The Sands Motel has been a fixture in St. George, Utah for a LONG time. In the Fifties, it was called the Sleepy Hollow Hotel:
When the Vegas craze hit during the Sixties, it became The Sands Motel and outlived its namesake:
A few years ago, when we were driving through St. George, we took photos of it in all its glory:
You can see all the photos here:
Where:
Sands Motel
581 E Saint George Blvd
Saint George, UT 84770 Google Map
Phone: (435) 673-3501
This is the second time we’ve stayed at the Radisson Town Lake. We love it because it overlooks the river and Congress Bridge. Congress Bridge is where the largest urban bat colony in North America live. In the summer, huge clouds of bats leave the bridge every evening at dusk.
This year, however, the bridge is quiet and abandoned.
It’s too cold this year to support the bats, so I suspect they are vacationing a little longer in Mexico. We came to Austin for the SXSW Interactive Festival, so the bats were a secondary attraction.
The hotel swag, however, was quite enjoyable.
The toilet paper origami left a little to be desired.
The towel origami, however, was beautiful.
I don’t care for Sleep Number beds. They are beds that are filled with air depending on what firmness you want. It took a lot of tweaking to get my side of the bed to feel like a “normal” bed. I guess my sleep number is 45, but I didn’t enjoy finding that out. The Radisson brags about their Sleep Number beds, but I don’t find them pleasant or appealing. It’s more like sleeping on a camping mattress.
You can see all the photos for the Radisson Town Lake here:
On the whole, our stay at the Radisson has been enjoyable. They charge ten bucks a day per computer to be online in your hotel room, which I find appalling. I guess I’m used to cheaper hotels that try to attract me with free wireless. I like that I can just walk to the convention center from this hotel. I LOVE the view of the bridge, even though this year it’s bat-free. I even love the TGI Friday’s in the hotel lobby. Sometimes I’m so tired that I just need a quiet meal that is familiar. Someday, Internet connectivity will be free at all hotels just like water and televisions. Until then, it’s hit and miss.
This postcard from PostSecret talks about drawing in hotel bibles.
It reads:
Room 1912
I draw naked people in hotel bibles, most times it’s my FAVORITE part of the trip. (Besides jumping on the bed!)
Pg. 399, 638, 846, 1052
The secret was written on stationery for the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Florida:
It’s like a scavenger hunt to find the naked pictures before the hotel staff does.
I’ve left money in hotel bibles before. I talked about it here:
I have never written in one except to underline a particularly interesting passage. Have you ever written in a hotel bible? If so, do you remember which hotel and room?
PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.
Early this month, Nicole Lee visited Las Vegas and stayed at Palms Place Hotel. Here are some photos of her room.
The room had TWO televisions: one in front of the bed and one in front of the couch.
The living room area looks very spacious.
Oh, and there was a kitchen as well. It had a fridge, microwave and dishwasher.
The third television was in the bathroom. Remember folks, this is a HOTEL room!
I was hoping to get a glimpse of the Hotel Swag, but no such luck. Thanks for the photos, Nicole! Palms Place looks AWESOME!
I’m a HORRIBLE house guest and I KNOW it, so I rarely stay with friends when I visit their towns. Some of them consider it a insult, but most of them understand that we keep strange sleeping hours and even stranger habits. We find a hotel as near to their home as we can and we spend almost as much time with them as we would if we had stayed at their home.
If finances or familial duties require that you be a house guest, here is an EXCELLENT article on how to be a good one:
Here is the condensed version:
You can go their website for more detailed instructions about how to be a good house guest. When I was a child, my grandmother housed many guests, so I learned all these things first hand. Most importantly, it set the standard so high that it’s far easier for me to get my own hotel room rather than try to live up to all these expectations. There have been times when I’ve had to be a house guest because of finances or because my family insisted, and I’ve done my best to be a good house guest, but even then, I’ve fallen below my expectations. I guess that’s why I love hotels so much.
Las Vegas has snow for the first time in years, and they got 6-8 INCHES! That’s probably the best Christmas present they could get this year.
Mike and I were caught in a snowstorm in Vegas once. It was that flurry of dandruff-like snow that we Utahans are very used to dealing with, so we drove right through it without a second thought. It melted before the end of the day.
To see my beloved Luxor Hotel covered with snow like this is so strange. It’s almost as if the black pyramid has been turned white.
More photos after the break: (Continue Reading…)
Hilarye at Dotting the Map has done the research on a number of Hotel Rewards Programs. Her goal was trying to find out which one is the best to go with.
In the end, she really had a hard time making a decision:
I guess what it really comes down to is what you personally prefer and what you find convenient. I would take time and figure out which program is right for you and your travel needs.
Personally, I think that Hotel Rewards Programs are a waste of time if you only travel once or twice a year. If you travel more often (i.e. for business), then you should be a member of ALL of them. Whichever is the best hotel for the location you’re traveling, make the reservation and use your rewards card. Don’t limit your choice based on the promise of rewards.
We stopped in Baker City, Oregon on our way home from Mount Hood this month. This time, we stayed in the Best Western Sunridge. You can see the entire group of photos here:
The hotel SWAG was typical, but nicely presented:
They were having the Miner’s Jubilee in a few days, so all the windows of the town were painted with this miner, Ma and the mule:
It was a nice stay at the hotel and we enjoyed ourselves there!
Our snowy stay in West Yellowstone was made more pleasant by our hotel. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in West Yellowstone.
Here are the photos of the Hotel SWAG as it was presented on 04-19-08:
Here is the coffee setup.
This Quattro razor was also on the counter. I don’t know if it was included in the SWAG or if we will be charged if we use it. The sign says complimentary, but it’s hard to know.
Here is the keycard.
The Internet connection wasn’t screaming fast, but it was usable. Additionally, there were several open wi-fi networks nearby that were also available.
Where:
638 Madison Ave.
P.O. Box 1050
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-4212 • Fax 406-646-4212
Reservations 888-264-2466
Fail by Nicole Lee from Flickr
She commented, “Upside down door hook, in the MGM Grand restroom.”
Actually, the downward sloping part is a device meant to prevent theft of your purse or coat. You’re supposed to hang your items on the metal hook below below it.
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