My wife and I planned another trip to Spokane to spend time with my mother. We where able to set 4 days apart so I went on line to book a room. I went to hotwire.com and was able to book a room for $33.00 a night. I was expecting it to be either the Budget Inn or the Rodeway Inn that I have already been to but was surprised to see that we where actually going to stay at the Howard Johnson Express.

The Hotel:

The hotel is on the corner of Division Street and 2nd Avenue and is a block from both the westbound and eastbound Division Street exits of I-90 (note for those traveling eastbound on I-90 such as coming from the airport you will be in the left lanes and have to get to the right lane in one block across 3 lanes of traffic).

The hotel does have a shuttle for the airport, plus the hotel is only 3 blocks for the Intermodal Depot that houses Amtrak, Greyhound, and Northwest Trailways.

The hotel was a Suntree Inn until sometime between 1997 and 1999. The hotel is standard concrete structure with very little character and is four stories with an elevator.

The hotel offers high-speed Internet service and has a continental breakfast. There is no pool or fitness center.

Check In:

Check In was fast and easy and the front desk clerk offered me a choice of what floor I wanted to be on and I chose the first. After you leave the lobby you down a corridor and then up a short flight of stairs and our room was first room on the top of the stairs.

The Room:

As you enter the room there is a large luggage area to on one side with one luggage stand, and the bathroom on the other. The bathroom has a full tub, toilet, and a vanity across from the tub.

As you enter the main part of the room there is a dresser with the television on it. On the opposite was two queen-sized beds separated by a nightstand. The nightstand has both the telephone and the digital clock. Below the nightstand was an outlet for both the phone and the Internet service. Against the window there is a large a/c and heat unit plus a table and chairs. The room was also equipped with iron, ironing table, hair dryer, and a coffee maker.

The rooms are equipped with a 27” television with cable and offered many extended cable channels.

The Good:

The room was good sized, the beds where comfortable and not too stiff and not too soft. The continental breakfast was good offering a couple of kinds of cereals, milk, juice, bagels, French toast, Muffins, and Waffles. The hotel is also right off the freeway and easy to access. Even though the BNSF mainline is only a block away, we rarely heard the trains even though it’s a very busy line. The trains are elevated so they do not have to blow their horns except when there is morons on the tracks.

The Bad:

The Heating-A/C units in the room are very noisy. Unless you are a sound sleeper they will wake you up when they come on. Also the negative flow system to remove steam from the bathroom was basically useless. There is not much of a view from the windows basically getting an alley way or the parking lot.

Check Out:

While Checking In was a pleasant experience the same cannot be said for checking out. The front desk clerk seemed to be too busy running around chit chatting with all the other employees and took her a few minutes to notice us waiting to check out. Once she started checking us out she was not overly friendly but was not bad.

One nice advantage with the Howard Johnson is check out time is 1:00pm so they do allow you to stay a little later than most.

The Area:

The hotel has a Shell Station next door, Dicks Hamburgers half a block away across the street, 7-Eleven across the street, and Starbucks close by. In addition the excellent Top of China Buffet II is located just 3 blocks away. In addition there is many top-notch restaurants just a short drive away.

Places to eat close by that I recommend:

Fast Food: Zip’s
Sit Down: Cyrus O’ Leary’s (restaurant), The Onion (part bar, part restaurant, good food)
Perkins (restaurant), Steam Plant Grill (restaurant)
Chinese: Top of China Buffet
Italian: Luigi’s
Mexican: Azteca
Meal with a View: Ankeny’s (Top Floor of Ridpath Hotel)

Downtown Spokane is only a few blocks away along with the many attractions there including Riverfront Park, The Davenport Hotel, Spokane Falls, and Riverpark Square. It is also close to the Riverpoint Education Complex, Gonzaga University, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and the many medical facilities south of the Interstate.

The immediate area around the motel is not the best but walking this area during the day is usually no problem. I would not recommend walking beyond the motel after dark unless it is only to the 7-Eleven.

Summary:

The Howard Johnson is a good place to stay but does not have some of the amenities many people look for. Look at my reviews of the Budget Inn, which is located just south of the Interstate:

http://www.epinions.com/content_184794648196

The Budget Inn does offer a pool and the continental breakfast but its rooms are a older. Also, if price is the main driving point consider the Rodeway Inn, which you can read my review of at:

http://www.epinions.com/content_184842227332

The Rodeway Inn offers a small fitness center, no pool, and the rooms are older, but unless you get a special rate will usually be one of the best deals going.

Overall the Howard Johnson offers clean rooms and a good breakfast. It is a good place to stay if you are looking for the basics. If the rate is under the $45 to $50 range it is a good place to stay. Above that price and there is better alternatives.




Recommended: Yes