I was physically exhausted when it came time to choose a place to stay for the night, and the only reason why I chose the Comfort Suites in Salem over any of the others in the immediate area was because there was a grocery store right next door.
Since I’m not a big fan of fast food, being able to stock up on healthy(ish) things to eat in the privacy of my hotel room is always a plus.
The full review of my 1 night stay at the Comfort Suites Hotel in Salem, VA
The woman who checked me in was pleasant and very kind – I was browsing the snack shop adjacent to the check in desk, picked out a few items, and she told me I was free to take them for no charge even though there was a price tag on everything. Not a bad way to get things started!
Exterior of the Comfort Suites in Salem, VA
Hallway leading to my room
The door to room number 332: my home away from home for the evening
The room (it was more of a suite really)
The room itself was pretty nice, and to be honest, I was so exhausted that I didn’t even pay attention to the fact that I this was a “suite” hotel. So yeah – walking into the room was a nice surprise, considering that I was expecting something small and cramped.
The entire room (it’s actually a suite)
Nice surprise here – I was so exhausted when I checked in that I wasn’t even expecting a suite.
The dark reds and white accents in the room were really nice – kind of surprising for a budget hotel such as this. It’s even more impressive when you consider that it’s a lot nicer than my $500 room was at the Seaside Best Western (in Oregon) was.
I was so tired at this point that this bed was the most important thing to me in the room at the moment. I slept like a baby in that thing.
The lighting in the room was pretty good once all the lights were on. Otherwise it was dark and dreary.
I’m not a business traveler, but I’ve never understood why hotel room desks are so tiny. Especially in this case – there is a lot of room for something bigger.
The bathroom
More stylishness here in the bathroom
The shower and tub wasn’t so stylish, however. Kind of dull actually.
A rubber ducky!! How cool is that? Nice little touch. Little details like that can go a long way to make customers happy, so it’s nice to see them putting forth the effort.
Generic amenities in the bathroom (not like I was expecting anything else).
A few thoughts about the Comfort Suites brand
Low-end chain hotels here in the US are interesting. Basically, the business consists of only a few major corporations who each own a dizzying amount of brands disguised to look like completely different companies.
By the way, the view from my room wasn’t all that great. But it didn’t matter – I slept most of the time anyway!
While it appears that there a ton of different hotel brands to choose from, the reality is that there are only a few major players in this game. And to make things even more confusing, I discovered that there are actually a lot of variations of single brands that are really difficult to keep track of.
Comfort Hotels is one such example, with an eclectic mix of “Inn” and “Suite” properties, sometimes mixed together in one location. This particular property in Salem, VA just off interstate 81 features only suites – at least that’s what the name implies.
In contrast, the Comfort Inn in Deming, NM (the place I stayed at a few nights prior) was a mix of standard rooms and suites. The Comfort Suites at the Anchorage Airport was suites only (just like this one here in Salem).
It’s confusing, and admittedly a waste of my time to really think about. After all, I’m not a hotel connoisseur like some other travelers I know (as evident by my willingness to stay in cheap properties like this).
The verdict
Being able to walk to the large Food Lion grocery store that was located right next to this hotel was the nicest thing about staying here (IMHO). Combine that with the fact that it was clean and quiet with a super-friendly staff, and I was rather satisfied with this choice. Go me!
