Swans outside the door.
Written: Mar 21 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Central location for Galleria, Northern DFW. Swans a hit with the kids. Relatively quiet.
Cons: Distance from FTW attractions, airport. Very busy on weekends.
The Bottom Line: Superb value in a great location. Highly recommended for families. Business travelers should check out the Hilton Suites Dallas North.
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| pilotpat's Full Review: Embassy Suites Hotel Dallas Near The Gal |
Whenever I travel with my wife and kids, we look for Embassy Suites. The two-room suite layout allows us to put the kids to bed at 8 and still stay up for a movie. Don't know what we were thinking a few years ago when we used to settle for a standard hotel. Plus you get a full hot breakfast for the whole family, and with our family of 4, that more than makes up for the extra $10-20 you normally pay for an E-Suites room vs. a Comfort Inn or the like.
We've used the Embassy Suites Galleria a few times when making weekend trips to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or when we're dropping off friends/family for an early morning or late evening flight at DFW.
LOCATION:
Just a few blocks off the main tollway and similarly placed from the Galleria, the distance (and intervening high-rises) creates a significant reduction in traffic noise. The rooms are much quieter at this Embassy Suites compared to the DFW South location. The hotel is a bit less than 15 miles driving from the DFW airport, but traffic can make this a half-hour adventure. The DFW South and Bass Pro Shops Embassy Suites are much closer (5 minutes to the gates) if that is important to you, and for us it sometimes is. SouthWest fans: Love Field is only 7-8 miles from the
door.
LOBBY/ATRIUM:
Very similar to most small-medium sized Embassy Suites (the wonderful standardization of this brand is one of the things that drives us to it). Parking is sufficient and there is a covered entry drive. Walking into the lobby is typical Embassy Suites - a good sized front desk manned by courteous people. Many speak English, but most speak Texan, which I can understand pretty well. The lobby then leads to a central atrium with a waterfall display, plants, and the restaurant/bar seating areas. In the central "lagoon" area are two white swans, which give endless delight to my little ones. On the first floor surrounding the atrium is the restaurant, sports bar, pool, and lobby. The "manager's reception" offers free bar drinks for a couple hours each night, and I make it a habit to pick up a couple glasses of their house Cabernet, which is always nice, if not fancy. The breakfast is a choice of hot/cold buffet, cook-to-order eggs, omelettes, pancakes, and waffles, plus juices, coffee, and milk. You may either find a place near the water display, or move closer towards the large-screen TV that is tuned to CNN in the mornings.
There is a space at the desk for a dedicated concierge, but I have yet to see one. However, the front desk people have helped us quite a bit before with ideas for local restaurants.
ROOMS:
Again, these are much like any other Embassy Suites. The living room area is furnished with dark wood furniture, a small refrigerator, bar sink (not a stocked minibar, though), serving bar, microwave, small dining/card table with upholstered chairs, Sofa-bed, and a relatively large TV with cable, pay-per-view, and games (at a charge). Movies are about $10 and include relatively new (pre-video release) and other selections. The 2-line telephone has a dataport, and I believe local calls were free. An ice bucket and glasses is on the bar. A nice touch for those in the higher echelons of the HHonors program is that they leave a personally addressed welcome letter with the manager's card on the desk.
The bathroom sits between the two rooms, and is reasonably appointed. The standard free toiletries are on the sink - lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Towels are clean, in fresh condition, and plush. Water pressure and heat is strong up to the top floor. A hairdryer and large mirror are furnished as well.
The bedroom is beyond a door, and features either a King or two Queen beds with nightstands and bedside reading lamps. Another TV with the same features as the living room sits in a console. Ample hangars and closet space are provided, and a counter/dresser on the side of the room provides more space for luggage and clothing. Part of that counter serves as a writing desk, with access to the phone and dataport.
The rooms, as I said earlier, are quite removed from traffic noise. The only noise that tends to affect the room is adults or kids making noise in the atrium. However, the manager does a good job of keeping this to a minimum, and the waterfall serves as a wonderful white-noise generator that takes out all but the louder shrieks. Rooms are clean and carpeted - I've never noticed stains on the carpeting, upholstery, or linens.
OTHER AMMENITIES
The hotel has a medium sized pool. On weekends, this pool can be very crowded with kids, but it's kept clean. The whirlpool is nice, but also can be crowded. The fitness room is OK, but nothing fancy - a few cardio machines and some weights, again crowded.
OVERALL
This hotel is great for a family retreat, and we will continue to come back. However, If you're interested in more of a business atmosphere, I highly recommend the new Hilton Suites Dallas North, only 2 blocks away, which offers a free hot breakfast as well if you're Gold or Platinum level. (Blue or Silver HHonors members receive only a cold continental breakfast).
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pilotpat
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Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
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