There Were 3 In The Bed... (Millenium Hotel (Durham, USA))

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Millenium Hotel (Durham, USA)
Date:	24/06/09 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Massive rooms, massive beds

Disadvantages: Murky pool

I was sent to North Carolina on business for a few nights, and one of my colleagues there booked me into the Millenium Hotel in Durham. It was a chain I was only somewhat familiar with, having seen them in passing, but never gone into one, but a quick search on the web brought up a promising looking site, so I was all set.

My reservation had been made a few weeks in advance, and a confirmation number emailed to me. This I imagine is just a precaution in-case they can't find your reservation in the system for some reason, because I was not asked for it. After presenting a company credit card and signing to say I'd collected by room keys (plural - even though they knew the room would only have one occupant), I was directed to my room.

I can't remember ever having been given a ground floor room in a hotel that has more than one floor, but this is where mine was. My first impressions were that it was huge! And, since there was no more items than usual in it, it felt very spacious. The focal point in the room was the bed which looked like it could easily have slept the old woman who lived in a shoe and all her children, or at least 3 fully grown adults with next to no trouble. If a single bed is one pillow wide and a double is 2 pillows wide, this must have been a triple and a half for it boasted 3 soft fat pillows across, with extra room at either side. To the left and right were fixed bedside tables with lamps and drawers (containing a bible, yellow pages and huge hard-backed guide to the area). Each of these came with an accompanying arm chair which though managing to keep the room looking symmetrical, were quite oddly place if each were to have a bottom on it, because the size of the room and their distance apart would have meant shouting was necessary. On one table was a box of loose sheets of paper, topped by a note handwritten by my personal maid who told me she took great pride in her work and would be grateful if I would fill out a comments card before leaving... I think this was code for 'leave a tip, you cheapskate' but at least she didn't go as far as to leave an actual envelope for me, something I've encountered in other hotels.

In the corner was an antique looking desk and chair, complete with hotel guide and writing paper. The TV stood against the wall opposite the bed and had 50 odd channels and several pay per view options, ranging from still-in-cinemas films to older ones to the usual "adult entertainment". It also had a guest services option where you can check your bill as you go along, making sure the tab you're running up is not getting too out of hand. The TV was resting on a large chest of drawers which made grinding sounds when opened - I immediately opted not to use them, and go with the dressing area instead. This was between the bedroom and the bathroom, and had shelves and a rail, as well as a suitcase stand. The hangers could be taken off the rail - something I always like as the fixed ones are often impossible to manoeuvre.

The bathroom was typical hotel sized, which seemed small now after having seen the bedroom. It had a tub with a shower attachment, a small sink surrounded by a large counter and, unusually, a non-award winning toilet (no sash, you see). The toiletries were nicely presented in bottles rather than sachets, and having conditioner to go with the shampoo and bath gel was a nice touch, but the body lotion was goopy and smelt strange, and the others had odd tinges to them. The towels provided were slightly larger than in the dreadful motel I had stayed in a few weeks back, but I still found a need to use all of them every time I showered. Luckily for me they furnished the room as they would for 2 occupants (plus an optional third 'guest'), so I got double everything. Unfortunately, I did not get double power in the shower - it gave nothing greater than a trickle at times, and the temperature control was temperamental, meaning the long, luxurious showers I like to indulge in when someone else is paying the water and electricity bills did not happen.

Outside the room, the hotel had a few places to explore. The gym, open 6am - midnight was small and dated, but enough to provide a basic workout, with some cardio machines and a rack of weights. It had extras too, to show you this was a more up-market hotel - complimentary towels so you didn't need to bring the ones from your room; a water cooler and cups; a TV with remotes attached to each machine (nice....until you wonder what would happen if more than one guest was working out at once). The pool area was reached either from the gardens or from the bar and featured a nice jacuzzi and a worryingly murky pool which was also mighty cold for something marketed as 'heated'. To get into both of these areas, you needed a hotel key card.

The hotel also had a laundry room with coin operated washers and dryers, and several vending areas with ice machines and drink and snack selections. For proper food, the choice was limited in the hotel. An Italian restaurant and snack bar served breakfast, lunch and dinner between them, and room service (a limited version of their menus) was also available. Breakfast (served from 6.30am) was a buffet or a la carte, and for 2 mornings I opted for the former. For an unexpectedly reasonable $8 I got unlimited juice and coffee, bagels and toast, cereals, fruit and pastries. To be honest, I would have liked more choice, or at least a different selection each day. (As it happened, they took away the delicious pain au chocolat after the first day and replaced them with...sachets of peanut butter. Most peculiar). On the last morning I wanted a change, so went for a waffle from the main menu (which also featured lots of meaty items and pancakes). What annoyed me here was that on entering the restaurant I was immediately brought the same drinks as previously. I accepted the juice, and tucked in to my waffle. But when the bill arrived, I was charged over $3 for the drink because it wasn't included with the a la carte selections the way it was with the buffet. This I would have accepted had I ordered the juice...but I hadn't - they just poured it automatically. But hey, I wasn't paying personally.

In the evenings I tried the Italian menu. It was a bit too fancy for my liking, but I talked them into making me something plainer, and I have to admit it was tasty. The menu is mainly meat and fish, with maybe 2 pure vegetarian options. They have only 2 pasta dishes (strange for an Italian place), but also feature salads and steaks and so on. The puddings were delicious - I had a chocolate bombe one night, and the cheesecake the next. The only downside again was the price. That lunchtime I had eaten out with my boss and his assistant at a local place where 3 main courses and 3 drinks had cost us $30. Amazingly, my dinner for one (pasta, chocolate concoction, a diet coke) cost me the same amount. This place is not cheap, but since it's fairly isolated, there's nowhere else to go unless you fancy taking the free shuttle to the mall (if you do, eat at Margianos, an ultra amazing place where we forked out several hundred dollars on the last night, and still felt we got value for money).

The hotel comes with a business section, a gift shop and an executive floor which I didn't get to explore. The place is cashless - in the restaurant and at the bar it was assumed you would add your bill to your tab, and the receipt came with a place for a tip and a line for your room number and signature - nothing else. I checked out without having to show the card again - I just signed to say they could charge what they liked, and took my receipt. I also filled in their feedback card (giving them the names of the staff who impressed me (as requested by the blurb), and what I thought a continental buffet should include (not requested, but something I felt they ought to know).

The Millennium is a nice, cheerful, clean place to stay, but doesn't really manage to pull itself off as anything more than a middle class hotel. I enjoyed staying there, but then I wasn't paying. For one night it would be a nice place to rest your head, but any more than that and you might get a little bit restless. The hotel cost my company around $80 / night plus taxes (state tax and occupancy tax) on a room only basis. All in, it cost them maybe $350 for my 3 nights including 3 breakfasts each morning, dinner one night and a snack and drink at the bar. It's not a terribly bad price I suppose but rack rates (and online rates) are higher - I'm just guessing, but I'd say you'd have to put all your colleagues there on a regular basis to get the prices (and rooms) we wangled. However they do have some 'fun' packages on offer too, including a 'night at the movies' one where you choose an in-room film to watch, and they'll bring the drinks and popcorn and a rather odd sounding "Economic Stimulus Package" for groups.


http://www.millenniumhotels.com/millenniumdurham/

Summary: A good choice, but not outstanding