When is a Holiday Inn better than a Hilton?

When is a Holiday Inn better than a Hilton?

by Liv | Published on March 11th, 2010, 8:40 pm | Travel

It was around 2003 in a giant 1979 Chevrolet Malibu wagon tethered to a U Haul, and stuffed with 2 cats, a rabbit, my spouse and our child when we made our way across the country from Arizona to North Carolina. We were poor, desperate, young and naive. We pulled in to Albuquerque one night to stay at the Interstate Inn (click link for it's demolition), a $12 a night hotel with no refunds. The room, a second floor unit had drug dealers and prostitutes hanging out on the railings. The floor had holes in it down to the first floor, and the bathtub was stained with a substance unknown to any of us at the time. This is when I swore I would never spend a night in a cheap hotel again.

After experiencing a 4 star hotel many years later, I swore I'd never spend the night in anything less. As I got older, it seemed I was demanding better for myself. I'd tell myself, "You've earned it, you're worth it", and really- if I think about it... I really am. I rarely buy myself anything. The ability to relax, and have something completely unnecessary to pamper yourself, really is an indulgent joy I rarely partake in.

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However when I got to Dallas, going with this life's mantra I booked a night at the Hilton. (Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre) It's a beautiful building, stunning lobby, and you're checked in by people in suit-ties and accents. (fake) I showed up in a hoodie, jeans with mud on them (my car went into the ditch back in Greensboro) and a old t-shirt. Everyone was nice, but the hotel was amazingly something you'd imagine on a Hollywood elite reality show. A pub in the lobby, restaurants, ball-rooms, pretty neat stuff. I couldn't care though I just wanted to get to my room. When I got there, all the pzazz kind of stopped. Sure I had a coffee machine, tea, cable TV ($15 pay-per-view) and a comfy bed.... but as I would soon find out, none of it was all that impressive. In fact there was a giant stain in the hallway carpet as I went to go get ice. I mean it was a far cry from Interstate Inn but I was paying out the ass, not mentioning paying $12 just to park the rental car on their property. I decided not to book another night with them.

: My room did not have the big comfy chair, nor the gifts upon arrival.; hilton_lincoln_centre.jpg (23.8 KiB) Viewed 804 times

The next two nights were at a 3 star Holiday Inn Express in Addison. The lobby was simple. A Continental breakfast area, chocolate chip cookies on check-in, and very, very friendly staff who weren't being strangled by a penguin. My room was on the first floor not the fourth, had a living room, a kitchen, and overall what I considered in my opinion, a cleaner room than the Hilton. Furthermore everything worked, unlike the Hilton which left me showering in a tub full of water because the shower valve didn't fully engage. The Holiday Inn also provided me a "gripe sheet" if I had any issues with the room. The other benefits of the situation is I didn't feel like a complete redneck bringing in food from outside of the Hotel. Me and Shan have stayed at 4 stars several times before, and they highly frown on outside food.... and don't even think about ordering pizza... they want you to use room service and charge a minimum 21% service fee along with a $3.00 built in tip. No freaking way, Jose! $12 for 2 eggs and toast + fees at the Hilton? Come on! I went to McDonald's instead.I however had no guilty feelings or embarrassment about ordering pizza (as mentioned here) at the Holiday Inn. They even endorsed the place by putting a placard in my room.

So bottom line, is the Holiday Inn was better for me. For what I spent at the Hilton, I got two nights at the Holiday Inn. The room was cleaner, the shower worked. I got free cookies at check-in, and ordered pizza without the stigma of not looking like Paris Hilton. In the end, when I go back, guess who I'll be booking with? I proved myself wrong, as a 4 star isn't always necessary for myself to indulge, and more importantly I've learned nothing beats a pizza from some local pizza place after a long day in some really weird town.

: Don't steal anything!!!

Last year I stayed at the Dall Hilton at Lincoln center for an entire week while on business. It is certainly a vary nice hotel and it's very close to some nice shopping and excllent restaurants. All of my meetings were in the attached Lincoln center so that made it very convenient as well.

I'd gamble to say that most of the people who stay there at the Hilton aren't paying for the rooms themselves. They also stay there because of it's business location and convenience.

Yeah that's what I gathered.... There was some sort of "Tech Conference" going on there while I was there, but it all seemed silly to me. Definitely a feeling in the air as if everyone had to impress everyone else... I just wanted a food, bed and a shower.

Liv wrote:Yeah that's what I gathered.... There was some sort of "Tech Conference" going on there while I was there, but it all seemed silly to me. Definitely a feeling in the air as if everyone had to impress everyone else... I just wanted a food, bed and a shower.

There are lots of Tech companies that have offices at Lincoln center. You should see the place during a weekday. That place is hopping and very crowded. Even though they had a shuttle and I could have used the rental car it was just as easy to walk to two malls from the place. One mall stood out because it was a VERY high end mall. Padded Carpet throughout and absolutely no teen stores were there. Interesting concept. Even the restaurant were high end as well.

Generally when I travel, I view a hotel as a place to sleep. Because settling down in a bed is pretty much the only thing I do in them. If they have internet, or a continental breakfast, so much the better. Now, if I"m going to make it my home for a week or so, then yeah, some extras are nice, and worth considering paying for. But just to have a place to crash at night? Nah... I'll get to a Holiday Inn Express and save my money for better stuff.

Well what I thought was interesting is they don't tell you at all the additional charge to park when you reserve. I guess they're assuming if you're staying there you don't really care. I did enough internet searching to know it upfront, and honestly in a big city I've come to expect that... but if this was my first time away from the farm I would find it a bit shocking that you have to pay them $12 to park your car.

Liv wrote:Well what I thought was interesting is they don't tell you at all the additional charge to park when you reserve.

I've never seen any hotel mention parking fees, other than valet parking. In some places it seems that all hotels charge for parking, which I consider ridiculous. If they charge for parking (which patrons may or may not use), they should also charge for pool use, access to any exercise facilities, etc.

It's strange but in the US my experience is that the more expensive the hotel the more they try to nickel and dime you with silly charges - or $10 and $20 you.

Microsoft held their Convergence conference at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando - the rooms were $265 per night - and they had the cheek to add $25/night 'facilities fee' which they explained was for a 'free' bottle of orange juice and to be allowed to use the pools and restaurants. Then there's extra for WiFi, a newspaper I didn't want (USA Today) but had to tell them in advance otherwise they delivered it and charged me a buck.

Frankly I avoid the expensive hotels, I haven't found them to be any nicer and I would rather take the money I save and go and buy a really nice meal.

I thought Sheraton's 35 dollar a night wi-fi was too much... but wow. $300 for a room?

I believe the most I've ever spent was $200 on a single night down at (oddly enough) Kitty Hawk last minute. It was a full apartment with ocean views and all that....

Oh and they left a chocolate on the pillow. Which I didn't notice the first night. It went under the covers and my body heat melted it. In the morning there were brown streaks all over me and the sheets.

Serves them right, but I bet the maids were worried when they saw it.

I was on expenses but it is a silly price. When I took the family down to Orlando for a vacation we rented a 4 bedroom house with a pool for less.

They've just upped their price at the Sheraton in London we usually stay at... they got their 4 star back apparently after the renovations. I mean it's a nice hotel, but neither it nor the Hilton appear to be a four star IMHO.

Makes me wonder what a 5 star is like. Never been at one, but must be nuts.

Liv wrote:They've just upped their price at the Sheraton in London we usually stay at... they got their 4 star back apparently after the renovations. I mean it's a nice hotel, but neither it nor the Hilton appear to be a four star IMHO.

Makes me wonder what a 5 star is like. Never been at one, but must be nuts.

I've been to two five star hotels (at least they were 5 stars when I was there). The Greenbriar and Hot Springs. There is a big difference between 4 and 5 star resorts typically.

The only thing I can imagine is possibly so great as to pay $500 a night for a 5 star is that they must dip you in chocolate upon arrival and provide John Barrowman to lick it off.

That sounds a bit like my experience, but without the licking. Stay in a 4 star one and use the difference to hire a lookalike for the evening

Star ratings are very iffy IMO. Some of my best experiences have been in smaller non-chain hotels who don't get the 4 star rating because they don't have 24 hour room service (for example) but still offer a luxurious experience

5 star hotels may offer a choice of pillows and a cheese omlette at 3am, but they are usually large and impersonal. I remember one in Boston, because of air delays I didn't get there until midnight. I was going to order room service - but when I saw the price I went out and found a lively all night oyster bar - and had a great evening.