A reliably decent chain of Hotels (Ramada Hotel in General)

Member Name: whatanoldbag

Product:	Ramada Hotel in General
Date:	04/03/08 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Usually good, clean, standarised hotels

Disadvantages: Food can be expensive

Ramada are a large hotel franchise organisation. they have many Ramada Hotels in North America and across the world. In England they are called Ramada Jarvis. They are part of a very large conglomerate called Wyndham Worldwide who also own Travelodge, Amerihost, Super 8 and Days Inn among others.

The Ramada brand offers a good standard of hotel on the whole; only some are excellent though their quality control is usually good enough to expect at least a reasonable standard; beds are always clean (in my experience) rooms pleasant and bathrooms modern. Some standardised features can be a little annoying. Every breakfast seems quite similar and it might be nice for their to be more regional specialities on the menus. Many Ramada hotels tend to have restaurants and they can be pricey.

Certainly if I were traveling somewhere unfamiliar I would be happy to stay at a Ramada hotel. I'd figure it would be at least adequate. To assist the discerning traveler further Ramada have coded their hotels by name, so you can have a good guess what you'll be getting.

In the US they do it like this:

"Ramada Limited" is the name for the value product, but they say most hotels will have swimming pools and rooms are inclusive of continental breakfast. One example is the Ramada Cherokee in North Carolina - it costs about $80 a night for a largish room with wi-fi, cable TV, a refrigerator and microwave (gosh how odd that seems from a British perspective!), coffee maker and that breakfast.

"Ramada Inn" is the name they use for their mid-price hotels. Rooms might be more like $100-$120 a room per night in the USA and Canada, but you will get an in-house restaurant to add to the facilities of the other type of Ramada.

"Ramada Plaza" is the name given to their 4 star hotels and premier hotels. These are always great in my experience and I make a bee line for them, especially when looking for airport hotels in unfamiliar cities etc. They are also expensive, though reasonable value for money as you can still often get a room for $100 a night, but only if you try hard. They tend to be quite modern in their decor and the service is good. They always have business facilities as far as I am aware.

Ramada hotels are nearly always comfortable, but as they are a franchise, quality control especially in far flung corners of Europe can be a bit of an issue. I've stayed in one that shall be nameless where the paint was peeling off the windows, though they've refurbished it now.

In general most Ramada hotels offer business facilities. Ramada Resort is a name given to more tourist-oriented hotels designed to be child-friendly and less business-orientated. Some Resort hotels have saunas, golf, playgrounds etc.

As any self-respecting chain, they do free cots for babies and cope well with families. Most of their hotels in north America have plenty of rooms with two queen sized beds so you can have a child to stay in your room. Menu choices are standard to good, although of course there is a lot of regional variation, but most children who eat most things will be fine!

They have a brand called Ramada Encore. This is a European name only as far as I know, and is geared to the Holiday Inn Express/Novotel sort of market. In the UK you get bed and breakfast in one of these often for £79 for a double room. In UK terms that is reasonable, and you get a good standard of cleanliness, but not too many frills. The rooms tend to be adequate rather than large.

Continental breakfast will probably not blow you away but it will be fine, and served from a clean kitchen in a clean dining room. Think fresh coffee, orange juice, yoghurt, bacon and eggs, cereals, porridge, croissants and toast with jam and you've got the idea. Doesn't sound too bad does it? For dinner I have eaten in the restaurants of Ramada hotels in the UK, but never in the US. The food has not always been prepared freshly, so if you have to eat there opt for the simple stuff, as the complicated dishes might just taste as if they've been through the freezer/microwave process. But that means it is at least all standard and things like cottage pie or fish and chips do fine if you are hungry and tired! They are a bit pricey for the quality in my opinion and last time I stayed in a Ramada in Bristol in England I paid £4.40 for a single 175ml glass of white wine at the hotel bar which I though a tad expensive! I've reviewed that hotel separately if you are interested.

They have a loyalty scheme called TripRewards for those of you who like that sort of thing; it will soon be called Wyndham Rewards instead. They give you bonus points every time you stay with them or use one of their partners. You can find out more here:

http://www.triprewards.com/?brandcode=RA

In general I'd say if you are on the look out for a place to stay, then you won't be unhappy in a Ramada. There is considerable variation of course, despite the company's best efforts at homogenisation. I'd shop around for a price, as at their rack rate they are over-priced in my opinion, but they often do internet deals, late specials etc, when everything gets a lot better. If you see one advertising itself with a Pinnacle Award then it will be a good one - it's the company's own "Best in Region" award.

Sometimes it is nice to know that when you get to end of a long day and you are away from home, or you are traveling with your family between destinations and need an overnight stop, you will arrive in an unfamiliar place in an unknown hotel and it will be comfortable, clean, safe and warm, and you will be able to get a good night's sleep. This Ramada will deliver. At least in my experience.

Summary: A name to go to if you are in an unfamiliar place