Now that I’m back home with plenty of time and energy to write again, I’d like to touch upon each of the hotels I stayed at and offer some feedback, in case any of you were considering visiting a city or property I otherwise touched on with my blogging.

The trip wasn’t about the hotels — they just served as a medium for road-tripping — but I do have some helpful thoughts on each property.

I’d like to go back, in sequential order, and tell you exactly what to look out for, should the fancy strike you to hit the road like I did (assuming life doesn’t shut down again shortly).

Iowa City, Iowa

Say Something Nice: This hotel was hands-down the most accessible to non-guests and the general public. It’s built right along Iowa City’s downtown pedestrian mall, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the hotel’s outdoor plaza was also a public stage for the weekend’s Jazz Fest. Additionally, the hotel bar (Gene’s, named after a Wilder actor than most) had ample outdoor seating, and a majority of its guests didn’t have a room reservation. I’m not trying to rip too hard on boutique hotels, but a general complaint about them is that they don’t offer a whole lot to folks who aren’t planning on spending hundreds of dollars there — the Iowa City location stands out as a place I’d gladly visit again, even if I were staying at another hotel or a friend’s place some distance away.

Constructive Feedback: Not much comes to mind! I really enjoyed my stay here. Valet parking wasn’t available, but that’s how I prefer my vehicle storage experience: let me do it. Continue reading →