We've traveled a lot over the years, from camping trips to snowbirding travels between Minnesota and Arizona. The major travels are probably over now. But our last stay was arguably the best of all of them. We hit a Comfort Inn in Omaha on J street right off I-80 our last night on the road.
There have been a lot of mediocre places, plus some very unpleasant and a few pretty good. Our last stay is memorable however, for all the right reasons. Steve's cousin Lee recommended it. He travels some for his business, while we travel just to get somewhere. Money is usually an issue for us, though we have spent the bucks to enjoy Discovery Lodge in Estes Park, outside Rocky Mountain National Park so we could enter the park while enjoying Estes with its wandering elk population, as well as early arrival in the park before the timed entry program would keep us out without reservations. Even that did not equal our night in the Comfort Inn.
It started with a phone call. Obviously they had a call center out of the country, judging by strong accents making communication "interesting". Challenging is a bit more like it, but I paid close attention to make sure our needs were met and questions answered. Steve needs handicap accessible accommodations these days, and my requests have been met with a variety of results. It might be a long hike from the parking spot to our room, even including stairs on occasion. It might be a lack of places to sit aside from on top of the bed. Most often it is a complete lack of understanding of what is needed in bathroom facilities, between low toilets, to bathtubs one has to climb into with slick bottoms and no safety bars. So I asked the woman on the phone to describe their toilet and shower facilities.
She went away with my questions and came back with detailed answers. Their toilet was both higher and wider than standard motel toilets and had a very strong grab bar along the side. The shower was roll-in, no lip, with drains both in the shower bottom and the bathroom floor bottom.
(Note to self: do not drop PJs on the bathroom floor outside of the shower and expect them to stay dry. Otherwise do expect to need to remove one of the wastebasket liner bags to tuck your PJs into so they can go in your suitcase while keeping its other contents dry.)
The shower was truly roll-in, no lip. There was a sturdy safety bar on all three wall sides, a hand-held shower head easily reachable and returnable, and a nice height for the temperature control on/off water handle, which was quickly responsive to desired changes. It also had a sturdy seat inside, movable for your own idea of its best placement, and strong instead of wobbly like the ones you can order online for home use. A soap dish at waist height standing off to the corner was well placed for use by somebody sitting or standing, and a heavy terry mat for the floor outside for when the water got splashed outside of the shower kept the floor slip-free. (OK, the PJs served the same purpose, but that wasn't exactly planned.) The towels provided were oversized by standard motel standards, which was a great boon, and very soft and absorbent, instead of the usual motel ones which are just scratchy.
The only thing I could have asked for was a bidet. We have put attachments on toilets at either end of our regular travels and both of us appreciate them greatly. They will be installed in our new home once we decide what that is.
The TV controls were simple, though the program we wanted to watch was a rerun and we fell asleep partway through it. The bed was a good height to get both in and out for both of us, the mattress a compromise between too soft and too hard. Both of us slept well. We could have used the mini fridge and microwave, but we didn't pack for that and tiredness took over anyway. A desk had a rolling chair, lights were logically operated rather than hunting for the right combination of switches to operate, a coffee set-up had 4 cups instead of a limit of two because the room was for just two people. Everything was clean, and the heating unit at the window was responsive to our needs. We never heard other guests in the hall or over our heads.
Continental breakfast was a huge step up from our usual experiences. Typically these have been so miserly, all carbs of two or three varieties, that we normally skip motel breakfasts and hit a McDonald's on our way out of town. This had about seven varieties of carbs if we chose, including making fresh waffles, several juices, regular and decalf coffees, yogurt and milk. But both of us stuck with sausage patties, scrambled eggs, and fried sliced potatoes with onions and peppers in them. Delicious!
Entering and leaving was assisted by the presence of valet carts which held luggage and could have carried garment bags if we traveled that way. I easily pulled mine from the car to inside the room, and replaced it between the front doors for the next guests, saving a very tired me from way too many trips with much too heavy luggage by then. (Funny, they weren't so heavy when I put them in the car at the start. Maybe the dirt accumulated? LOL )
Checking in was a breeze, just half a minute in the line while the previous customer asked a final question. All of mine were attended to quickly, directions down a very short hall to our handicap room were clear, and a senior discount applied so this was very comparable to our usual price at much less wonderful motels. Checking out was as easy in the morning, with the addition of simple directions to the freeway entrance. It was fully dark when we arrived and heavy traffic had prevented a safe direct path to the motel, so I wanted to check the best way back.
Comfort Inn, while we do not expect to do any major traveling in our future, if we do, we'll plan to be back!
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