Innsuites Blog | Innsuites Hotel and Suites

What to Do in Tempe AZ-sailing?!

Posted on November 8, 2011 by pbarnhill

Yesterday had been a busy day, but I had still remained within the confines of my goal of relaxation for this trip. Today would be the most relaxing day of all, doing something I absolutely loved to do.

Originally, I had planned on going to the Phoenix Zoo on my second day inTempe, but then I found out something that I think not many people are aware of: there is a lake inTempethat’s big enough to sail on in a small yacht. Located just 5 miles from the hotel, complete with boat rentals of all kinds, spending the day sailing in the desert wasn’t an opportunity I planned to miss.

Sailing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so I’ll spare you most of the details that you may not be terribly interested in, but I will tell you one thing: you can’t know until you’ve experienced it how thrilling it is to control a watercraft under the power of the wind. There’s no lanes, no traffic, no engine sound… just peace, and quiet, and the gentle rocking of the boat with the waves with the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and brilliant blue all around. This was the perfect end to a trip that had been planned with the word “relaxation” in mind. I’d check out of the Hotel Tempe the next morning, but the next time I was looking for a break from the daily grind, I’d be picking up my phone and dialingTempe.

Posted in Hotel Tempe | Tagged sailing | Leave a comment

Waking up at Hotel Tempe/Phoenix Airport InnSuites

Posted on November 1, 2011 by pbarnhill

I woke up early the next morning, thoroughly relaxed from my previous night’s activities (which consisted almost solely of soaking in the hot tub). I noticed that I had slept a bit longer than I had originally intended, but that didn’t matter today. It was tomorrow that my full-day endeavors would begin.

I got dressed and left my hotel room, with the “Do Not Disturb” sign switched over to “Maid Service Please.” (After my jaunt in the Jacuzzi the night before, I was going to need new towels!) I headed immediately over to the breakfast room. The smell wafting out at me as I opened the door was enough to make anyone’s mouth water: scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and Make-Your-Own Belgian Waffles… not to mention the Starbucks coffee and Tazo tea. I filled up my plate and got a cup of coffee and a cup of orange juice and worked my way out to the patio by the pool.

After a relaxing breakfast (“relaxing,” it seems, was the operative word for this entire trip), I stretched out and hopped in my car to see the sights.

The Hotel Tempe, like most of the other InnSuites hotels I’ve been to so far, is located right in the middle of everything. The Arizona Mills Mall is right across the street. There’s a restaurant in the mall with the most unique atmosphere I’ve ever seen… ask the front desk staff to point you to the restaurant with the waterfalls and the giant Tiki head. After having walked around the mall for a bit and enjoying a lunch in the jungles of South America (seriously, ask the front desk staff), I went to go see CaptainAmericaon a six-story tall screen, and then finished my afternoon at the Aquarium. And all of this is just a quick walk away from the hotel!

Posted in Hotel, Hotel Tempe, InnSuites Boutique Hotel Collection | Tagged starbucks coffee, waking up | 2 Comments

InnSuites Hotel Tempe–great stay

Posted on October 24, 2011 by pbarnhill

The InnSuites Hotel Tempe is not nearly as big as theHotelTucsonCityCenter, but it still manages to have quite a presence. When you first pull in off the freeway, you’re greeted with the front of the hotel, draped in crimson. The lobby is small, but it’s really quite attractive. From the futuristic-looking desk to the twin televisions playing scenes of InnSuites hotels, to the ever-present scent of coffee and tea ready to drink, it’s very welcoming. A familiar voice greeted me, and the young lady who had so enthusiastically but efficiently helped me on the phone got me checked in to my room in no time.

These rooms at InnSuites all share similar characteristics, but being a Boutique hotel, they are all slightly different in terms of furnishing and décor. My last room had been a bit more retro, but this room, theClintonsuite, was much more modern. It had all the same amenities I had come to expect, including the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on (the Cloud 9 pillowtop), quick single-cup coffeemaker, fridge and microwave, and large-screen television in the living room. The art here (no offense toTucson) was much more to my taste, and the furnishings were absolutely beautiful.

I hadn’t had a chance to use the Jacuzzi on my last visit to an InnSuites hotel, and since I was going to be here for a few days, I relaxed into the swirling water and left the stress of my long drive melt away.

Posted in Hotel, Hotel Tempe, InnSuites Boutique Hotel Collection, InnSuites News, Jacuzzi Suite, Mattresses, Where to Stay | Tagged jacuzzi suite | Leave a comment

Hotel Tempe/Phx Airport InnSuites

Posted on October 17, 2011 by pbarnhill

I was on the phone a moment ago. I’ve spent the last few years writing travel blogs, and now that I’m working with InnSuites, visiting their hotels and writing up my experiences, I’ve really been able to have a great outlet for my scribblings. I normally start writing upon arrival at my destination. One thing I never have done, however, is write up the reservation process.

There was a lovely voice on the other end of the phone after only two-and-a-half rings (not to detract from my experience with Tempe, but I’ve become accustomed to this with InnSuites hotels… the almost-three rings, not the lovely voice). I answered her “How may I help you” by indicating that I wanted to make a reservation, and she was on it. She had my name, my arrival date, and the type of room I wanted with minimum effort, and in a moment she was collecting my credit card number.

You’d think I was talking to a robot, considering how efficient she was, but let me assure you she wasn’t. She picked up on subtle cues in what I said and gave me just enough conversation to let me know I was talking to a human without being annoying and taking up too much of my time blabbing. I was on the phone with her for less than five minutes, but she had been pleasant, gotten my reservation, made sure everything was correct, and left me looking forward to getting there so I could continue our little chat in person.

I won’t tell you her name, because I’m sure no matter who you get when you call you’ll be just as pleased, but give them a ring and see if you can figure out if the person helping you is the same as the one who helped me. Everyone there is so helpful, I bet you can’t.

Posted in Hotel Tempe, InnSuites Boutique Hotel Collection | Tagged making a reservation | Leave a comment

Best Night’s Sleep in Downtown Tucson

Posted on September 8, 2011 by pbarnhill

There’s a fancy restaurant downtown with some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tried, and I’ve had a master chef from Italy make me gelato in downtown San Francisco. If you ever come to Tucson, ask the Front Desk staff at Hotel Tucson to point you in the right direction.

I stayed there a little later than I should have, and got back to the hotel around 11. I wanted to start writing immediately. It’s never a good idea to push your writing back when you know you should be putting pen to paper (or, more likely, finger to keyboard). It’s best to keep what you’re writing about fresh in your mind. Tonight, however, I just wanted to get to bed.

The beds here are some of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on. The gentleman at the front desk told me that the hotel actually gets more requests for the manufacturer of the mattresses than for the inexpensive coffee mugs bearing the name of the hotel, which I also bought one of. I think I’m going to have to start collecting them.

…The coffee cups, that is. Not the mattresses.

So, against my better judgment, I faded into my King-sized bed and left my notes about the trip so far on the bedside table, untyped. Next week, I’d be visiting Tempe to see what the InnSuites there has to offer, but tonight, I drifted off and dreamed about the magical broomsticks from Fantasia stealing my laptop and notebook. I was too comfortable to care.

Posted in Hotel, Mattresses, Sleeping, Tucson | Tagged Downtown Tucson, Get night's sleep in Tucson | 10 Comments

Exploring Downtown Tucson

Posted on September 1, 2011 by pbarnhill

It was probably the two beers that relaxed my steps and lengthened my stride, but I showed up at Congress Street in no time flat. I was greeted with tents and vendors, the smell of fresh barbecue and roasted hot peppers, and the sounds of a live Calypso band coming from Church Street. The streets were already full of people even though the event had only just started.

I strolled a bit down the street and already couldn’t resist pulling out my wallet. A vendor there was selling the biggest, creamiest-looking cupcakes imaginable. Behind her, an elderly Jamaican man laughed and sang a song as he grilled a huge rack of ribs, and further down I saw a group of stilt walkers. Everyone here represented some aspect of Tucson, the way it is on any other day of the month, but today, on Second Saturday, they brought it together and proved that this big city has a small-town community mindset at its heart.

I stopped for a while and watched Fantasia, the original, being projected on the side of a building painted white for this very purpose. Behind me, children laughed and jumped on a giant air-filled trampoline. I pressed on to the shops, where one woman was selling Native American pottery she had spent a lifetime learning to make, and another man and his family were together selling whimsical prints of cats done on an old-fashioned printing press on pages of antique books and sheets of music. Once more, I couldn’t keep my wallet in my pocket.

Posted in Calypso band, Church Street, Congress Street, Tucson, Uncategorized | Tagged Exploring Downtown Tucson--Great Vibe | Leave a comment

Hotel Tucson City Center–camera in hand

Posted on August 24, 2011 by pbarnhill

I didn’t even make it off the property. As I entered the lobby again I noticed something I hadn’t before: the view out into the center of the property. I diverted from the main entrance on the other side of the grand hall and walked out into the courtyard. Green and growing here in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, it was an oasis, grassy and dotted with citrus trees each laden with bright orange and yellow fruit all around the clear blue waters of the Olympic-sized swimming pool. At some point in time I’d have to go for a swim, but for now I took some photographs and walked on.

I normally keep my cell phone in my car when I go on these writing trips so I don’t get bothered while I’m writing but still have communication in case of an emergency. This doesn’t stop me from always reaching for my hip holster when I want to know the time! Finally settling on my watch once I’d assured myself I didn’t have my phone on me, I saw that it was about 5:00 PM, which meant PJ’s Lounge was open for business! Heading on over, I noticed a few couples having drinks under the cabanas around the pool and some mothers with their children enjoying the water. I was greeted by the server who instantly had my first free beer at the ready. One more to go, and I still had about an hour left to drink them before the event I had come to Tucson to see even started. I went out to join the others in the relaxing atmosphere of the courtyard.

The server came out with my second beer and I asked how long it would take to drive to downtown Tucson from here. She smiled. It was just a few minutes away by car, but sometimes the parking situation wasn’t the greatest. She mentioned that it was really only a few blocks away if I were to walk, and I thanked her and finished my beers. I was going to need them!

Posted in Hotel Tucson City Center, Olympic size Pool, PJ's Cafe | Tagged Olympic sized Pool & Free Beers at Hotel Tucson | 5 Comments

Summer 2011 Special will be Ending Soon

Posted on August 8, 2011 by pbarnhill

Come and stay at InnSuites Hotels. The Summer2011 Special will be expiring soon!

Posted in InnSuites Boutique Hotel Collection, Uncategorized | Tagged Summer Hotel Deals | 1 Comment

Tucson’s Warm in the Summer.

Posted on August 4, 2011 by admin

It’s warm in the Spring, and in the Fall as well, and I’m told it’s fairly warm in Winter. The right word to describe the heat in Summer would probably be extreme, since any other word is probably equally true in any other season. It’s a nice heat, though: the kind you can escape simply by sitting under an umbrella out by the pool. This is exactly what I planned to do.

I pulled into Hotel Tucson City Center InnSuites just before check-in time at 3PM. The day was already mostly gone, but here in T-Town that didn’t mean a thing, especially since I’d arrived here on the second Saturday of the month.

The hotel is big, and it’s on a big piece of property. From the front, all you can see is the main façade, but on walking through the entry doors I came face to face with a huge, skylit room designed to look like a Tuscan villa in classic earth tones. Immediately, the front desk staff greeted me with a smile and set about getting me checked into my room.

The room was 708, a Presidential Jacuzzi suite with a King-sized bed, and I made my way to it right away to change and drop off my luggage. I stepped into a neatly-arranged living room, complete with desk, a couch and three comfortable chairs, and a 40” widescreen television. I poked my head into the bathroom and noticed the free bottle of water. Grabbing it and twisting the cap off, I stepped into the bedroom and took a drink.

The bedroom had its own second bathroom, and it was right about then that I felt a twinge of sadness that I hadn’t invited anyone else on this trip with me. I’m the type of writer who needs complete solitude to ply his trade, and so I often stay in hotels alone, without my wife or friends. Here, with a Queen-sized sofa bed and a television in both rooms, I could have sequestered myself away when I needed to and had my writing fortress on one hand and also a traveling partner on the other without ever those two worlds clashing.

With just my camera in hand, I set out on the first steps of this adventure…

Posted in Hotel Tucson City Center, Jacuzzi Suite | Tagged Jacuzzi Suite at Hotel Tucson City Center | 5 Comments

InnSuites Hotels and Pets and Natural Balance

Posted on July 8, 2011 by admin

InnSuites is pleased to announce its continued partnership with Natural Balance Pet Foods.

Pets at participating InnSuites Hotels will enjoy food and treats in pet friendly studios from Natural Balance.

Posted in InnSuites Boutique Hotel Collection, Uncategorized | Tagged Hotels that allow Pets, Pets | Leave a comment

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