July 2007
Our visit to two hotels
To gauge differences among moderately priced rooms, we sent reporters to a Drury Inn in Marietta, Ga., and a Howard Johnson
in Darien, Conn. The Drury chain was rated high in that category, HoJo low. At both spots, we booked a basic room with king-sized
bed.
Drury Inn
Cost. $78 including tax (booked through Drury Web site). Rates elsewhere were $21 to $30 higher.
What you get. One hour free long-distance calls, free high-speed Internet access, business center, happy hour in lobby, indoor-outdoor pool, exercise room.
Our reporter’s tale. The hotel is packed. At first, the clerk doesn’t properly activate my room-key card. The card is reprogrammed, I carry my luggage up six flights of stairs (the elevators are busy), and try the card until a voice roars that I’ve got the wrong room. Turns out the clerk wrote down the wrong number. Check-in has taken a half-hour.
My mood improves inside the room, which is spacious, clean, and full of amenities: two phones, coffee maker, newish microwave oven and fridge, 25-inch TV, cushy recliner. Everything passes my white-glove test, and the room is well lit. The bathroom is immaculate. Although washcloths are thin, bath towels are plush. Minus: The
bed’s blanket has a couple of inky dots.
Next morning, at the buffet, there isn’t an open seat. But
there are eggs, sausage, fruit, make-your-own waffles, and more. Drury e-mails me a $10 coupon for my next stay.
The bottom line. Despite check-in delays, the room was a good value. It was clean and fairly comfortable.
Howard Johnson
Cost. $100 including tax (booked through hotel clerk). Similar rates from other sources.
What you get. Cable TV, free wireless Internet access, outdoor pool in summer; but surcharge on all long-distance calls, and no business center, happy hour, or exercise room.
Our reporter’s tale. A dim hall with uneven floor leads to my room. An orange peanut M&M rests on the carpet outside. The room is large--but: There are stains on the ceiling, curtain, dresser, nightstands, and appliances. The furniture is nicked; the wallpaper is coming unglued in spots; the carpet is ripped near a door. There’s a hole in one wall, a little chunk missing from another. A pad atop the mattress bears droplet-sized stains.
There’s one phone, a coffee maker, microwave oven (it smells of barbecue sauce), fridge, 19-inch TV. The only prints on the wall are identical, showing huntsmen on horseback. Dark stuff rims the bathtub, and one towel has
a hole you can stick your thumb through.
Next morning, there are doughnuts and coffee in the lobby. The M&M is still outside my door.
The bottom line. The room was shabbier than it should have been, especially for $100.
Drury Inn
 |
| THUMBS-UP Check-in was a pain, but our reporter found freebies including hot breakfast and phone calls. |
Cost. $78 including tax (booked through Drury Web site). Rates elsewhere were $21 to $30 higher.
What you get. One hour free long-distance calls, free high-speed Internet access, business center, happy hour in lobby, indoor-outdoor pool, exercise room.
Our reporter’s tale. The hotel is packed. At first, the clerk doesn’t properly activate my room-key card. The card is reprogrammed, I carry my luggage up six flights of stairs (the elevators are busy), and try the card until a voice roars that I’ve got the wrong room. Turns out the clerk wrote down the wrong number. Check-in has taken a half-hour.
My mood improves inside the room, which is spacious, clean, and full of amenities: two phones, coffee maker, newish microwave oven and fridge, 25-inch TV, cushy recliner. Everything passes my white-glove test, and the room is well lit. The bathroom is immaculate. Although washcloths are thin, bath towels are plush. Minus: The
bed’s blanket has a couple of inky dots.
Next morning, at the buffet, there isn’t an open seat. But
there are eggs, sausage, fruit, make-your-own waffles, and more. Drury e-mails me a $10 coupon for my next stay.
The bottom line. Despite check-in delays, the room was a good value. It was clean and fairly comfortable.
Howard Johnson
 |
| THUMBS-DOWN Check-in was easy, then things went downhill. The room had stains on the tub and elsewhere. |
Cost. $100 including tax (booked through hotel clerk). Similar rates from other sources.
What you get. Cable TV, free wireless Internet access, outdoor pool in summer; but surcharge on all long-distance calls, and no business center, happy hour, or exercise room.
Our reporter’s tale. A dim hall with uneven floor leads to my room. An orange peanut M&M rests on the carpet outside. The room is large--but: There are stains on the ceiling, curtain, dresser, nightstands, and appliances. The furniture is nicked; the wallpaper is coming unglued in spots; the carpet is ripped near a door. There’s a hole in one wall, a little chunk missing from another. A pad atop the mattress bears droplet-sized stains.
There’s one phone, a coffee maker, microwave oven (it smells of barbecue sauce), fridge, 19-inch TV. The only prints on the wall are identical, showing huntsmen on horseback. Dark stuff rims the bathtub, and one towel has
a hole you can stick your thumb through.
Next morning, there are doughnuts and coffee in the lobby. The M&M is still outside my door.
The bottom line. The room was shabbier than it should have been, especially for $100.
