Baby's First Hotel Stay--Comfort Suites, State College, PA
Written: Sep 04 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Courteous staff, Many amenities, Good location
Cons: Two night minimum during peak periods, Won't accept cancellations during peak periods
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a home away from home while visiting State College, look no further than Comfort Suites.
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| tritter72's Full Review: Comfort Inns and Suites |
Since the birth of our son in May 2001, we had pretty much stayed holed up at home. As he approached four months of age, however, we decided it was time to try a little traveling. Football season was upon us, so we headed for State College and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Facing a town full of jacked-up room rates and two night minimum stays, we decided that the Comfort Suites met our needs best. This review will be a long one; for some reason I really enjoy detailing all the facilities at hotels...go figure!
About the Hotel
Located at 132 Village Drive, just off N. Atherton Street (Business Route 322 North), you'll find Comfort Suites. The 3-story building is beige in color and provides a nice, wide overhang for pulling up the car at check-in and check-out times. Located about one mile from Penn State's University Park Campus, the hotel is also within easy walking distance of 3 restaurants: Chi Chis, Kenny Rogers Roasters, and Mario and Luigi's (a local Italian restaurant).
On the first floor, you'll find the front desk, elevator, continental breakfast area, computer workstation, pool, fitness room, and conference room. There are hotel rooms on all three floors (77 rooms total), as well as ice machines, soda machines, and snack machines.
About the Rooms
Our room was tastefully decorated, with cream wallpaper, green carpeting, pink curtains, and floral bedspreads. The room was divided into three main sections: bath/kitchen area, living room/den area, and bedroom area.
The kitchen facilities included a microwave, coffeemaker, refrigerator with a small freezer (one ice cube tray included), a sink, and one cupboard. On top of the coffeemaker were two packs of coffee, two ceramic mugs, and an ice bucket.
Bathroom facilities were more than adequate. "Extras" here included two plastic cups, lotion, shampoo, hair dryer, shoeshine cloth, and a makeup removing wipe. Of course soap and towels were included as well!
The living room/den area was attractive, with the furniture having a cherry finish and with floral prints decorating the walls. This section included a desk and chair, coffee table, couch, end table, lamp, iron and ironing board, telephone, and an open closet.
Our suite included two queen size beds in the bedroom area. Between them was a nightstand with a telephone and an alarm clock on it, and the room also included a dresser with a mirror, a lamp, and a television (Cable TV and HBO included). The same types of floral prints decorated the walls.
We happened to be booked in a room that was handicapped accessible. This seemed to include the following: a special button by the room door that would open it; a special toilet seat; a hand-held shower head; and a special shower that had a very low lip at the bottom.
When we booked this room in June, we asked for a portable crib. Subsequently, we saw a report on television about the poor state of some hotel cribs. This convinced us to take our own Fold 'n Go on the trip. I am happy to report, however, that the crib that Comfort Suites provided was in excellent condition. The EvenFlo Play Crib was already set up for us, and the maid staff included two fitted sheets, a baby blanket, and even soap and towels for the baby.
Exercise Room
Open 6 AM until midnight, the exercise room included three pieces of equipment: a stair climber, a recumbant bike, and a treadmill. Hanging on the walls were posters listing the target heart rates for the different equipment. On Sunday morning I saw a hotel employee cleaning the machines, and they seemed to be in excellent condition. I do wish that they had hung instructions beside those heart rate posters; although we were able to figure out how to operate the machines, it would have been nice not to have to waste time on all the trial and error. I also wish that they had included spray bottles for us to wipe down the machines after use...call me a neat freak!
Pool
Pool hours were 8AM until midnight, with 10PM until midnight reserved for adult swim. I thought that was really nice! The pool was 3 feet at the shallow end and 4 feet 6 inches at the not-so-deep end. There was no lifeguard on duty, so children were to be supervised at all times. Plenty of clean, dry towels were on hand, and the hotel even included a box of pool toys for use by guests. The area also included a jacuzzi for public use and several tables and chairs.
What's for breakfast?
We found the continental breakfast to be very satisfying. The area was kept clean, and the selections were varied. The menu included:
Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Hot Tea, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Apple Juice, Whole and Skim Milk
Instant Oatmeal, Lucky Charms, Raisin Bran, Golden Grahams, and Corn Flakes
Assorted Bagels, English Muffins, Toaster Waffles, syrup, cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, and assorted jellies
Fruit cocktail, apples, bananas
Hard boiled eggs, Assorted muffins, and Assorted danishes
Two toasters and a microwave were supplied, and there was one high chair in the breakfast nook. The seating area would accommodate about 24 people, and a TV was provided for the guests.
Computer Workstation
Located right beside the breakfast nook, this workstation was available for the use of all guests. Microsoft Office, Word, and PowerPoint were available free of charge. Internet use was available at the rate of $2.50 for 15 minutes. Disks could be purchased at the desk for $1.00 each, and paper could be purchased at $0.05 per page.
Front Desk
The staff was very helpful and friendly. Our only real problem was a vending machine that "ate" our money, and the woman on duty cheerfully returned our money and directed us to another machine that we could try.
When we arrived, we witnessed a man complaining that he wanted another room. It was patiently explained to him that the hotel was full and that there were no other rooms. When his complaints continued, the staff in no way lost their cool.
We also witnessed the very helpful staff spending quite a bit of time trying to give a hotel guest directions to a local church.
General Information
Check-in time is 3:00 PM. Guests are presented with a packet of chocolate chip cookies upon arrival. I thought that was a nice touch! There were also baskets of potato chips and pretzels in the breakfast area.
Check-out time is 11:00 AM.
The hotel offers jacuzzi suites, laundry service, and copy/fax service. All rooms have a phone line for a modem, and local phone calls were free of charge. Both smoking and non-smoking rooms are available, and guests are treated to a free copy of Newsweek magazine. USA Today is provided free of charge on weekdays, and the local newspaper The Centre Daily Times is provided on weekends.
This hotel has received three diamonds from AAA.
On home football weekends, a two night minimum stay is required, and there are NO CANCELLATIONS. (Rooms can, however, be transferred to another guest.) Off-peak rates can go as low as $85.50 per night; peak rates are $185 per night.
To make an online reservation or to learn about the Choice Privileges program (in which you can earn FREE hotel stays), visit http://www.hotelchoice.com/.
And in the end...
Our stay was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for more amenities or conveniences. The price was higher than I would normally pay for a hotel room, but there really don't seem to be many cheaper rates to be had in State College when the Nittany Lions are playing. Since we were going on our first trip with the baby and would be visiting with all four grandparents, we splurged. If you ever find yourself in beautiful State College, check out Comfort Suites!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tritter72
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Member: Tammi
Location: Pennsylvania
Reviews written: 100
Trusted by: 91 members
About Me:
Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. (Unknown)
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