Since deciding to do the Teen Trend Magazine Prom Showcase Series, I have been faced with arranging travel for many people and to many places. The third stop on this exciting tour the Teen Trend Magazine 2007 Heartland Prom Showcase at The Vault in Columbus, OH. We had to get five hotel rooms on top of the nine plane tickets. Plus, we had a very small budget to deal with. Not an easy task, but I was most definitely up to the challenge.

Since joining the Priority Rewards program with Holiday Inn, I wanted to at least stay at a hotel where I would be able to get points that we could use at one of the other showcases. Much to my delight, the Holiday Inn - Columbus City Center was located less than a mile away from where we were having the Teen Trend Heartland Prom Showcase. There were a variety of prices, ranging from $88 - $119. I decided on the "Bed & Breakfast" option for all of the rooms. For $99, each room received 2 $10 breakfast coupons. And, since the breakfast buffet was just $8.95, it was perfect. All of the guests were taken care of, and everyone was happy.

Reservations were a snap. I simply visited HolidayInn.com, where I have my Priority Rewards membership, and booked the rooms online. There is a special comments section where you can place special requests-- I was able to request that all of our rooms be on the same floor. They didn't charge my card until the end of our stay, so I was able to reserve with my personal card, then pay with the business card.

Checking into the hotel was very easy. All of the people attending the showcase as models and performers arrived at different times. The complementary hotel shuttle to and from the airport made transportation very easy. Even though people were staggered checking in, we were still all able to be on the same floor.

The rooms were very comfortable, but were your standard Holiday Inn hotel rooms. We had 5 rooms with two double beds and one room with a king bed. All of the rooms had one nightstand, a desk, complementary wi-fi, and a dresser with a TV on top. There was also a hairdryer, iron and ironing board in each room.

The bathrooms were decent; Nothing to write home about. The water pressure was good and temperature was perfect. Besides the shower and bathtub, each bathroom had a bit mirror, toilet, an counter with sink.

At this Holiday Inn, a Bed & Breakfast Package was offered. For $95 per room, we got the hotel room and two $10 certificates to use at the restaurant downstairs. In the morning, we all went to the restaurant for the buffet breakfast. We were able to use the coupons on the buffet as well as on any item on the menu. With 12 of us eating, the total came to $114. The coupons covered everything except for the tip. The waitress was thrilled when I handed her $20 as a tip for taking such good care of us. The food at the restaurant is good and the service is excellent.

A business center is located in the front lobby, which has a couple of computers with internet access. When I couldn't find the teens that were modeling for us in their rooms at the bed check time, I found them using the computers in the business center. Clearly, use of the business center is complementary.

There really aren't any other amenities at this hotel. No pool, no fitness center, no game room... It's a hotel, plain and simple. It's in a good location, right in the center of Columbus. You are within walking distance to a lot of activities, or a quick taxi ride from the hopping Arena District where you can find all sorts of restaurants and clubs.

Checking out was a breeze as well. I just had to sign the forms and get my receipts. The hotel shuttle took the majority of the Teen Trend people back to the airport after the event, even though it was past check-out time. Reservations were made for the shuttle before we checked out, then the people were dropped off at the hotel right after the event to catch the shuttle.

The staff at this Holiday Inn was terrific. I can't say enough about these people. They were so nice and accommodating to all of us. They went out of our way to make sure that we were comfortable. If ever I go back to Columbus, you can bet that I will stay here.



Recommended: Yes