When you arrive at a hotel after 9 pm for a late check in after a day of visiting family, perhaps you want a cold beer. I do. The bar at the Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland Airport had yet to close when I stepped up to the counter to look over options. I thought perhaps a non-hoppy brew from Great Lakes to keep it local. The bartender suggested Burning River which sounded fine to me until she mentioned the $1.50 Amstel Light. As she explained, sometimes she can run specials close to closing. I went with the price. Amstel Light was perfect. I bought five of them which she put in a carton along with a bottle opener in case I needed it. Now, that’s service.
Unlike the restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn in Durham that served up shrimp and grits, this one doesn’t have a dish to highlight local cuisine. Because most guests are the type who are on the way to or from the airport or on business, the menu has more standard fare like roast pork, strip steak, a chicken dish and specialty sandwiches.
The breakfast buffet is extensive with several hot and cold item options, but we had other plans with family so we headed out after having coffee in our room.
Although this Hilton Garden does cater to the traveling and business crowd, there was a family-friendly feel. This was particularly evident by the young children wearing swimming suits, bunny ears and big grins who hopped into the elevator. (Our stay was the night before Easter Sunday.)
I visited the pool myself for a look-see. This one has enough room for kids to play and adults not to get splashed. The one odd detail I noticed in this hotel’s layout was that to get to the workout room, you have to walk through the pool area. Also, as you jog on the treadmill, your view is of people in the pool. You can also see people in the pool through the workout room window.
A king bed room
Except for that oddity, this Hilton Garden Inn is aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and offers the amenities one might want before taking off on an airplane–or, in our case, needing a room to stay while visiting family.
Our king bed room was spacious and clean with enough visiting room for a brother-in-law to come over for while to chat as we clicked through TV channels and shared our what-a-deal beer that we kept cold in the mini-fridge.
For some reason, we were given a King Mobility Accessible w/Roll in Shower guest room which means there wasn’t a tub but a walk-in shower. Other accessible room options are: accessible with a tub; and a Hearing Accessible Room that is equipped with a visual alarm and notification devices for the doorbell, door knock or incoming calls. There are two queen bed rooms as well, but these don’t have an accessible version.
By the way, one’s room is not the only place to visit here. In addition to the dining area, the hotel’s lobby has several seating groupings. Two of them are on either side of the fireplace offering privacy to people looking for places to hang out.
Other hotel amenities include a free shuttle to the Cleveland Hopkins International airport and free Wi-Fi.
I booked our room at Hotels.com for $115 including tax. You can also make your reservation through other booking sites or directly on the hotel website.
Post and photo courtesy of Jamie Rhein
