Two weeks ago, a friend of mine flew to Oklahoma City, and we decided to take advantage of his proximity by making it into a mini vacation. Prior to his trip, I spent hours scouring the net for information on area hotels/motels, looking for something suitable. We'd decided that a two room suite would be ideal, a common living area and two separate bedrooms would insure that we weren't located in separate time zones in the building. The Lexington Suites was the first choice, but on closer inspection, proved to be totally unsuitable due to the fact that they cater to the long-term room rental clientele, who consisted of ladies of dubious repute and meth merchants.

Embassy Suites is located right down the street (Meridian, the same street that the airport is on, so it's an ideal location for travelers) and it's part of the Hilton family of hotels. We ended up getting two rooms, since the suite part of the description designates a bedroom, bathroom, kichenette, and sitting room with a sleeper sofa. Neither one of us considered sleeping on a glorified hide-a-bed to be a real treat, hence the two rooms.

Check in was quick and painless, the staff was friendly and helpful. The rooms were $109.00 a night, which is extremely reasonable for rooms of this quality. The hotel is six stories high, with an absolutely gorgeous atrium in the center. The four elevators serving the hotel are glass, giving you a bird's eye view of the profusion of tropical plants, babbling streams, and the dining area in the center for those who wish to enjoy a meal in the atrium.

I don't know if all the rooms have identical amenities, but the one I had was more than adequate. The sitting area contained a sofa, end table with telephone, table and chairs, television, and a kitchenette with a sink, microwave, and coffee maker with complimentary packs of regular and decaf coffee. The bathroom is a standard hotel bathroom, with a combination bathtub/shower. However, it did have the rare and seldom seen vanity and sink actually in the bathroom, and there was an abundance of towels the likes of which I've never seen before in my life. Real towels. Thick, plush towels, large enough to dry more than 5 square inches of body surface at once. The bedroom had a king size bed that Goldilocks would have killed for. Not too hard, not too soft, just right. A 19" television (Sony, no cheap off brands here) was located in a good position to view from the bed, atop a large French Provincial dresser, which matched the nightstands and an armoire large enough to stash a couple of unruly kids in. An ironing board and iron also come standard with the room. There's also a second vanity/sink in an alcove in the bedroom, with good lighting. Perfect way for two people to primp simultaneously. Houses should be built this way.

Room service is quick, and while the prices seem a bit high ($7.00 for a salad), the portions are huge, and the food is excellent. Everything from burgers to steak is available, and there's a good selection of kid's meals, also. The only complaint I had about room service is the fact that the trays that have been placed outside the rooms by guests aren't picked up until the housekeeping run the next morning. If you're not paying attention and the corridor is a bit congested, it would be all too easy to find your foot landing in a plate of cold congealed pasta.

Like most modern hotels, the Embassy uses electronic card keys for access. The only unlocked door in the entire building is the entrance to the lobby. All side entrances require a card, as do the work out room and the pool/hot tub area. My card worked perfectly the entire weekend, but my friend had to exchange his when it got to the point that it was taking 15 minutes to get a lock to recognize it.

The exercise room has a television, mirrored wall, two treadmills, and a free weight machine that can be adjusted to work every conceivable body part. The pool area has a nice size swimming pool (no outdoor pool at all, strictly indoors), surrounded by tables and lounge chairs. There's a shower, a sauna, and a cart full of warm, clean towels so that you don't have to drag towels down from your room. The hot tub seats approximately 10 people, but isn't particularly impressive for a number of reasons. The water level was about six inches lower than it should be, resulting in lots of "blipping". Blipping, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term (which would be most of you, since I just made it up), is what happens when the jets are too near the surface of the water. The extreme movement of the water will randomly and unpredictably expose a jet to the air, resulting in a sudden barrage of water drops pelting your face with the force of an Uzi. However, that was better than the alternative of a fully filled hot tub, because even with a six inch underfill, the water level still came to my lower lip. I would have drowned if it had been full, unless I remained standing in the center the entire time. At 5' 2" I'm not tall, but I don't consider myself vertically challenged either. This is definitely a tall person's hot tub. The water temperature was entirely too cool for my liking, but that could have been a temporary safety measure instituted by the staff earlier that afternoon when an entire pre-teen girl's soccer team checked in.

They have a business center on site, which includes computers with high speed internet access, available for $10.00 an hour. I didn't take advantage of it, and I have no idea what else is offered in the way of business perks.

I know the main reason you've kept reading this review is to find the answer to the oh-so-important question burning in your minds- "but is there a continental breakfast?" No, there is no continental breakfast. No stale sweet rolls, bitter coffee, and watered down juice. The Embassy Suites offers a full, complimentary, HOT, breakfast buffet every morning from 6:30-10:30. Eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, sweetrolls (fresh), even omelets made to order while you wait.

I may be easily impressed, but in my opinion you can't find a better hotel to stay in for this price. I'll definitely stay at the Embassy the next time I plan an overnight trip to Oklahoma City.

Recommended: Yes