We stayed at the Doubletree Suites in Dayton, OH over Easter weekend. I was both impressed and disappointed in this Hotel. Traveling with 4 kids (3 of them under 4 years old) can be very stressful if you don't have the right kind of accommodations and activities to keep them busy.

As it was, we had a pleasant weekend, so first the good...

WHAT VALUE! We stayed in a suite with 2 double beds and a fold out couch. So, we didn't have that extra charge of roll-away beds! The living room area had a door that separated it from the bedroom (WOO HOO! SOME PRIVACY!). Plus, 2 televisions. I can't tell you how great this arrangement worked out. And the kicker is.... $59 a night! I couldn't BELIEVE THE PRICE! For comparison, the Holiday Inn was $70 for a room with 2 double beds.

Elegant Hotel The decor was beautiful and well kept by the housekeeping staff. Rich, overstuffed furniture and designer prints and big gold trimmed mirrors. This chain belongs to the Hilton family of hotels and it showed! We were almost afraid to let the kids touch anything. But, there were a lot of families there and the housekeeping staff is very attentive.

GREAT SERVICE! I can't get over the staff and how helpful and friendly they were. They helped me find a park to have an Easter egg hunt, kept us well supplied with towels, pillows, and delivered a first aid kit in 5 minutes flat after I called down to the front desk. It was only a minor cut but on a 3 year old we HAD to have a Band-Aid!

GREAT LOCATION 2 blocks from the Dayton Mall (160 stores for your shopping enjoyment). 10 minutes from downtown, Air force Museum, and many other attractions. It is located in a cul-de-sac in a very quiet, low traffic area. Well kept grounds and very pretty.

There were some minor details that left a negative impression on our stay. And, I don't think we can contribute this to the local management.

For instance, the "Heated Indoor Pool" was freezing! The Whirlpool was only about 92 degrees. One of the other guests inquired about turning up the heat but were politely refused due to a mandate from "corporate". They were trying to control heating costs. So, the whirlpool was overcrowded with small children who couldn't stand the cold of the swimming pool. A credit to the staff that there were plenty of towels poolside

Breakfast? What Breakfast! The restaurant called the "Bistro" served a buffet every morning with a stinging price of $6.95 per person (beverages were extra). When traveling with 4 kids, we count on the comp breakfast from the hotels. There was no way is was going to pay this for the kids to eat a donut, and maybe an egg. (The buffet was nice and included hot and cold breakfast). But The Hampton Inn has a buffet just as nice complimentary for their guests. We ended up visiting the local grocery store for donuts, milk, and fruit. Total price was less than 10 dollars.

Other little details included:

The doors to the rooms shut with a SLAM. You could hear the doors shut from all the way down the hall. It led to a restless night.

Lighting in the rooms were dim. There were plenty of fixtures and lamps they just were very low wattage. Plus, no fan or heat lamp in the bathroom. We had a little one get a touch of the runs and we ALL HAD TO SUFFER!!

We had a balcony attached to our room. But no way to access it unless you wanted to crawl out the window. It was not shared with another room and I saw no purpose for it other than to tease the kids.

Overall for $59 bucks a night and the excellent staff, we will probably stay there again when in Dayton.





Recommended: Yes