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kevin_standleeAs I mentioned in passing last night, our first hotel was very unsuitable. The Candlewood Suites room was comparable to an Extended StayAmerica low-end room, but the way it was laid out would have made it very difficult for me to get any work done, and Lisa said she might have to take some blankets and towels and sleep in the closet. So we asked the hotel to let us balk (which, thank goodness, they did), and we reviewed our options.
Checking the IHG app on my phone, I found a Staybridge Suites over on the other side of I-15, with a Holiday Inn Express next door. Rather than booking, we just drove over there, and the manager very nicely took us upstairs to show us a room.
Now Staybridge is intentionally a cut above Candlewood (both IHG), but this was something even beyond what I've come to expect. The manager told us that this building started life as a condominium apartment complex, and when the project fell apart was converted to a suite hotel instead. This picture is taken from the living room (which itself is as big as some motel rooms in which I've stayed), looking across the dining area to the full kitchen (which includes plates, silverware, pots, and pans). The door to the right of the refrigerator in the center conceals an in-room washer-dryer — or rather it did after they brought one in today because it happened to be the only empty one in the whole building, but they fixed that for us this afternoon around lunchtime.
It has a double bathroom. Open to the bedroom is a large bathtub with two sinks along the opposite wall. Through the doorway is the other half of the bathroom, with a toilet, another sink, and a shower. Aside from an odd combination of light controls, this was really convenient for both Lisa and me.
The bedroom is similarly spacious, and has sliding doors that separate it from the living area. This meant that I would be able to work early in the morning while not disturbing Lisa, and she could sleep in.
On top of all of the space and amenities, this room cost less than the Candlewood. We said, "We'll take it," and checked in for three nights. We then tossed our hand luggage into the room and had dinner — on Monday-Wednesday nights, they have a "social hour" with food, in this case hot dogs, hamburgers, and chili. They have a cooked breakfast every morning, although unfortunately you can't take it back to your room, which is what we'd really rather do. Still, that's a minor quibble.
After dinner, we got a luggage cart and Kuma Bear took the captain's seat to give directions. "Go dat way!" he says. Another bit of a quibble about this property is that the connections from the parking to the sidewalk aren't there except in one place. You have to pretty much carry your luggage over the curb to the cart. We are somewhat used to this, but it seems like it's not well thought out by the designers.
After we got moved in, I got my computers working (no wired internet, but the wireless connection worked okay and didn't suffer from the flakiness that plagued me in Tempe) and then we drove over to get some groceries from Whole Foods Market.
Of course you're unlikely to ever find a hotel like this within easy walking distance of a Worldcon-class convention facility, and if you did, it wouldn't come for the relative bargain price ($109/night before tax but including breakfast). But it's a really nice place. It's not as over-the-top luxurious as the Bellagio-Pallazo, but it also comes with a lot more services that we actually use, like the kitchen and the in-room laundry. We had lunch this afternoon from the groceries we had (and those we'd brought with us from Fernley — we were prepared for having to eat many meals in the hotel room there, although in fact we did not do so), and Lisa did a couple of loads of laundry. (Soap is $3/box, good for two loads, from the shop in the lobby.)
We generally don't come to Vegas for long periods of time, but if we did, this would be high on our list of likely places to stay. As Lisa put it, if you're coming to Vegas for one or two nights and want a high-end experience, stay at a place like the Bellagio. If you want a place that you can use as a very comfortable home base for a few days or a few weeks, the Staybridge Suites is for you.
Checking the IHG app on my phone, I found a Staybridge Suites over on the other side of I-15, with a Holiday Inn Express next door. Rather than booking, we just drove over there, and the manager very nicely took us upstairs to show us a room.
Now Staybridge is intentionally a cut above Candlewood (both IHG), but this was something even beyond what I've come to expect. The manager told us that this building started life as a condominium apartment complex, and when the project fell apart was converted to a suite hotel instead. This picture is taken from the living room (which itself is as big as some motel rooms in which I've stayed), looking across the dining area to the full kitchen (which includes plates, silverware, pots, and pans). The door to the right of the refrigerator in the center conceals an in-room washer-dryer — or rather it did after they brought one in today because it happened to be the only empty one in the whole building, but they fixed that for us this afternoon around lunchtime.
It has a double bathroom. Open to the bedroom is a large bathtub with two sinks along the opposite wall. Through the doorway is the other half of the bathroom, with a toilet, another sink, and a shower. Aside from an odd combination of light controls, this was really convenient for both Lisa and me.
The bedroom is similarly spacious, and has sliding doors that separate it from the living area. This meant that I would be able to work early in the morning while not disturbing Lisa, and she could sleep in.
On top of all of the space and amenities, this room cost less than the Candlewood. We said, "We'll take it," and checked in for three nights. We then tossed our hand luggage into the room and had dinner — on Monday-Wednesday nights, they have a "social hour" with food, in this case hot dogs, hamburgers, and chili. They have a cooked breakfast every morning, although unfortunately you can't take it back to your room, which is what we'd really rather do. Still, that's a minor quibble.
After dinner, we got a luggage cart and Kuma Bear took the captain's seat to give directions. "Go dat way!" he says. Another bit of a quibble about this property is that the connections from the parking to the sidewalk aren't there except in one place. You have to pretty much carry your luggage over the curb to the cart. We are somewhat used to this, but it seems like it's not well thought out by the designers.
After we got moved in, I got my computers working (no wired internet, but the wireless connection worked okay and didn't suffer from the flakiness that plagued me in Tempe) and then we drove over to get some groceries from Whole Foods Market.
Of course you're unlikely to ever find a hotel like this within easy walking distance of a Worldcon-class convention facility, and if you did, it wouldn't come for the relative bargain price ($109/night before tax but including breakfast). But it's a really nice place. It's not as over-the-top luxurious as the Bellagio-Pallazo, but it also comes with a lot more services that we actually use, like the kitchen and the in-room laundry. We had lunch this afternoon from the groceries we had (and those we'd brought with us from Fernley — we were prepared for having to eat many meals in the hotel room there, although in fact we did not do so), and Lisa did a couple of loads of laundry. (Soap is $3/box, good for two loads, from the shop in the lobby.)
We generally don't come to Vegas for long periods of time, but if we did, this would be high on our list of likely places to stay. As Lisa put it, if you're coming to Vegas for one or two nights and want a high-end experience, stay at a place like the Bellagio. If you want a place that you can use as a very comfortable home base for a few days or a few weeks, the Staybridge Suites is for you.
