Watch out! There are two of them
Written: Nov 03 '09 (Updated Nov 03 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Friendly personnel, wonderful 24-hour shuttle service, spacious room, nice TV, fridge in room, clean.
Cons: Breakfast below average (for Holiday Inn Express), tiny business center, small pool, no handicap accessibility.
The Bottom Line: This is not a top notch hotel, but they were really helpful even at 3AM in the morning.
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| texas-swede's Full Review: Holiday Inn Express at Bradley International Airpo... |
First I would like to point out that there are two Holiday Inn Express hotels at Bradley International Airport, one is located on Main Street and then we have this one which is located on Spring Street.
Last weekend my wife and I flew from Dallas to Connecticut to visit our 16-year old son who goes to boarding school in Connecticut. We had booked a room with this hotel using www.hotels.com. We flew with American Airlines from Dallas Fort Worth Airport to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks north of Hartford. The flight was three hours late and we arrived three o'clock in the morning. We were sitting quite uncomfortably on the plane (packed like sardines) and we were aching and we were tired.
I used the hotel information poster at the airport to call Holiday Inn Express and I asked them to send the 24-hour shuttle that they had promised us. The person I talked to had a very strong accent and she was also speaking very rapidly. At first I could not understand what she was saying. Finally I understood that she was telling me that the shuttle service ended at 11PM so I had to wait until the morning. Frustrated I asked her to check our reservation (when she was about to hang up on me). It turned out that she did not even have our reservation; however, she mentioned that there was another Holiday Inn Express at the Airport.
I found the number for the other Holiday Inn Express in my reservation papers and called them. They had our reservation and they had the 24-hour shuttle as well, just like we were promised. I stopped sweating and I sighed with relief. They told me the shuttle would be there in 5 minutes, however, it showed up in 30 seconds and we got to the hotel and into our beds quite quickly. Phew!!! We paid $85.00 with tax; however, we were told that we could have had the room for $72.00 if we had called them directly instead of booking through hotels.com. Well no big deal.
I don't know much about the other Holiday Inn Express on Main Street but from the little I learned about them I've put them on my "don't book" list. It was also impossible to understand from the signs at Bradley Airport that there are two Holiday Inn Express hotels at the Airport. We were pretty close to being stranded.
Overview of Holiday Inn Express at Bradley International Airport
(This) Holiday Inn Express and Suites at Bradley is located on 600 Spring Street, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. They have a small pool and a fitness center, internet access, free parking, and breakfast is included. Check in time is 3PM and check out time is noon, and pets are not allowed. The hotel is located right at the airport so it is very close.
I should say that it is not a bad idea to stay at an airport hotel even for an extended time if you are visiting Hartford. Hartford is only 15 minutes away and the New England Air Museum is only a few minutes away. You don't pay more at the airport then you do at other hotels. It should be noted that this hotel does not have any room with accessibility features.
The Shuttle
The hotel participated in an airport shuttle service and the shuttle was complimentary. It was a red and yellow shuttle but unfortunately I don't remember the name of the service. The drivers were extremely helpful and cheerful even at 3AM. The next day the front desk called the shuttle for us again. Once again it showed up immediately. The shuttle took us to the car rental agency. It was a French speaking lady (from Quebec) driving the shuttle. Her and my wife was chatting away in French (my wife Parisian French, her Quebec French). At the end of the trip I tried to give her a tip, but she stubbornly refused the tip.
The front desk and the Lobby
The lobby was quite large and the front desk is open 24 hours. It was not very luxurious but it was large compared to other Holiday Inn Express hotels that we've stayed at. The lady at the front desk greeted us happily and cheerfully despite the fact that it was passed 3 o'clock in the morning. After a horrible flight it was nice to meet someone who was efficient and friendly.
Parking
The parking was free and located right in front of the front door so it was very close. Since we arrived and left in a shuttle we did not utilize it.
Rooms
We were surprised how big our room was. It was not a luxurious room but it was spacious. There were two Queen Beds (which was overkill) and a sofa and a table and an office desk with a chair. The room was clean and nice looking but the furnishing was simple. The room had a large flat panel TV with about 50-60 channels including three HBO channels and Bravo. The room also had a relatively large fridge. The bathroom was clean and practical. It looked like the bathrooms at most Holiday Inn Express hotels, nothing fancy, nothing bad. I should add that the air conditioning was easy to understand and adjust.
Amenities
The hotel has a small indoor pool, exercise facilities, laundry service, wireless access in the rooms (I did not try it out), and one computer in the lobby. There was no one using the computer the next morning and I did not use, however, one computer (I saw no printer) seems insufficient.
Breakfast
The complimentary breakfast consisted of eggs, sausage, muffins, pastries, cereals, a few over ripened bananas and there was one yogurt left in the fridge when I got there. I saved it for my wife. They were pretty adamant about closing the breakfast exactly at 10AM so I had to collect stuff for my wife who joined me later after 10AM. In my opinion the breakfast was below the typical standard for Holiday Inn Express, however, it was alright.
Final recommendation
Considering the friendly and helpful personnel, the 24-hour shuttle, and the fact that they did all they could to help us out when we were arriving 3AM at night when everything else was dead, I am really happy with this hotel. On the other hand I cannot give them five stars because the breakfast was below average, the one-computer business center looked skimpy, and so did the pool. I would gladly stay here again, especially if I am arriving that late again. I give them four stars. As mentioned, from what I know, I would stay away from the other Holiday Inn Express at Bradley International Airport.
Finally I would like to say thank you to SURGRN911 (Di) for adding this entry to the epinions data base.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
texas-swede
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 in Hotels & Travel |
 in Hotels & Travel |
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Member: Thomas Wikman
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Reviews written: 342
Trusted by: 103 members
About Me:
The photo is of my daughter and a Beluga Whale, Sea World, San Antonio
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