Houma, LA - Crochet House B & B

My trip to Houma, LA was on short notice and any hotel that looked decent was either all booked up or priced out of my travel budget. I looked at the bed and breakfasts in the area and came up with Crochet House. I emailed the owner and received a nice response.

The house is located in a residential area that is very convenient to the downtown area where I was working. I arrived at the house, signed the register and Leland Crochet showed me to my room and made sure I knew where everything was, he made sure of the time I wanted my breakfast, etc. My room was very charming with a small kitchenette with a fridge stocked with bottled cold water, a queen bed, a day bed, chairs, tv, etc. It had it's own small bath with a stand up shower and a little stack washer and dryer. It was a very charming room with a comfy queen bed with plenty of pillows. It was clean and attractive.

The breakfast was delicious, sweet potato pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, a bowl of fresh fruit and hot tea and orange juice. The other guests had not yet arrived for breakfast so Mr Crochet sat and chatted with me about the B & B and how many years they had enjoyed sharing their home.

This is not a luxury plantation style B & B. However it is a very comfy and charming place to stay for the business traveler or family. I felt safe and appreciated as a guest. The rate was was below the local hotels and more convenient to my place of work.

I would happily stay here again and I would recommend this B & B to anyone.

Crochet HouseBed & Breakfast
301 Midland Drive,
Houma, LA 70360
(985) 879-3033
Toll-Free 1 (888) 483-3033
E-Mail: Stay@CrochetHouse.com

New Orleans Area - Holiday Inn Express, Harvey, LA

I have wondered if I should review a hotel over and over if I seem to stay in the same place. After this trip I think I should because things change with hotels all the time.
This Holiday Inn Express is still the best choice for this area. The hotel is clean and well maintained and I get a feeling of safety at this hotel.

I was greeted warmly at the front desk and quickly checked in to my room. My room was clean and comfy and smelled nice. Every time I walked by the front desk whoever was working the desk would say good morning, evening, whatever and wish me a good day. The breakfast bar has changed slightly with the addition of some hot items like scambled eggs and bacon. The scrambled eggs looked like they had been under the heat lamp too long and they looked very dry so I did not try the eggs. I had a nice selection of breads, yogurt, and cereals to satisfy me for breakfast.

I would still recommend this hotel to anyone. If you got the scrambled eggs when they first were put on the breakfast bar they might be good to try!

HOLDAY INN EXPRESS
2433 MANHATTAN BLVD
HARVEY, LA 70058
Hotel Front Desk: 1-504-366-5055

Denver Area - Staybridge Suites - Glendale, CO

This is a very nice hotel with competative rates in comparison to other hotels in the area. The lobby and breakfast area were attractive and clean. I was greeted immediately by the front desk clerk but it took her a very long time to get me checked into my room. She was having "computer problems" and at 11pm I just wanted to get into my room and get to sleep. After 15 minutes of delay she finally wrote down my credit card information and gave me a room key for which I was thankful.

My suite was very nice and large with a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living room area. It was clean and the beds were comfy with plenty of pillows. The room temperature did seem to stay cooler than I wanted even through I turned the heat up. It was a very cold week in Denver.

The breakfast went way beyond a continental breakfast with scrambled eggs or other hot items in the mornings, along with cereals, fruit, yogurt, breads, etc. On certain evenings they also offer an evening meal. The evening I was in early enough to eat they had hot soup and a little salad bar and the hot soup was nice with the cold weather.

I would stay in this hotel again and recommend it to anyone. I felt safe and appreciated as guest.

Staybridge Suites
4220 E. VIRGINIA AVENUE
GLENDALE, CO 80246
Hotel Front Desk: 1-303-3215757
Hotel Fax: 1-303-3211317

Charlotte Area - Marriott Townplace Suites - Pineville, NC

I have to say that I love the layout of these properties. I like having a little kitchen and a sitting area, it's a nice break from the usual regular hotel room layout.

This particular hotel is very attractive on the outside, clean and neat and really cute. The desk attendant was really nice, check-in was quick, and she informed me of the 'grab and go breakfast' that is offered every morning. Even though the hotel looked to be very full I was able to find a parking space not too far from the door. My room appeared to be clean and attractive and it even smelled clean. The queen sized bed was comfy with lots of fluffy pillows and the sitting area and kitchen were clean and attractive. The bathroom was not so clean. There were several hairs in the bath tub which led to me cleaning the tub myself and the corners of the bathroom had hair and trash. I found two small dead roaches behind the door. After I saw that the bathroom wasn't so clean I ran all of the dishes that I planned to use through the dishwasher as a precaution.

The 'grab and go breakfast' that was offered in the clubhouse had way more items than I had expected. I had expected a little bag with a water, muffin, apple, etc. What I got was a continental breakfast with cereal, fruit, bagels, english muffuns, yogurt, juice, coffee, etc. It was nice and unexpected.

In spite of the bathroom not being as clean as I like I would still recommend this hotel to anyone and I would stay in it again and, yes, I would clean the bathroom myself again. The overall feel of the hotel was good. I felt appreciated as a guest. The rate that I got at this hotel was way lower than some of the other hotels in the area and I love the layout of the room - it's more like an apartment.

TownePlace Suites Charlotte Arrowood
7805 Forest Point Boulevard
Charlotte, North Carolina 28217 USA
Phone: 1-704-227-2000
Fax: 1-704-227-2001

Hampton Inn - Airport Austin, Texas

This hotel is very nice. On first appearance I had the thought that this hotel looks to be newer and nicer than airport hotels tend to be. The hotel looks to be new or newly decorated and the lobby area is very attractive.

I was greetly warmly by the front desk attendant. She was busy checking in another guest when I walked up to the desk and she looked up, smiled and said "I will be right with you." She was very pleasant while checking me in, apoligized for being busy and seemed happy to give me driving directions. This was a totally different attitute from the previous hotel and that attitude goes a long way toward making a person feel more appreciated.

In my room I was greeted with a nice note, a bottle of water and a pack of Oreos. My room was nice and roomy with a king sized bed, a chair and ottoman, a desk and chair and a nice clean and roomy bathroom. The room, bathroom, breakfast area, and lobby were all clean and smelled nice. The free breakfast featured a hot item each morning in additon to the usual items like yogurt, cereal, juice, breads, etc.

The hotel has a van to the airport and while I did not use this service as I was leaving the courtesy van driver was getting ready to take people to the airport and he checked with me to see if I also needed a ride to the airport. He made sure that I knew how to get to the airport and he was very pleasant.

The hotel was nice and clean and I felt like the staff did everything they could to make me feel appreciated as a guest.

I would stay in this hotel again due to the quality of the hotel and also it is very close and convenient to the airport and I would recommend this hotel to anyone, business travelers, families, women traveling alone.

Hampton Inn & Suites
7712 East Riverside Drive
Austin, Texas 78744
Tel: 512-389-1616
Fax: 512-389-220

Austin, Texas - Hampton Inn NW / Arboretum

This hotel is very nice. It was a little pricier than I expected for Texas but it was in line with other hotels in the area and even better priced than some of the other hotels. The hotel looks to be newly renovated and the pool area looked very nice. I did not actually use the pool since it's an outdoor pool and the weather was cool this week. The hotel lobby and breakfast area are decorated in a pleasing Southwest theme.

I was not greetly warmly by the attendant behind the desk. There was quite a line when I entered the lobby and got in line to check in. The girl behind the desk seemed slightly irritated at all the guests. I got checked in, went out and moved my car, parked my car along the side of the building, and got my bags and took my bags up to my room only to discover that my room key did not work so I had to return to the line. The desk attendant did look up at me to see what I wanted so I said "my room key doesn't work" and her reply was 'you'll have to wait.' I suppose she wasn't talented enough to fix my key and get paperwork signed by the guy she was checking in at the same time. There were people still in line that had been in line when I went out to park my car. She finally got around to fixing my keys without any kind of apology or any kind words at all.

I did go to the front desk the next morning to ask for directions and the man behind the desk was much nicer.

I was greeted with a bottle of water and a snack in my room. My room was nice and roomy with a king sized bed, an oddly colored sofa, a desk and chair and a nice clean and roomy bathroom. The room, bathroom, breakfast area, and lobby were all clean and smelled nice. The free breakfast featured a hot item each morning in additon to the usual items like yogurt, cereal, juice, breads, etc.

While the hotel was nice and clean I did not feel appreciated as a guest.

I would stay in this hotel again due to the quality of the hotel and I would recommend it to anyone just don't expect a warm welcome!

Hampton Inn Austin-NW/Arboretum
3908 West Braker Lane
Austin, Texas 78759
Tel: 1-512-349-9898 Fax: 1-512-349-9494

Hilton Garden Inn - Ft. Myers, Florida

This is a beautiful new hotel. It is back off of the main road and not hard to find. The lobby is attractive and clean and I was greeted warmly by the staff at the front desk.

My king room was the typical layout for a Hilton Garden Inn. The room was large and very pretty and it included a fridge and microwave. The bed and bedding were very soft and comfortable. The bathroom was very nice and clean and the room was clean.

My room rate included a breakfast buffet in the hotel cafe. The breakfast buffet included cooked to order eggs or any of a variety of omelets, bacon, sausage, breads, cereals, juices, anything you would want for breakfast and the food was very good. The waiter in the cafe was very personable and greeted everyone as they came into the cafe. He was always ready with drink refills.

I would happily stay in this hotel again and I would recommend this hotel to anyone - women traveling alone, business travelers, and families. I felt safe and appreciated at this hotel.

Hilton Garden Inn Fort Myers
12600 University Drive
Fort Myers, Florida, 33907
Tel: 1-239-790-3500 Fax: 1-239-790-3501