Hands On Management-Guest Focused Results !
12/08/2018 Revel8r, Columbus, OH
One of the toughest jobs in the limited service (meaning lodgings that do not have restaurants, bars or banquet facilities) hotel business is the one where you are face to face with the guest.
House... more
One of the toughest jobs in the limited service (meaning lodgings that do not have restaurants, bars or banquet facilities) hotel business is the one where you are face to face with the guest.
Housekeepers can find refuge in a guest room. Maintenance men can flee to the maintenance shop but desk clerks have no places to hide and usually have to take the heat for the service failures of others. Its just a fact of life in the lodging business.
But perhaps the toughest job of all is when the owner is the desk clerk because the buck stops there. There is no one to point to as "the problem." This is very often the case when an entrepreneur is trying his/her hand in the lodging business for the first time. And very often the owner/operator is not the best person to interface with the guest because the talents that enabled the owner to become the owner are not the same talents required to make a guest feel welcome and cared for.
This hotel was a wonderful exception to the "never let the owner meet the guest" rule.
We are not big fans of the Best Western brand because we have found it to be inconsistent. So, we stayed at this hotel after careful review of the comments on Trip Advisor. My wife brought a can of Glade room spray because some had mentioned a musty smell. We did not need the spray. The room was quite pleasant and had no offensive odor at all.
If there was any downside to our stay it was the invisibility of the location. The site sign is on US 31 but once that is located and one has a general idea of where the motel is situated the entrance (which is behind a Taco Bell) and the motel itself becomes obscured by several trees. We drove past the hotel twice and needed to make a U-Turn to finally locate the entrance.
Once you find it the hotel presents well. The parking lot had been freshly resealed and re-striped, the outdoor plantings looked cared for and watered, there was no visible trash or litter and the door glass was sparkling without evidence of finger prints. It was obvious that management was caring and attentive. All good signs for the traveler who is about to entrust time, treasure and about 8 hours of almost nude unconsciousness to the facility and its management. You can feel quite safe here.
We arrived a bit later in the day and Tyler, the young man who checked us in, was efficient, well groomed and personable. We observed a breakfast room and a comfortable seating area. I did not visit the breakfast room the next morning but my wife did and she said the food on offer was plentiful and the guests seemed to enjoy it.
Our room, a king-size non smoking, was very comfortable. The housekeeping was excellent with no dust, dust bunnies or spotted chrome or mirrors. My only complaint (and this is throughout most of the hotel industry) was the inadequate number of electrical outlets. I needed two outlets on my side of the bed for my CPAP and phone charger. I listen to the BBC all night with earbuds and keeping that phone charged is critical. I was able to make do by disconnecting a power bar on the other side of the room which disconnected the in room fridge and microwave. Note to self-travel with an extension cord!
Mattress was firm and very comfortable. Pillows odorless and firm to soft as needed. Flat-screen TV offerings were plentiful and the picture was crystal clear on all channels. That is rare. That was much appreciated. WIFI was simple and connected easily though better in-room information could be displayed.
Other reviewers have commented on the small bathroom facilities so I will not dwell on it here except to say that we were not troubled by this at all. I was slightly annoyed that the vanity mirrors in our bath met at a a corner angle so there was no possibility of looking straight into a mirror while shaving. Maybe that can be solved in a future re-model?
The room is heated and cooled through Zoneline-type window units that have become ubiquitous in the industry. The bed is situated very close to the unit so it takes a bit of drape and vent management to angle the air stream satisfactorily. We did not find this to be a problem.
Our room rate was with tax about $100 and we felt that is was an excellent value given the other lodging options at this exit and the convenience to our purpose.
We met the husband and wife owner team upon checkout. What a wonderful couple and we were only too anxious to tell them how much we enjoyed their hospitality and their work product. They actively solicited our comments. They informed us about the work they had already completed and gave us some insight about their future plans. If you have the chance to meet them (and you probably will because they work all the positions!) you will be impressed.
There is no shortage of hospitality options at exit 76. Table-service restaurants, outlet mall shopping, gasoline, antiques and fast food options are plentiful and convenient. We decided to drive into Edinburgh to a diner suggested by a local we met at the antiques mall. Stick to the major brands at the exit! LOL
We will definitely be back on next trip through the area! less
Tyler P, Front Office Manager at Best Western Edinburgh/Columbus, responded to this review
Thanks for taking time to provide feedback for us regarding your recent stay. We always love to hear what our guests have to say! We are pleased that we were able to provide you with a great experience and that you found the staff friendly and accommodating. We hope to see you again when you are traveling in the area! Have a great day!
Sheena Gilley
General Manager
812-526-9883