Living the #spglife in the US!

In the UK there aren’t many Starwood properties, but on a recent business trip to the States I was hard pushed to find anything but.  Value wise they also sit surprisingly well, compared to other business-style hotels.  Given I was on the move pretty much every day on my trip, this meant I ended up staying in hotels from a number of the groups brands, letting me compare and contrast.  Happily all my rooms were upgraded as a result of my Gold membership, something that has happened without fail each time I have stayed at a Starwood hotel (even when on a points exchange)!

Aloft Tallahassee

Aloft Tallahassee

Having stayed in the London one I know that these are functional, smart and inexpensive.  I was happy to stay in one state-side.  I think the rooms are identikit across the brand as everything was the same as the one I stayed in before.  What is particularly impressive about this hotel, given the price, is just how comfortable and big the bed is.  No scrimping on this.  Staff are friendly on reception and everything is very modern. Rather than overpriced breakfast, there is an on-site Starbucks which suited me perfectly.  There was even an outdoor pool – however given that I was in Florida on one of the two thick-frost mornings of November, I didn’t choose to swim!

Luxury Collection Charlotte – The Ballantyne

Ballantyne Resort

My favourite part of this hotel was breakfast!  Despite what felt like a mile-long walk to get to the restaurant, what impressed me the most was the price and the choice.  Rather than buffet style, it was from a menu which meant a much more reasonable price as I only wanted coffee, juice and fruit!  As expected the hotel staff here are courteous and helpful. Of all the hotels I stayed in it was the only one where I was met from my taxi and escorted to check-in.  The room was large and the bed gloriously comfortable and warm.  It was all a little old fashioned – whilst nothing was ‘tatty’ (in fact quite the reverse) it was a real step back in time compared to the Aloft.

W Washington DC

W Washington DC

A surprisingly good weekend rate (or else I wouldn’t have stayed)!  The building housed the first hotel in the city, so plenty of history and also fabulously located with Obama one of the nearest neighbours!  That said, its very funky – more so than I think I had expected – walking into reception after a long evening of travelling felt more like walking into a nightclub, as the bar is off to the side of reception and there was a live DJ.  It was a struggle to hear anything that was said at check in.  Overall, the nicest of the rooms I stayed in – mood lighting, Scandinavian style furniture, a comfortable and large bed.  My room was inward facing – which made it incredibly dark, not ideal for working given the mood lighting.  The bathroom was the size of the bedroom and even had a ladder… The only disappointment here was how noisy the hotel was at night – doors swinging and people having loud and drunken conversations in the corridor.  I guess this is unsurprising given the party nature of it, but I would expect better room sound-proofing given such a recent refurbish.  Great food onsite and not unreasonably priced.  Plenty of Starbucks in walking distance which I chose for breakfast!

Westin Reston Heights

Westin Reston Heights

Upgraded to a suite I was very comfortable for the final 2 days of my trip!  Another luxurious bed and more than enough space.  And a bath too – perfect!  The room was very dark in the evenings, with only side lights, this made working a challenge.  However it was quiet – even though I was near to the lift, so I caught up on disturbed sleep at the W!  This hotel has a pool – however strangely it wasn’t open in the mornings.  Dining is particularly good here – both breakfast and supper – and the waiting staff are very friendly and helpful, and in such a big hotel it was impressive that they remembered me from day to day.  And it was probably the nicest smelling of the hotels – when you walk in, despite being based on the edge of a business park, you feel like you are in a fancy hotel!  Free wifi throughout – normally there is a check-in choice for Gold members – free wifi or extra points, but at the Westin I automatically got the points because the wifi was standard for everyone!

Summing up –  All the hotels have good beds – I don’t think there is much difference in bed quality between the cheapest and most expensive of the brand.  I think this is key to a good room and marks Starwood out from other big-scale chain hotels.  Surprisingly my preferred hotel and room was at the Westin – which I had expected this to feel the least impersonal, but actually service was friendliest and the facilities were the nicest.  Least favourite was the W which again surprised me.  Despite being stylish and having a marvellous location, it was noisy in the night.  That said – I’d stay at any again and certain each of the brands did the job and looked after me well on my trip.

As for the one night I stayed with Hampton by Hilton (the only choice)… this is the little sign that was left on my pillow!  My gold membership here got me an extra bottle of water, and clean sheets!

One rather hoped this was the norm, not something special!

After all this travel, I have to say that I actually watched the BA app countdown to check in…

Almost time to go home!

Building shot of each hotel borrowed from the hotel websites with thanks