Have a Red Roof Over Your Head
Written: Nov 22 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It serves the purpose and is near things.
Cons: Don't expect a lot of luxury and be prepared for noise.
The Bottom Line: It makes for a decent night's sleep and is an acceptable place to stay.
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| philmils's Full Review: Red Roof Inn Ogden Riverdale |
Imagine two airports very near each other. Let's make it more interesting and make one of those a military Air Force base. Now, think of going to a point of elevated ground next to an interstate highway and about halfway between the two airports, but a little off-center so that runways from both airports are pointing almost directly at you. Would you build a hotel on this site? If you didn't, but someone else did, would you stay in that hotel? Welcome to the Red Roof Inn Ogden Riverdale in Utah!
Alright, so I started with what can and should be a really big negative, but it isn't quite as bad as it sounds. Sound is indeed a factor at this hotel. Stay with me on this and wait until you hear about the giant bra.
Let's start with the name versus the location, since this can be critical to your decision as to where to stay. Ogden, Utah, is one of these places that does not seem big enough to have a suburb, but because of the extreme proximity and difference in size, you can easily think of Riverdale as being one. This is one case where the hotel has a valid claim to serving two communities.
Location, location, location! Are you visiting with the Air Force? The main entrance to Hill Air force Base less than a mile away. Are you flying into Ogden? The Ogden-Hinckley airport is 1.6 miles away. Oh, you flew into Salt Lake City? That airport is 35.1 miles away and it's all interstate highway. Things to do and see nearby include Weber State University (4.3 miles), Union Station Museum (4.3 miles), Golden Spike Arena (8.7 miles), and the Davis Hospital and Medical Center (6.8 miles).
You'll also find plenty of strip shopping centers and a decent-sized enclosed mall within a few miles. Of course, all that means plenty of restaurants in the area, including Applebee's, Arby's, Bajio, Burger King, McDonald's, Honeybaked Ham, Ruby River Steakhouse, Chili's, Denny's, Olive Garden, and others. Is that enough variety for a day or two? Speaking of food, there is no restaurant on the property. Some rooms do have a micro fridge available.
I do like that the hotel is just off the interstate highway. Regretfully, it is fairly easy to miss (you get off the interstate onto one road, turn onto another, and then turn into a driveway, but you can’t see the hotel until you get to the top of the driveway since it is on land high above the roads), but there are signs pointing the way. Being right on the highway means it is easy to get to some slightly more distant attractions, such as Promontory Summit - that the place where the two railroads building the first trans-continental rail passage "met" to drive golden spike. Promontory Summit is about 25 miles away and has no hotel very near it. It's also good for going to the sulfur springs (about 20 miles away), if that is your thing.
I have stayed in some very nice Red Roof Inn hotels over the years, but this is not one of them. It isn't all that bad and it does serve a useful function. There are higher and lower quality hotels and more expensive and cheaper hotels in the area. I felt my $60/night rate was about right.
Okay, I've talked about those airports twice, so it is about time for me to end that. The planes from Hill Air Force Base make a lot of noise. When you are in your room, you miss none of it. Expect to turn the volume up on your television and still miss some of the broadcast sound. Fortunately, they do stop the flights at a reasonable hour in the evening, so it shouldn't impair your sleep time. This is the only major negative I have with the hotel.
Speaking of the television, I found only a very limited number of channels available. None were worth remembering. Do not plan to spend a lot of time in your room watching television.
Yes, the hotel offered bunches of things I didn't use, including the iron, ironing board, microwave (some rooms), micro fridge (some rooms), outdoor swimming pool (okay, so it was covered for the winter), Internet connectivity, comfy chair, desk, etc. They also permit well-behaved small pets. Laundry facilities are onsite. There is plenty of parking, but not all is near a door.
The rooms are nothing to brag about, but they work. Yes, you'll find a desk, reasonably comfortable bed, closet, bathroom, etc. Nothing is high line, unless you're looking at the granite countertop in the bathroom. They claim the rooms were recently renovated. That may be, but it was not a high-end job. Still, this Red Roof doesn't try to portray itself as a high-end hotel, so why expect it?
Hotels have gotten into the merchandising business and this Red Roof is no exception. They have a sales brochure in the room telling you of all the features of the room that you can buy, including the paintings on the wall and some of the plumbing fixtures. The only problem is that your room doesn't come with all the things they say are on display. Do you like the showerhead in the brochure? It isn't in the bathroom.
Speaking of the bathroom, it exists. There is really nothing to remember about it. The towels were a little thin, but they worked. The room had enough room and was well laid out. Yes, they furnished shampoo, soap, etc. The quality was acceptable.
There is one sight nearby that is probably of any interest to only a third of all humans, and then only for a few seconds. This is a theater building that is now abandoned. The structure is painted mostly white and looks like two domes tied together by a small box between them. The domes have lines radiating down from a small beige area on top of each dome. Yes, it looks almost exactly like a well-filled brassiere. Well, I did say it would be of interest to only some people.
Oh, one thing I noticed about the hotel that was a little nice is the check in/out times. Many leave at least a 3-hour window for cleanup. This Red Roof has a 2-hour window with check-in at 2:00 pm and check-out at noon. Of course, it is usually possible to check in early and, with advance notice, stay a little late.
There is nothing outstanding about this hotel. If you need a place to sleep comfortably and at a reasonable rate, you can do that here. If you can put up with the airplanes (the kids will probably love it!), you'll probably enjoy your stay. It is reasonably close to several eateries, the Interstate, and the sights. If I were to return to the town, I'd probably stay at the Holiday Inn Express a few miles up the Interstate, although I do not feel it is not as convenient to eateries as this Red Roof. If I couldn't get into the Holiday Inn Express, I'd probably return to this Red Roof.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
philmils
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Location: Sterling, Virginia, USA
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 30 members
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