe as there are two Marriott-hotels connected to each other - Element and Aloft.  They have separate entrances and separate amenities but seem to be connected in the backend.  For the Element, the front of the hotel contained the parking lot and the entrance to the hotel; Element also provides complimentary bikes and those were also parked outside.  As you entered in to the hotel, there was a small check-in desk on the right and the 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 left was a spacious bathroom with a large counter and small sink, 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 right-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.  Running along the side wall, above the chaise lounge chair, was the window which was large and let in lots of natural light.  Across from the kitchen, along the left-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 an extended desk which contained the desk on one side and the TV stand at the end; the TV could be flipped towards the couch or the bedroom.  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. 

Usually, 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 available as a takeaway bag from the front desk and included fruit, a breakfast bar, yogurt and a bottle of water;  at the time of the review the gym was open and many people were using it throughout the week.  Also, due to the pandemic their housekeeping services were drastically reduced so if you needed something, you generally would ask the front desk for it.  Safety-wise, masks wearing and social-distancing signs were plastered everywhere but the compliance was generally up to each guest. 

Overall, it was an interesting stay at the Element.  Good aspects included a comfortable hotel room, complimentary amenities such as wifi, gym access, and parking, and overall a nice vibe at the hotel.  Areas for improvement include a better breakfast serving and consistent service (some service was great while others were ok).  

Stay Report: Hyatt Place Atlanta / Perimeter Center (Dunwoody, GA - January 2021)

 Stay Report: Hyatt Place Atlanta/ Perimeter Center
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I have stayed at many Hyatt Place's and I generally have a good experience and they provide a good service for the price point.  Generally at a Hyatt Place you will get a junior-suite type room with beds + couch, complimentary parking, wifi, and breakfast, and a decent stay.  Some hotels are newer than others, and the decor and layout indicate so, and some hotels have better service than others.  Hyatt is building a lot of new Hyatt Place so when I was looking for a place to stay in Atlanta, I noticed that the Hyatt Place near Perimeter Mall was now open and accepting reservations so decided to book and experience this hotel.  This was not my first experience at a newly built Hyatt Place as I previously stayed at Hyatt Place Arlington, VA (review here) which was somewhat new at the time.  

The hotel is located on the malls general area and right next to the mall parking lot, but on the train station entrance so its less crowded to enter but you can still easily access the mall.  The entrance to the hotel is very small and there is a small driveway in which you can stop to go inside and checkin - this driveway can only fit 2-3 cars and it fills up very quickly; the entrance was not designed well and was very inconvenient.  

As you walked into the lobby, it smelled really nice and overall looked modern and fresh, but overall it was very narrow.  As you entered, the two check-in desks were in front and there was a small seating area to the right.  Right behind the check-in desks was the small pantry (to purchase items you forgot or snacks) while along the right side was more seating, the business center, and the dining area where the breakfast was served and the hotel restaurant.  The elevators were located on the left-hand side opposite the business center and behind the pantry area.  Overall, it looked nice and well decorated but it was very narrow and tight space to navigate (especially now with social distancing).

The customer service here was not great - there was nothing bad but there was nothing good noroutstanding neither; they did the basics of their job with the minimal interaction, barely any smile, and that was about it.  That was the service received when we checked in as we got our key, got information about the parking and that was it - no other details about any other amenity of the hotel (also, we were not welcomed as loyalty members).  We took our key and proceeded to the room.  Once I received my key, I had to use to access the elevators to the room.  I was on the 2nd floor, and the hotel overall has 9 floors.  The hallways to the room were a bit narrow so they could fit the luggage cart but could not fit the luggage cart plus guest side by side; luckily the narrowness did not extend to the rooms as they were spacious and very comfortable.  

As you enter the room, on the right was the bathroom which was more spacious than I had expected.  The bathroom contained a sink, a toilet, a shower, bathroom toiletries of shampoo, conditioner, and soap, as well as a sliding door between the bathroom and the main room.  As you enter into the room, on the right side are couches - one of which can turn into a sofa bed – as well as a table in front of the couches.  There is a ‘partition’ between the 'living room' and the bedroom, and I put it in quotes because it only extends a quarter-way while the remaining section is open so it does not provide a lot of privacy.  Across from the couches and bed, along the wall, was a luggage holder with drawers on the bottom and this was connected to a full-size desk with a chair and a TV on the wall, and this was connected to a mini-closet with a small place to hang clothes (there was a safe as well as an iron in the closet and the ironing board was in the bathroom; there was also a fridge within one of the cabinets of the console).  On the other side of the 'partition' is the bedroom. I had booked a room with two beds and so there were 2 double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The nightstand had two small reading lights, an alarm clock, as well as plenty of USB ports and outlets.  The bed itself was comfortable and provided a decent sleep.  Many of the newer constructed hotels are coming up with more narrow and space-restricted rooms so with all the furniture, the room felt a little cramped and confined.  Because of the newer construction though, there were plenty of USB ports and outlets throughout the room to charge electronics.   

The Hyatt Place does offer free facilities for its guests to enjoy such as complimentary parking (there was also valet parking but I never saw a valet attendant), complimentary wifi (for members - some hotels enforce and check while this hotel did not), and complimentary breakfast.  The hotel also provides a fitness center and a business center.  The complimentary breakfast was still offered, which was nice given the pandemic and other cuts, but it was very basic as there was prepackage bagels, cream cheese, yogurt and cereal.  Other hotels are continuing to offer complimentary breakfast during the pandemic - and I appreciate the consistency to do so - but this was really basic (even more so compared to others).  The wifi was complimentary, needed to login or code, and was decent strength but not secure at all but you could connect as many devices as you wanted to.  There was a business center downstairs which was basically two computers and a printer in the lobby; the fitness center was open and there was enough equipment to provide a good workout. 

Safety protocols - given the pandemic, what safety protocols did the hotel implement?  There weresocial distancing stickers on the floor but these were not really enforced by the staff; there were signs that masks were mandatory but again these were not really enforced by staff; there were 3 elevators and they came pretty quickly so you could wait and social distance in the elevator; the hotels were not cleaning your room in between nights so if you needed something you had to call down and request it.  As with the service, the safety protocols were the basic ones that were implemented - no more, no less.

    

Overall, it was a typical stay at the Hyatt Place.  The hotel provided complimentary parking, wifi, breakfast along with comfortable beds.  The location was convenient as it was next to the mall so you could walk there, you could walk to the train station, and walk to other restaurants and stores.  The negatives were the driveway and entrance to the hotel, the lack of enforcing safety protocols, and the average service.  I have had some great stays at Hyatt Place and some awful stays and this was in the middle - so while I wouldn't rush to book the hotel again, I also would not avoid it either. 

Trip Report: Alaska Airlines, New Orleans to Bozeman via Seattle (September 2020)

Trip Report: Alaska Airlines, New Orleans to Bozeman
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Travelling has seriously changed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Flight schedules have been drastically reduced or cancelled, many people are not traveling, and some airlines are blocking middle seats while others are not.  As a result of all this, for those comfortable flying there were some good deals that the airline was providing and I took advantage of one these deals to try out an airline I have been wanting to fly for a while.  My family and I decided to travel to Yellowstone National Park, as there are few people there and it was easy to social distance.  There are only a couple of airlines that fly to the Northwest and Alaska seems to have the best schedules and dominance in the area, also it had been more than 20+ years since I had flown with Alaska so was excited to try the airline again.  An added bonus was that Alaska became a member of oneworld alliance so I was able to earn oneworld points with the flight.  Booking the flight through the Alaska website was very easy, and it was easy to manage and add/upgrade extras either through the website or through the app.

For my trip, I was flying from New Orleans to Bozeman with a connection in Seattle (and it was the

same on the return).  Alaska operates three services - First, Main Cabin Extra, and Main Cabin (which also include basic/saver fares).  The first flight, from New Orleans to Seattle, was scheduled at over 4.5+ hours and given this length of time we decided to upgrade the outbound journey to Main Cabin Extra  The costs were a lot higher than expected for this upgrade, and it was indicated that the passenger would receive 'premium drinks and snacks, extra legroom, and priority boarding'; the Main Cabin Extra seats were right after first class so they were also quicker to exit as well.  Through the app we were able to preselect our seats and, as part of their safety policy, Alaska has blocked out middle seats.  Alaska allows free carry-on but charges for checked baggage and the standard allowance is 50lbs; my experience with other airlines is that if you had paid for an upgrade then they will grace you 2-3lbs but Alaska did not care and each time I checked in it had to be exact 50lb or less.  I checked in through the app, received my boarding pass, and went to the airport to check-in my bag and board the plane.  As I said, on the outbound from New Orleans to Bozeman via Seattle we were in Main Cabin Extra.  This included priority boarding so we were first to board after first class; Alaska did strictly follow safety protocols when it came to boarding and enforced group boarding to ensure distance and less people (which was a good thing).  

Alaska operates a Boeing 737-800 on this flight in a 3-3 seat configuration.  Because Alaska had blocked out middle seats, we each were assigned to an aisle or middle seat.  The Main Cabin extra seats were standard Alaska seats but had extra legroom; in fact the legroom was really nice and generous.  Other seat features included a seatback pocket uptop which contained a safety card plus instructions on how to connect to the wifi and underneath was a standard-size tray table.  Below that was a power outlet which was available at every seat and completing the seat layout was another small seatback pocket.  It was a standard and basic seat layout with the only distinction or interesting piece being the seatback power outlet at every seat.  There were no seatback screens as through the onboard wifi and through the AlaskaAir app you are able to stream movies and tv shows to your personal device, so having the seatback power outlet is a nice idea.  Because middle seats were kept empty, this meant there was more room in the overhead bins for passengers carryons so once everyone was boarded and everything settled we pushed back ontime for the 5hr and 3min flight to Seattle.

Due to COVID, there were restrictions in service onboard the flight.  As I said, this included blocking

the middle seat and no lines near the lavatories.  Alaska still provided a beverage service and for the 5hr3min flight there was only one service - this to within the first 30mins of the flight. the FAs were not customer friendly, they were wearing masks, passengers were given a biscotti cookie or crackers, and a choice of a drink - the drink were served in the tiniest of cans and only one was given (similar to European carriers).  I understand modifying restrictions but this 'service' (and I put it in quotes because frankly it was ridiculous) was not sufficient given the flight time and length.  Also, even though we were in Main Cabin Extra, there was no extra greeting or extra service items - it was the same as given in regular economy.  So, for the extremely high price paid for Main Cabin Extra all we got was extra legroom and priority boarding; to me it was definitely not worth the price because the cost for two legs of the Main Cabin was almost equivalent to the price of the roundtrip ticket.  After this service, the FA's went to their seats and were never seen again in the cabin until it was time to land.  I had heard about Alaska and supposedly the great service they provide but saw none of this on my 4 flights - each flight the FA's provided basic service, did not seem to care nor want to interact with any customers, and did not exhibit any sort of customer interaction, warmth or friendliness at all.  Basically passengers were left to their own devices to pass the time as they want - watch movies, tv shows, or eat the food that you had brought on board.  We finally landed in Seattle, taxied to the gate, deplaned and made our way to our next gate.  

We originally had about an hour layover but we landed early so that gave us more time in Seattle to relax and slowly proceed to our gate and wait for boarding to commence.  When we got to the gate, everything was proceeding as normal and only when it was time to board did the airline make the announcement that the flight had been cancelled.  The gate agent and representatives at the gate were not very helpful, and again did not provide any customer service warmth or friendliness; instead they directed everyone to go to the AlaskaAir customer service desks about 6 gates away.  All of us when there and finally got a decent airline representative who proceeded to provide us with a complimentary hotel, complimentary food vouchers for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning, and then rebooked us for the next mornings flight.  I would say that Alaska did a good job in providing good compensation and generally in a timely manner, and then got more service reps to come to the center to ensure passengers were not waiting long.  We proceeded to the hotel (Seattle Marriott - review here) and the next morning went back to the airport for the early flight to Bozeman.  

This flight was operated by Horizon Air for AlaskaAir and the operating aircraft was a Q400 with a 2-2

seat layout.  The Main Cabin Extra seats were in the beginning while the regular Main Cabin seats were in the back.  The flight time from Seattle to Bozeman was 1hr42min and again a basic service of drinks + snacks were provided and both Main Cabin and Main Cabin Extra received the same service.  And again, there was a lack of customer service, friendliness, or connectivity with passengers from the FA's - they both just did their basic job.  We landed in Bozeman, taxied, deplaned and retrieved our luggage.  

The experience on the return was similar to the outbound in terms of ensuring our checked baggage was exactly at 50lbs, the same type of aircraft equipment, the attitude of the FA's, and the one basic service despite the long flight time.  The only thing that was different was that we were in Main Cabin and not Main Cabin Extra - there was a decrease in legroom but the legroom in Main Cabin was decent and given the middle seat was empty, you did not feel the shortened legroom on this flight.  

Overall, I was extremely disappointed with Alaska Airlines.  I had heard many good things about the service and the overall experience and I got none of that.  Yes, the base price was competitive but the service in air was not good, the service on the ground was not good, and overall there was nothing compelling that would make me choose Alaska over anyone else; in fact, based on this experience I would not choose Alaska and choose someone else. 

Stay Report: Old Faithful Snow Lodge (Yellowstone - September 2020)

Stay Report: Old Faithful Snow Lodge 

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My family and I planned a trip to Yellowstone. We were flying into Bozeman on Alaskan (flight review here) and then were going to drive into Yellowstone.  We spent the first night outside of Yellowstone at The Adventure Inn in West Yellowstone (check out review here) and our first night in Yellowstone was spent at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.  When planning the trip, I knew I wanted to stay near Old Faithful and use that as a base to view the surrounding area.  Due to the pandemic, many of the hotel and services were shut but in July the park released some rooms and I was able to book a night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.  The Lodge is operated by Xantera, as are most of the hotels within national parks, and they usually have high prices for basic/standard rooms.  My first experience with Xantera was in Grand Canyon and that room was updated and very nice, but after Old Faithful we went to Mammoth Hot Springs and that was average (review here).  

Even though check-in time is not until the late afternoon, we were able to check-in and receive our

room when we arrived early.  The customer service at the check-in desk was very nice - they had lots of maps, provided great explanations of the services that were available, timings, and overall provided great information about the parks; it was a good start to the stay.  We took our key and proceeded to the elevator to our room on the 2nd floor.  When you entered into the room, on the left was the bathroom which contained the sink and the shower - the shower had refillable shampoo/conditioner and bodywash and there were towels as well above the toilet.  Across from the bathroom, in the hallway, was an open sink with refillable soap and lotion (although the lotion had not been refilled) and another soap carved into a bear.  Further into the room, on the left were the two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  On either side of the beds were also two narrow but tall closets (more like shelves with doors as there was not a lot of space).  The beds were somewhat comfortable, not extremely comfortable but not too bad either - it was fine for one night but not sure it would be comfortable for many nights.  Across from the bed was a desk with a chair, a fridge in the corner with an ice bucket on tip, and a garbage/compost/recycling stand.  The room felt like it had been designed with the basic amenities plus a bit more but that's about it; there was no AC in the room and no wifi in the room either.  For the hotels in the national parks, you pay for location but you pay a lot and what you get in return is only a basic room so the cost seems to outweigh the benefits.

Due to the pandemic, only a limited number of shops and restaurants were open.  There was a restaurant in the hotel that was open but it was to-go only, so you could order inside through one window, pick-up at another window, and then either eat outside or in your room.  For lunch we ate outside but for dinner we ate in the room.  The dinner menu was more extensive and the flavor was better, and the costs for the food was reasonable for the dinner portion.  As I said, complimentary wifi was not available in the rooms but was available in the lobby; at check-in you received a code that you can enter to access complimentary wifi.  The wifi was only available in certain pockets of the lobby, was extremely slow, and only worked for basic email and communication (there was also little to no cell service in any part of the park except for inside the hotel).

Overall, the service was great at the hotel but high price did not justify the basic standard of the room.  I understand that you are paying for the benefit of staying in the national park and for the convenience of being closer to the attractions, but the benefit should equal the costs and you are paying 5+star prices and are getting a 2-star room.  The environmentally friendly details are nice, with refillable water stations, refillable toiletries, composting, and recycling containers.