My travel agent booked me into the Doubletree after my evening flight cancelled on July 11. I am a HiltonHonors member, and have stayed at Doubletree hotels before, but not this particular one.
One simple rule for an airport hotel is that the shuttle service must be reliable. This is a big factor for airport hotels. I had opted to check into the hotel first before returning my rental car. The check-in process went smoothly, and the gentleman at the front desk assured me that the shuttle would pick me up at the rental car lot so that I didn't have to take the Avis shuttle to the airport. Well, I guess this was just too confusing for the shuttle driver, because after calling three times and waiting in the rain, I decided just to walk to the hotel from the Avis lot. Not a bad walk, but it was raining and there are no sidewalks, so it was a bit scary. I was glad that I had not worn high heels that day.
Because my flight had been cancelled for my return flight home, I had no clean clothes to change into, so I went to the hotel restaurant soggy to try and get dinner. I did not opt for room service since I thought it would be quicker to eat in the pub/lounge. They had one person, the bartender, on duty. I have to commend him, he absolutely worked his tail off. When I walked into the lounge, there were only a dozen people, so I decided to try dinner. By the time I left, over 30 people were in the bar (many other flights had cancelled also). He did the best he could, but it took well over an hour for a one course dinner (fish and chips, which were very good).
The room itself was OK. The bathroom is tiny. They do have very nice Neutrogena amenities, including face wash, which is a very nice touch for the ladies. The airconditioning was not very good.
The workout room was small. The equipment worked OK (I used the bike and stairmaster). I cannot understand why hotels ccontinue to buy Star Trek equipment.
Upon departure, I asked the front desk again about the shuttles to the airport. I was told again that they run every half hour. I arrived downstairs at 7:15, plenty of time for the 7:30 shuttle. When a shuttle pulled up, I went outside with the others waiting and gave the driver my luggage. We left at 7:35 (I had a 9:00 flight, plenty of time for a small airport). Well, was I surprised when we drove the wrong direction and ended up taking a group to a seminar at a local business. I was in tears. Then the driver told me he'd have to take me back to the hotel for another shuttle since he wasn't permitted onto the airport. By the time I got on the second shuttle, it was 8:00.
I did make my flight, but again, I have to emphasize that one thing an airport hotel must get right is the shuttles. That's why people stay at airport hotels. At other airport hotels, they announce that they're going to the airport and then the driver double checks to make sure airlines, etc. Since everyone boarding the shuttle had luggage, and the shuttle left at 7:30, how was I supposed to know it wasn't the airport shuttle?
At $179/night, I expect better service from a hotel.
