I haven’t written many travel reviews, but in an effort to step outside of my ‘safety zone’ and in order to enter my friend Captain D’s Challenge Yourself, 2007 write off, http://www.epinions.com/content_5041201284, I am prepared to do the best I can as I share my experience from the Drury Inn in East Denver.

First of all, let me say that my family and I stay in Drury Inns all over the United States because we travel frequently and we always bring our dog with us. Drury Inns are pet friendly and they do not require a safety deposit for your pet, as many hotels require you to do. Our last stay at a Drury was June 30, 2007 as we stayed at the hotel in Terre Haute, Indiana. The previous weekend we stayed at the Drury Inn Denver East, and it was our first stay there.

Getting There

Getting to the hotel was perfectly easy. Of course, we did a map quest to ensure proper arrival. We were driving from Kansas City so it was approximately 550 miles, and the
hotel allowed us to check in late. We arrived at approximately 9:00 pm Mountain time. The official address to the Drury Inn Denver East is 4380 Peoria Street Denver, CO 80239.

The problem checking in was that we had asked for a king room and they checked us into a double. We called down to the front desk and sure enough, the lady checking us in had made a mistake. We went back down to the front desk and I said ‘Don’t charge my credit card again,’ as the clerk was attempting to fix the problem. He assured me that my credit card wasn’t charged/ran in the first place and that there would be no problems. (Yeah, right, but more about that later.)

The Room

Many hotels make people with pets stay in smoking rooms, but this is not the case at the Drury Inn. I’ve been stuck in smoking a couple of times, but for the most part they don’t penalize you because you have a pet. The room was fairly nice. The king bed was made up perfectly and the sheets were correctly placed on the bed. I hate hotels where they put a straight sheet where the fitted sheet is supposed to go, but Drury Inn Denver East had a nice bed and it was made correctly. We had a remote with cable including HBO. There was also a tub/shower, plenty of room for hair dryers (provided), an iron and clean towels, etc. The room was very clean and I had no complaints, except for the fact that the pillows on the bed were cheap and uncomfortable. We bring our own pillows anyway, because if I had to sleep on the hotel’s pillows I’d never get any sleeping done.

The Happy Hour

Drury Inns have happy hours from 5:30-7 and each guest is allowed a drink card which you can use to get up to three free drinks. They generally supply you with some snacks (chips and dip) as well. They’ll give you beer, margaritas, mixed drinks, bloody Mary’s and pretty much whatever you ask for. We missed the happy hour but we did get the drink cards and the notification that there was one.

The Pool and Other Amenities

The indoor pool at Drury Inn Denver East isn’t the greatest pool I’ve ever seen. It’s a typical ‘budget hotel’ pool which is very shallow and enjoyable for young children. Aside from the pool, other amenities included wireless internet, laundry facilities, a small work out room, and valet services. I think the very best ‘extra’ the Drury Inn Denver East has is it’s free hot breakfast. The breakfast buffet is very good, and it saves money and time for travelers! The breakfast included muffins, bagels, cereal, biscuits ad gravy, hot sausage, different juices, scrambled eggs and bacon, waffles and pancakes and much more. I was very impressed, and we didn’t have to stop until dinner time on the way back to Kansas City.

Getting Back to the Bad Again

The staff at Drury Inn Denver East were not competent or friendly when it came to the bill and running my credit card. As I mentioned before, we were placed in the wrong room at first and we had to switch out. As we were doing ‘the switch,’ one of the clerks mentioned how ‘stupid’ the first girl was because she put us in the wrong room. He also promised me he wouldn’t double charge my credit card.

Well, in the morning I called my credit card and of course, they double charged me. I went to the front desk and they swore they only charged me once, and they had nothing to do with the extra charge. When I got home from Denver, I hopped online to see if I had been charged twice and of course, I had. I immediately called the manager of the hotel and told her and she was very discourteous and she really couldn’t have cared less. She assured me that the ‘hold’ would come off my card. Well, it’s been almost two weeks since my stay there and the hold is still on my card. It’s been a nightmare with the credit card company and the hotel as I’ve tried to get the situation rectified.

Other Stuff

Of course, the view from the hotel is breath taking as is everywhere in Denver. The mountains are amazing! There are also several places to choose from when it comes to restaurants (including fast food places). There is a mall near by, and several strip malls with various shops. One other cool thing about Drury Inn Denver East is that check in is 3 o’clock and check out is noon. If you want to sleep in and relax, you have all the time in the world.

Overall

My overall impression of the Drury Inn Denver East is jaded because of the whole credit card situation. However, it is a nice, clean hotel. They allow pets at no extra charge and there is a great happy hour and a free hot breakfast. The price on the room came to only $80.00 with taxes, so I was happy about that.

I’d normally give this hotel 4 stars, but the staff has taken my rating down to 3.5.

It’s a great place to stay if you have a pet and you need convenience. Just make sure they don’t double charge you!





Recommended: Yes