This hotel suited a recent stay near where the old airport was once located outside of Pittsburgh. Shuttle service is available for airport pickup. The driver took me to a nearby Walmart for groceries (there’s a microwave and a refrigerator in each room).
Hampton Inn in Moon Township
It’s a simple hotel. It isn’t fancy and it’s accordingly priced. With coffee and chocolate chip cookies near the front desk and free wifi and hot breakfast (frittata, pork sausage, cereal, hot oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar and almonds, waffles and fresh fruit) every morning, the clean room (with built-in hairdryer) and welcoming staff added value. The knowledgeable staff happily accommodated my requests, providing me with details about a bus route into downtown, where I had a meeting with my editor at the William Penn Hotel.
Beyond amenities, service and accommodations, I think convenience — being located in Moon Township near the airport and several restaurants, such as a Primanti Brothers, a Walmart for just about everything you need — and the setting made for a fine visit. Built on an angle just off University Boulevard, this Hampton Inn offers a warm respite amid the sound of singing crickets.
The Hilton Cleveland Downtown offers perfect hospitality. During a recent conference visit, my first to the friendly, Forest City known as Cleveland, Ohio, I stayed at the host hotel for OCON Cleveland.
First impressions aren’t everything but they matter. Upon check-in, this Hilton rewards member received a complimentary upgrade (after a polite attempt to upsell) to a room with a view of both the lakefront and the city’s downtown. My requests, including a walking map of downtown Cleveland, were promptly accommodated.
Hilton Cleveland Downtown
From the front desk and housekeeping to catering, dining and other staff, including the bellboys, every Hilton Cleveland Downtown employee takes pride in the work. This includes the hotel’s union representative, Aaron, whom I ran into while taking a rest during one of my downtown walks. The union rep was professional and solicitous, offering tourist information and helping me find my way around town.
This is possibly the best Hilton I’ve stayed at, with the exception of the Boulders in Arizona, though I don’t know if that’s a Hilton anymore. Besides outstanding accommodations, with good amenities, Tenillya the waitress, Steve the bartender and bosses Keith and Daryl at The Burnham Restaurant, named after the Cleveland architect, made my delicious daily meals, happy hours and mixers better. With a glaring exception, an officious woman issuing contradictory rules with her hair in a tight bun, my experience at the Burnham was exemplary.
The 5pm to 7pm happy hour follows a 3pm to 5pm happy hour at the nearby Eliot’s Bar around the bend — this, too, is named after an individual, coincidentally to the purpose of my Cleveland visit, a man with an Ayn Rand connection, Clevelander Eliot Ness (portrayed by Robert Stack in TV’s Untouchables, which Miss Rand enjoyed) — where I met a couple of Objectivist intellectuals for a glass of wine on my first day.
Happy Hour continues at Bar 32, where Nicki served while I enjoyed good conversation until 9pm. For daylight touring, sightseeing and roaming, I sought Kevin’s counsel at the front desk. He provided me with a history — he explained that the hotel opened for business on the eve of the GOP National Convention in 2016 and that both presidents Obama and Trump stayed here — and good humor, too.
In fact, Hilton Cleveland Downtown provides consistently pleasing, competent and quality service, accommodations and experience all around.
Vdara Hotel & Spa is located just off Las Vegas Boulevard. The all-suites, non-smoking, non-gambling resort, owned by MGM Resorts, is perfect for my needs. But I know that I am not the typical visitor to this desert oasis.
Vdara Hotel & Spa
Like LA, Las Vegas attracts every type of wannabe and couldabeen and they’re all over town. Prostitutes in line at the front desk with their clients, a drug addict passed out in the lobby, drunks stumbling around the parking lot, I saw them all on this trip, which was for business.
Attending the Global Security Exchange (GSX) conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I was easily able to get around town, thanks to Lyft, the monorail and sponsored shuttle buses. Each time I needed to go, a Lyft driver was already waiting by the hotel entrance.
Vdara, where I’d previously stayed, is tucked away off Frank Sinatra Boulevard behind MGM’s Aria casino and resort. Upon check-in, I asked the friendly front desk clerk, Letitia, for a list of items, which she promptly provided. The room was simple, elegant and easy to find and use. The same goes for everything else in the hotel, including the compact fitness room, spa, pool, bar and dining.
Complimentary bottled water awaited in the refrigerator. I used the kitchenette during my stay, though once standard items, such as coffee makers and dishes, either cost more or are provided only upon request. The bathroom had both a spacious shower and separate tub, good lighting, closet, vanity mirror and pocket door. The television’s remote control was sluggish, so it probably needed batteries. The wifi was strong.
Meals at Vdara mean a patio and bar lounge, small cafe with adjacent pantry for pricey, light groceries (each suite has a kitchenette) and a friendly, if high-priced, Starbucks. I bought groceries at Walgreens on the strip, which is my usual practice, and ate at the convention center. When I ordered to-go meals from the cafe, however, the food was fresh, perfectly prepared and delicious. But it took way too long. Every morning I asked for salt and pepper with my eggs, but they were included in the order exactly once. Each time I ended up with a small bottle of Heinz ketchup, which after the first time I asked them to omit. So, go and order to-go for the best Vdara food, but watch the clock and check the to-go bag.
I plan to visit Vdara again. It’s a beautiful, simple hotel. Staff are friendly, though a few stand out. Nathan was very prompt with a request. Letitia made an outstanding first impression. Concierge Hakan, who previously worked the concierge desk at the Cosmopolitan, was the most knowledgeable, accommodating and results-driven and I came away thinking that he should personally train every one at Vdara. There wasn’t a single Vdara detail about business or personal travel that he didn’t know.
As a non-smoking non-gambler seeking to work and enjoy myself while in a still-sometimes seedy town, modern, efficient and quiet Vdara, removed from the strip yet in close proximity, is in a class by itself.
Author’s Note
Thank you for your interest in my writing.
I write fiction and non-fiction. Read my blog at left for informal posts on news, ideas and the culture. I am available for contracting, so if you're interested, please start here.
I welcome feedback. To let me know your thoughts, please feel free to contact me.
