Hilton Inn Salt Lake City Airport 9/4-9/5

We checked in shortly after 4 p.m. and were immediately greeted by a lobby full of well dressed people celebrating a family reunion. It was noisy and crowded and seemed that the front desk attendants were overwhelmed trying to manage to overabundance of guests in the lobby and the influx of new patrons checking in. Despite such chaos, the front desk attendants were courteous and very helpful. Upon entering our poolside room on the second floor, my wife and I noticed that no natural light could penetrate the room. In addition, we were in desperate need of a refrigerator for fruit that had been in the car since Wyoming but there was not one available. The rest of the room was quite comfortable with a nice queen size bed and comforter that Jaci absolutely adored. The room had a nice double-cup coffee maker featuring Lavazza coffee, which I indulged in before my workout at the fitness center the following morning. The room had a nice temperature which didn’t need to be adjusted at any point. The ice bucket was stainless steel and the room had nice glasses for beverages. Other items of note that were less than ideal in the room were a low showerhead and a small antiquated television. The amenities outside of the room were good featuring access to a man-made lake complete with geese and ducks. The bar was a cozy spot to have appetizers and cocktails. The fitness center had modern equipment and the outside pool was nice and cool. If there was any amenity I was not sure about it would be the dining room, which had an open plan that did not seem romantic and got a bit loud at times. Overall, my wife and I were pleased with our stay at the hotel and I feel Hotwire has rated this hotel appropriately at 3 stars.

America’s Best Value Inn and Suites Rock Springs, WY 09/04/10

We arrived a few minutes prior to midnight as the date turned from the third to the fourth of September. First impressions were positive for this 2-star Hotwire rated hotel. There was what appeared to be a pool in a well-maintained courtyard and a lobby with breakfast nook sporting tall glass windows and chandeliers. However, that positive impression didn’t last as we approached the front desk and called out, “hello?” to initiate our check-in service.  A man appeared from the back in an un-tucked, stained shirt and he proceeded to hand me a card to fill out for registration. This I was surprised by because I didn’t think hotels used such old fashioned methods anymore. After completing the registration card the front office attendant provided us our set of e-keys that my wife returned shortly because they wouldn’t work on the door. The one thing I did like about the front office is that they had a pantry off to the side stocked with such practical items as toothpaste, shaving cream, and toothbrushes. This was particularly handy as we forgot a toothbrush and toothpaste. I was also amazed when I went to purchase the toothpaste and the attended called-out the utterly low price of 75 cents. The room was not very comfortable at all. The bed although listed as a queen was really no bigger than a full-size. The room had the distinct scent of mold and dust. And although they had made attempts to place “black-out” shades in the room, by 7:30 it seemed as though it was mid-day.

The continental breakfast served that morning was a high-fat affair. There were buttery scrambled eggs, fatty sausage bathing in oil, and biscuits and gravy I wouldn’t have touched with a ten foot pole. There were no traces of yogurt or fruit typically found at a hotel’s continental breakfast. No wonder I don’t blame my wife for staying in the room and catching a few extra zzz’s on that bed truly built for one. So to conclude I will have to say that Hotwire’s rating was a bit generous at 2 stars due to the uncomfortable nature of the room. On a good day I would be inclined to view it as 1 ½ stars at best.