Holiday Inn Express

Since I gave Best Western a nod in my wonderment of how nice an economy motel can be, I must do the same to Holiday Inn Express, the chain I used for the past two nights. In North Platte, NE, the property actually had an allergy-free building. Because I mistakenly started out walking through the hall in the wrong building (I’m directionally challenged), I can tell you that the allergy-free building smelled a lot more “allergy-free” than the first. Beyond not allowing smoking or pets, though, I’m not sure what else qualifies it for the designation “allergy-free.” Besides, it should probably read, “allergen free.”

Anyhow, for both nights (the second being spent in Ottawa, IL), I requested that all bedding be changed because of my allergies, which include dust and mold. It indeed looked as though all of the bedding was fresh and the rooms smelled clean. I didn’t feel the compulsion to spray the rooms with Lysol, although I did clean the remotes.

The second hotel was obsessed with earning an “excellent” in its survey and was a bit too “in your face” about it, with a message on the mirror above the desk, a laminated card on the bed, and on the sink.

The only negative in the Ottowa hotel would be when I had to take a tour of the room while holding the coffee maker to find a plug that would make it work. The blow dryer operated just fine in the original outlet, but the coffee maker did not. Oh, and while I worked at the desk, the chair was so low that light bulb in the lamp was shining right in my eyes. Yes, I could have raised the chair, but it was easier to just turn off the light. I had already crawled under the desk to find another place to plug in my laptop to make room for the coffee maker. I didn’t want to find out what might be under the chair.

Both Holiday Inn Express rooms were about $115 per night, about $40 more than the Best Western, but still a good value for the money. And all were fine for a vagrant like me—just passing through.

Wyoming Trip 2009

Home to Davenport, IA (May 29, 2009)

Davenport, IA to Ogallala, NE (May 30, 2009)

Literature and Landscape Writers’ Retreat (May 30, 2009)

“Lollipop” (June 1, 2009)

Pictures (June 2, 2009)