Hilton Garden Inn – Ontario/Rancho Cucamonga

The Hilton Garden Inn sits right across from Ontario Mills Mall, and is a short distance away from the Ontario Airport.

The hotel is suited for business travelers on extended stays, or for the budget conscious traveler.  This is a no frills hotel, but has the basics such as a small workout room, indoor pool and Jacuzzi, and several small meeting rooms.

As you enter the hotel, the dining room is to the right, and a sitting area with TVs and a fireplace to the left.  Ahead and slightly to the left is the check-in desk.  Check-in was smooth and Hilton status and benefits were acknowledged and explained.  To the right of the registration desk is a small “convenience store” which sells snacks, drinks and other items that toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Rather than taking the 750 amenity points, I opted for breakfast, which is either $4.95 for cold foods such as cereal, yogurt, fruit and pastries, or $9.95 for a hot buffet including eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, or waffles in addition to the cold options.  The food is pretty good, and service is outstanding.

The room features a king bed and is fairly large.

Bedroom

Bed

The desk has a large enough work space to get work done without feeling cramped.

Desk

The room also has a small refrigerator and microwave oven.

"Kitchenette"

The bedroom is fairly large with a shower/tub combo, and Neutrogena and Bath & Body Works amenities.

Sink

Shower

Bath Amenities

The hotel is comfortable although not luxurious by any means.  The hotel is very clean, staff is friendly and helpful, and for the rate of $71 thanks to AAA is great for mattress runs, especially with the current promotion with Virgin Atlantic airlines.

Sheraton Ontario Airport Hotel

Conveniently located close to the Ontario Airport, the Sheraton Ontario Airport Hotel does offer free shuttle service to the airport.

Upon entering the hotel, the front desk is slightly to the right.  The lobby is small, but very well maintained.  I saw housekeeping actually cleaning the entire floor by hand.

The rest of the hotel looks somewhat outdated, and could use an update.

I got a room with two double beds, along with Club Lounge access for a great price of $79, thanks to AAA.

Bedroom

The room is fairly spacious with a large desk that allows one to actually get some work done.

Desk & TV

The flat screen TV sits upon a dresser.  Unlike most hotels, the number of TV stations was actually quite impressive.

The bathroom is on the larger side with the standard Sheraton bath amenities.

 

Bathroom

Shower

The lounge serves hot appetizers at night.  The night I was there, they had a ginger chicken dish with steamed vegetables, along with sandwiches, salad and crudité.  For breakfast there were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and a waffle station, along with cold items such as cereal, pastries and bread.

The lounge was always fully stocked and the attendants were friendly.

The hotel is in need of a renovation, and from what I hear the lobby was done recently.  There were large scuff marks on the walls and doors, and the carpet has seen better days.

Despite being close to the airport, the hotel is pretty quiet.  For a stay close to the airport or even a mattress run, the Sheraton Ontario Airport Hotel would be a good choice.

The Shelbourne Hotel, a Renassance Hotel - Dublin, Ireland

The Shelbourne Hotel

Located in the heart of Dublin, right across from St. Stephen’s Green and just a couple streets away from Dawson Street and Grafton Street, sits The Shelbourne Hotel, which is a Renaissance Hotel by Marriott.

The Shelbourne Hotel has a longstanding history of being one of the best five star hotels in all of Dublin.  In fact, in was voted by Conde Naste Travelers as the Reader’s Choice Award as the top 5* hotel in Ireland, and the #1 hotel in Dublin in 2011.

As you approach the hotel, there is a very friendly doorman who will assist with your luggage should you so desire.  The revolving front door is somewhat small and cramped, however there are side doors to use for those with large bags.

Bar No. 27 is off to the left as you enter the hotel, with a small lounge to the right in which afternoon tea is served.  The Saddle Lounge restaurant is also located on the ground floor.  There is a barber downstairs.

To get to the registration desk is somewhat of a maze.  The lobby area is not large by any means, but is well appointed and elegant.  The Shelbourne Hotel Museum is off to the side of the registration desk, delineating the history of this magnificent property.

Registration was quick and friendly.  There are freshly baked cookies at the registration desk, a very welcome sight.

I was given a king room, which contained one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in.  The room is quite small and is somewhat of a task to navigate around the room.

King Bed

There is a small desk on which the TV sits, but it would be very difficult to get any real work done at the desk.

Desk

There is a small closet next to the desk, which contains an iron, ironing board and slippers.

Closet

The bathroom is quite small, with a small sink and toilet.  Surprisingly, the shower is rather large and contains both a rainfall shower head, as well as a hand held shower head.

Bathroom

Sink

Shower

Bath Amenities

Toilet

Employees are very friendly and address you whenever you come into contact with them.  The concierge is very friendly and helpful.

Although the Shelbourne Hotel is located in the heart of Dublin, it is situated away from Grafton Street and in a quiet area, which is always a luxury when staying in the center of a city.

The Shelbourne Hotel definitely earns it 5* accolades.

Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel

The Sheraton Los Angeles DowntownHotel is located about one half mile northwest of Staples Center and LA Live, at the intersection of Hope Street and 7^th Street.  Although it is in downtown, there is not much in the immediate neighborhood.  Walking for a few minutes will get you to many restaurants and shops, and is about a 10 minute walk to LA Live.

As you enter the hotel, the registration desk is to the left.  The lobby area is somewhat small, but at the same time is deceptive as well.  Behind the registration desk is a small sitting area with a couple of lounge chairs and a TV.  Along with the Link@Sheraton which contains several computers and free internet access.

Registration is achingly slow for some reason.  Although there were two other people in front of me in the check-in line, it took about 15 minutes to get checked in.  Check-in was thorough and all benefits and amenities were explained.  I was told that just for being a Starwood member that in addition to the small bottle of water that is complimentary in the room, the larger bottle would also be complimentary.  A very nice touch, and one that rewards members of all levels.

The standard king room is fairly big with the closet to the immediate right.  Next to that is the bathroom, which is fairly big with a single sink, toilet and shower/tub combo.  The door knob to the bathroom was very loose and almost to the point of falling off.

Bathroom Sink

Shower/tub combo

The Sheraton Sweet Sleeper king bed is comfortable with an ample amount of pillows and comforters.

King Sweet Sleeper Bed

There is a fairly large desk with ample work space with the TV located right next to it.  The TV remote was somewhat slow to respond which was frustrating at times.

Bedroom

Desk

There is a lounge chair along with a small table next to the window.

Unfortunately, the view from the room was not all that great.  I had a view overlooking a rooftop of a very old and dilapidated building.

As you can see, the controls for the air conditioner is very old, although simple to use.  The air conditioner was not all that powerful and the room did not get very cold despite being set to its lowest level.

Temperature Controls

Although the hotel does not have a gym, by showing your room key to the nearby LA Fitness will allow you access as a guest.  LA Fitness right outside the side door next to the registration desk.

The room was a little worn and could use a facelift.  With the newer hotels located in the downtown area, such as the JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton and the newly planned opening of a Hyatt hotel, the Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel will likely need to make some improvements in order to compete.