Curiosity32506301081
January 31, 2024
60+ yr old empty nesters in town to visit family & attend Samford University program; I grew up in Birmingham, but left in the 1970s; have visited regularly since, staying either with family in Vestavia Hills, in airbnbs around town (Homewood, Crestwood, Highland Park, Vestavia Hills), or in various Wildwood area hotels; we seek a clean convenient place with some amenities & reasonable prices; this time we had an airbnb reservation that did not work out & were searching for a place close to midnight fri 1/26; Holiday Inn Xpress had rooms, but none w/tubs; Hilton Garden Inn had no rooms; Four Points by Sheraton had rooms with tubs; we chose a king; Casey was very helpful; when we asked about senior or military discounts, she said they were only available online, so I got on my phone & booked the room & came back to the desk; she had assured us we would not get stuck having booked a room & then learning none were available with tubs; the 1st room we went in (221) had only shower; Casey immediately came upstairs with a master key & list of rooms that were supposed to have tubs, as the computer apparently was not necessarily reliable; after she checked numerous options, we ended up in 409; most of our experience was very good; fitness center (hrs 9A-9P) was good for a late Sun night workout; lobby area is contemporary & attractive; I wished I had had a swimsuit to take advantage of the indoor pool; mattress/bedding/towels were luxurious; hot water was iffy; sometimes it never got really hot & this did not necessarily correspond with when the parking lot/occupant level was high; carpet had stains, but space was generally clean; snack shop at front desk had few choices & there were no vending machines in the building; breakfast buffet was $11 but we did not try it; tea bags & Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix were free in the lobby & ice machines were on each floor