Days Inn San Francisco — Civic Center/Hayes Valley
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a comment
Clean, convenient, and soulless, the Days Inn SF.
Sometimes, what you’re looking for is a predicable hotel chain that offers a decent value for your money. Two words: Days Inn.
There are three Days Inns in the city, all individually owned franchises. This Grove Street location, also called Days Inn San Francisco is close to San Francisco’s geographical center and borders on the Civic Center area — home to City Hall, the ballet, symphony, Herbst Theatre, the Asian Art Museum, and a great Farmers’ Market. It’s a block north of trendy Hayes Valley with great boutiques, restaurants, cafes, corner markets, and a nice open greenspace.
It is also adjacent to some of the city’s toughest housing projects, so vigilance is mandatory, particularly at night.
You get what you would expect at Days Inn. Free parking in a lot out front, clean, antiseptic-smelling rooms, polyester bedspreads, in-room coffee makers, decent mattresses, convenience.
The Days Inn San Francisco on Grove Street.
At the Days Inn San Francisco, they also throw in free wi-fi, newspapers (USA today), refrigerators, microwaves, cable, and free continental breakfast — if you call individually-wrapped muffins with a shelf life of more than 50 years and a styrofoam cup full of weak coffee breakfast… This location also offers suites and Jacuzzi rooms and there is a burger joint on the premises.
If you’re looking for charm, character, or perhaps to meet other travelers, this is not the place. But, if you want something reliable, clean, and affordable with parking, Days Inn won’t disappoint.
Rates seem a bit arbitrary with different discount promotions bandied about on the website, but basically ranged from $80.75 on the low end with a 15 percent discount to $145 for a king bed suite. I would call personally first and ask for a discount.
Days Inn San Francisco
465 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 8654-4040
Photo credit: Lisa Dion
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers: Bad WiFi and Too Soft Beds, With A Smile
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Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers
I stayed at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers about 5 years ago for a bachelorette party. I had booked the room on Priceline and remember being extremely impressed with the quality and location of the hotel, considering the price I had paid.
I returned to the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in July 2009 for a much different reason and walked away with a much different impression.
My most recent experience with the Chicago Sheraton started several months ago when I booked a room to attend a blogging conference that was being hosted at the hotel. I was thrilled to hear about a “reduced” conference rate and happily made my reservation and paid my deposit by phone with no problems.
And then I started getting emails confirming my deposit. Several of them. I checked my bank account online and found that, yes, my credit card had been charged numerous times - with credits back to my account made in between the various charges.
I wasn’t overcharged. I was, however, a little concerned that the Sheraton seemed to be confused about how to properly bill a credit card. You hope for a little more competence and confidence when you’re about to hand over several hundred dollars to a major corporation.
However, seeing as how I wasn’t actually overcharged, I put the issue out of my mind and went about making the rest of my preparations for the conference.
I arrived at the hotel by cab and was met inside the beautiful lobby by no line at a fully staffed registration desk. The hotel seemed to be properly prepared for a busy weekend in their fully (over)booked property. Check in went quickly, once I clarified that the other name they had on my reservation was incorrect.
And then had a minor panic attack about whether or not I had just inadvertently left another conference attendee with no room for the night.
(I hadn’t. I still have no idea WHY they had this other person’s name on my reservation, but she checked into a room of her own later in the day with no problems.)
I made my way from the lobby to my room by way of the express elevators. With 32 floors in the towers, I was grateful to find I would only need to navigate half of them every time I went to and from my room. I also got a little kick out of the head rush from the extremely fast elevator ride.
Double Occupancy room at the Sheraton Chicago
I was staying in a standard guest room with two double beds. I was a little disappointed to discover how small the room and bathroom felt upon entering it and hauling all of my luggage inside. I was slated to share this room with three other women, and I was having a difficult time imagining sharing the space with even one other person. I would have probably preferred to ditch the desk in exchange for a little more floor (and breathing) room.
And, yes, I realize that the room was designed for double occupancy. But I have crammed four women in a two double bed hotel room several times before with much more comfort than the Sheraton rooms provided. The room and bathroom felt smaller than most hotel rooms I’ve stayed in.
Despite the size, the rooms were beautifully appointed, clean, and fresh. (No threadbare carpets or worn out bed linens here!)
Because I was there for a blogging conference, one of the first things I unpacked was my laptop. Part of our conference rate included free wifi in our rooms and I was eager to plug back into the matrix for a moment. Except that the wifi sucked.
I finally gave up and PAID to plug in to the internet via an ethernet cord.
Shortly after unpacking and getting my online fix, I made my way back downstairs to the hotel bar. The drinks were expensive, which I expected, but the service was excellent. This was a theme that would continue throughout my stay. Every employee I encountered offered me a smile and an eagerness to help in any way they could.
The lounge area offered ample space for small groups of people to talk, and although the area was full for most of the weekend, it was never too loud to enjoy your conversation. The seating was extremely comfortable and the area was obviously designed with the idea that this would be a place where people would spend time relaxing during their visit.
Later that night I enjoyed a meal at Shula’s Steak House on the main level of the hotel. Again, the prices were what you’d expect from an upscale restaurant inside a Chicago hotel, but the service was of the caliber that you almost forgot the damage you were doing to your bank balance. Sadly, the steak itself was mediocre - but the Oysters Rockefeller were to die for.
Stuffed from my meal and drunk on good conversation, I finally made my way back upstairs to my room for bed late into the night.
And then the bed tried to swallow me whole.
Holy softness. I appreciate that some people prefer a softer bed than I do. Really. But the beds at the Sheraton were ridiculously soft. Too soft. I heard other people complain about them all weekend long. The beds were soft enough to become a topic of conversation at an internet conference. I spent every night trying to ignore the fact that I felt like I was sleeping on an incline and desperately trying not to roll downhill into the great abyss created by my body weight.
I managed to get a few solid hours of sleep before the first morning of my conference.
The Sheraton is set up perfectly for an extensive conference like the one I attended. There are several rooms of various sizes that are easy to get to via elevator and escalator. I never felt like I was lost in a maze of hallways or that any place I needed to get to was too far from where I was at the time. The conference made use of everything from a small meeting room meant for 100 or less people to a large ballroom that held over 1500 people.
What the Sheraton was not designed for was an Internet conference or any conference where the participants are going to want to access the internet during their stay. Or their cell phones.
I have an iPhone and spent the majority of my weekend searching for a signal of any kind. The wireless internet was spotty at best and even the cell phone coverage seemed to disintegrate the instant you walked into the hotel.
WiFi Fail, to say the least.
That was my biggest complaint about my stay at the Sheraton. As someone traveling for a blogging conference, it was a serious issue for me and I would seriously consider any tech groups rethink using the Sheraton for business.
However, the hotel itself was beautiful and well laid out. The location is perfect for enjoying Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. The staff was friendly and accommodating. I would highly recommend this hotel as a home base if you plan to visit Chicago in the winter, when the financial and shopping district are bedazzled in tiny, white Christmas lights.
But don’t expect to get online while you’re there.
(And considering bringing a board if you have a bad back.)
Photos Credit: MissHeathyrm
Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, Maui, Hawaii
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Lei making
For the most Hawaiian experience on Ka’anapali Beach, you need look no further than the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel on the beach in Ka’anapali, Maui, Hawaii.
The minute you walk into the lobby, you are treated as family and during your stay, you can embark on a journey to learn about Hawaiian culture. From the Ohana Welcome Breakfast to the Ukulele lessons to four different kinds of Lei Making classes, you have the opportunity to engage in Hawaiian culture while enjoying your vacation.
The Ka’anapali Beach Hotel prides itself in the expansive grounds and local flora. Lying on a lounge chair under a blooming plumeria is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, especially combined with a Mai Tai or two from the Tiki Bar and Grill.
King room with daybed
For children under 12, the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel offers an Aloha Passport program, full of activities for the kids in your group, including Hula lessons, lau (leaf) painting, and ti leaf skirt making. Children also receive discounts in the on-site restaurants.
Rooms are spacious and comfortably appointed. The Ocean Front Family Suite sleeps 5 guests, and most rooms connect to create adjoining rooms and bathrooms to accommodate larger families.
Sunset Hula show
Our favorite part of the hotel? The free sunset Hula show – my daughter begged to go every night!
The Ka’anapali Beach Hotel
2525 Kaanapali Parkway
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 96761
Toll Free U.S. & Canada: 800-262-8450
Worldwide Direct: 808-661-0011
Rates from $143 for Garden View, to $265 for Ocean View Rooms
Reviewed by by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl
For an authentic Hawaiian plate restaurant, check out Aloha Mixed Plate in Lahaina!
Dillard House, Dillard, Georgia
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Dillard House Billboard
If you’ve ever found yourself winding through the North Carolina or Georgia Mountains, you may have come across a set of white letters stretching across the hillside that simply read: Dillard House. Although it’s no Hollywood, this quaint mountain retreat is a diamond in the rough.
You can usually get a glimpse of the Dillard House and its name stretching across the mountain easily when traveling north, but it can be easy to miss if traveling south through Georgia. Sitting in the hills, these Georgia mountain accommodations are most known for their family-style country cooking, but is great for a weekend retreat or family vacation.
When lodging at Georgia’s Dillard House, expect accommodations that are resort-like, giving you the option of rarely having to leave the premises. Activities on-site include horseback riding, fishing, a farm zoo, tennis courts, swimming pool and jacuzzi, gift shop and beautiful grounds for walking around. Activities in the area include wine vineyards, golf, whitewater rafting, hiking and shops.
The pinnacle of the Dillard House is the full-service restaurant offering family-style country cooking. People drive from miles around just for the restaurant. Enjoy a variety of home-cooked favorites like fried okra, fried chicken, country ham, cornbread and cobbler. During the warmer months, they often have music outdoors and serve a sampling of their dinner menu, which usually involves either fried or barbecued chicken.
Dillard House Restaurant and Inn
Accommodations at the Dillard House are split up into the inn, the Rock House, chalets and cottages. The chalets and cottages are great for a family vacation, while guests usually prefer the inn or Rock House for something a little more intimate. Rates vary depending on the season. During the early fall you can get a room in the Rock House for as low as $59 per night or a jacuzzi suite for $139 per night. Chalets range from $79 to $229, depending on the season, and the cottages start at $99 per night.
Thanks to turtlemom4bacon and gte333f on Flickr for the photos.
Dillard House
768 Franklin Street
Dillard, GA 30537
800-541-0671
Staying Fit Away From Home: 5 of the Best Hotel Gyms in New York City
Posted , add a commentThis is the first part of a series showcasing the best gyms in hotels across the United States. We’ll start with the most populated city: New York, and work our way through popular U.S. destinations. Travelers venturing to New York know they are in for some walking but what if your trip is all stuffy business meetings and thinking outside the box? (Raise your hand if you’re in corporate America and hate that phrase.)
To keep your fitness routine going while you’re away, consider one of these hotels that really put some thought into their gyms.
The New York Palace offers top of the line equipment and 7000 sq.ft. of spacious fitness center and spa.
If you find yourself without running shoes and workout clothes, (because you’re like me and forgot to pack that sort of thing) don’t sweat it (heh). The New York Palace offers complimentary sneakers and workout clothes! Each of the many cardio machines has it’s own personal screen. Also free? Bottled water and fruit.
Trump International Hotel and Tower:
Personal trainers at your service at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, NYC.
If you are a Plus One Active user, you will certainly find access to that as well as the internet in this hotel’s fitness center. On top of having free personal trainers at your service, the center also can provide, upon request, a comprehensive fitness evaluation and nutritional counseling beyond ’stay out of the carb-filled mini bar in your room, Missy/Mister.”
The Affinia Dumont in New York City has a Fitness Concierge!
Complimentary Experience Kits come in yoga, running, and strength-training flavors and they are yours if you stay at this fabulous hotel. In addition to the Experience Kits, the Affinia Dumont boasts a beautiful fitness center that is sure to get your mojo moving. The Fitness Concierge (swanky!) “can offer fitness-related information about the neighborhood. And he can act as your personal trainer in our fitness center, or provide a complimentary fitness evaluation by request. (Yours, not his.)”
The Hyatt and the Grand Hyatt:
The Hyatt can deliver workout clothes to you room within an hour. (Charges apply.)
Trusted source TODAY loved this chain of hotels for their 24 hour fitness centers, as well as the service (gym clothes delivered to your room within an hour.) “Some locations even offer customers a Garmin Forunner, a wrist-top GPS monitor, which you can borrow from the concierge and use during your run.“ TODAY went on to rate the fitness facilities a 5 out of 5. {source}
The W
With three locations in New York City, The W covers a lot of ground both in geography and with their stunning “Sweat” centers. Like the New York Palace, each cardio machine is outfitted with it’s very own screen. No peeking!
While there are many more hotels in New York that boast beautiful workout centers, you and I both know the trick is motivating yourself to get into one. With so much to do in New York City, you’d be hard-pressed to find me on a treadmill when I could be taking pictures of the sights of The Big Apple. Still, these hotels seem to get it right.
Photo credits: The New York Palace, Trump International Hotel and Tower, The Affinia Dumont, The Hyatt and the Grand Hyatt, and The W.
