When I made the reservation, the guy confirmed that it indeed had a Perkins restaurant (yay!) and saltwater pool included, as well as a renovated room on a renovated floor serving business travelers exclusively. This room was upgraded with extra outlets, a separate meeting area, extra desk space, and large bathrooms.
Upon arrival, the receptionist told us she had no record of us! Also said that three people immediately preceded us who were in the wrong Holiday Inn. This was extremely frustrating, given that we'd had a long travel day from California and just wanted to eat and sleep. It took several phone calls and questioning various people to discover that we were booked at a different hotel -- this one, without a Perkins. So WTF were we supposed to eat? (We ended up borrowing a car to get groceries and, of course, get to Perkins.)
A shuttle took us to the correct hotel. The driver was extremely nice and hospitable. Said this mistake happens constantly, because there are three Holiday Inns at the airport. Apparently, the folks working the reservation phones don't clarify what hotel it is -- they're all just thrown into the mix and everyone has to sort it out later. How nice! : (
This HI had an overpriced namby-pamby "haha you're stuck at the airport so pay up, SUCKERS!" eatery. The pool was surrounded with dirty grout, but the water was clean (highly salty -- sting! -- and nine feet at the deep end). But check-in was a breeze -- good job!
The staff were nice, but kind of clueless. Throughout our stay of five nights, we learned to expect the "huh?" tone. For example, our room, while comfortable and quiet, was most certainly NOT renovated, and no one understood how we could have been told that -- it was a blank. Happily, they provided us with a power strip for more outlets. At least the bed was comfortable!
Also, the vent fan in the bathroom didn't work. We were told maintenance would come up to have a look at it, but never did. When we asked again, the lady told us she'd worked here for ten years and none of the vent fans in ANY of the bathrooms work. Um, they're just there for show? After showering, you have to wait at least an hour for it to air out to do your hair and makeup. It's one of those dinky getups where the door hits your knees when you sit on the toilet. On the plus side, the steam helped de-wrinkle our clothes.
Service was mostly attentive. We got blankets when we asked for them, and extra ice buckets (it's $15 to rent a fridge). Also, wake-up calls. But, specific things really hocked me off:
1) We asked about food nearby, and were told there was nothing close, unless we could get to the Perkins (a mile away). We'd seen a little cafe down the street, but were told it was "really expensive". So, we avoided it. More about that in #2...
2) During a conference day, a friend and I needed to grab a quick lunch and had to be back rather quickly. She'd had a gross-out experience with room service and wasn't about to waste more $ on the restaurant, so we asked at the desk which way to get to the nearest place. They said "left." Well, we went left, which was nothing but more parking lot. Did I mention it was the coldest day of our trip, by far?
After we realized that the staff were dead wrong and wondered if it was their idea of a joke, we went the other way and encountered the cafe that I'd been told was too expensive. A full breakfast plate was only $5! In what universe is that too expensive, when the same thing at the hotel was three times that? Yummy, too! By the time we got back, I was so sick from the cold that I missed out on the rest of the conference that day. I don't know what they were thinking...even if they'd gotten us lost, it still wouldn't make us pay their hotel restaurant prices. I'd starve first.
On our last day, upon requesting a couple extra hours for check-out, they told us we'd be charged an extra $50. WTF? Never, ever heard of such a thing, and we're not late check-out newbies. It was insulting, considering how much revenue we brought the hotel by participating in the conference (my partner was a featured speaker). It caused a lot of stress we didn't need, and when I asked again, they agreed not to charge us.
Our friend, who organized the conference, was given grief about using his own system for recording the event -- they wanted him to use theirs -- and was also not comped a room along with the conference room. How cheap is that, to not give a space for naps and a quiet moment away from the commotion? Usually that's included.
The shuttle driver on the way back was an ass, no tip, jerk-off!
Would I stay here again? We've asked our friend to hold the conference elsewhere next time. Hopefully he will! Food was a problem for many attendees, as well as not having coffee available in the lobby after 8 a.m. (WTF?!).