Restaurant: Wildfire, Chicago

Restaurant: Wildfire, Chicago
Web Site: http://wildfirerestaurant.com
Address: 159 W. Erie, Chicago, Illinois 60610
Phone: 312-787-9000

Here with a business dinner. Looks like a traditional steakhouse, although the menu was very large and a lot of seafood also. Had about 6 or 7 different ways to order Filet Mignon! Large open kitchen in the back with lots of flames as they have grills and rotisseries running back there. Like a traditional steakhouse, the sides were a la carte.

Service was good, although I was with a large group that was a little too loud to really understand the service.





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Restaurant: The Palm, Boston

Restaurant: The Palm, Boston
Web Site: http://thepalm.com
Address: At the Westin Coplay Place, 200 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617.867.9292

Visited for a business lunch. As you would expect, the food was great (although I can't go on and on about a club sandwich), but the real attraction is the service which is off-the-hook good. In Coplay Place which is near the Prudential Center.


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Restaurant: Les Halles, Washington DC

Restaurant: Les Halles Brassserie
Web Site: http://www.LesHalles.net
Address: 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20004
Phone: 202.347.6848

One of our favorite places to go - kind of casual, the food is great, unique atmosphere, and a great location. Right on Pennsylvania Avenue down the street from the White House, and super convenient for the National and Warner theaters. We usually get the small fillets, and they make the world's greatest french fries.


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Hotel: Hampton Inn Downingtown/Exton

City: Exton, PA
Chain: Hampton Inn (Hilton)
Property: Hampton Inn Downington/Exton
Address: 4 North Pottstown Pike, Lionville, PA 19341
Phone Number: (610) 363-5555

Check Out: 2009, 2011



(Comments reflect room 232)

Typical Hampton Inn experience, clear, good cost point, easy check in and check out, limited services but free Internet and parking. Very close to PA Turnpike Downingtown/Exton exit, not too far from Valley Forge/King of Prussia.

Bathroom was a bit small, would have been nice to have the external vanity/sink area. Closet was kind of small, and had clothes rod mounted facing out which makes it very hard to hang clothing in there.

Good lighting, in room refrigerator and microwave. Might have made the best hot tea in room yet (although that's a low bar).


Rating:

• Safety: 1 (in the middle of nowhere)
  
• Dining: .5 Breakfast only (on lower end of Hampton experience)
  
• Bar: 0, beer for sale though
  
• Internet: 1 (free)
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 1
  
• Work Space, Power: .5 (limited power)
  
• Shower: .5 (Shower head at shoulder height)
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: .5 (Loud AC)
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 6

Directions:

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Last Visit: 2011, $110

Hotel: Hampton Inn Dayton-Airport

City: Dayton, Ohio
Chain: Hampton Inn (Hilton)
Property: Hampton Inn & Suites Dayton-Airport
Address: 180 Rockridge Road, Englewood, Ohio 45322
Phone Number: (937) 832-3333
Map:

Check Out: August 2008



Typical Hampton Inn experience (which is positive - clean, internet, free breakfast).

Staff was extremely nice and friendly, as is typical for the Dayton area, and especially appreciated when arriving very late from delayed travel. Near the airport, but not as close as you'd think.

Rating:

• Safety: 1
  
• Dining: 1 (breakfast only, buffet)
  
• Bar: 0
  
• Internet: 1
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 0
  
• Work Space, Power: 1
  
• Shower: 1
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 7

Directions:
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Last Visit: August 2008 ($120)

Hotel: DoubleTree Hotel Anaheim/Orange County

City: Orange, California (Orange County)
Chain: DoubleTree
Property: DoubleTree Hotel Anaheim/Orange County
Address: 100 The City Drive, Orange, CA 92868
Phone Number: (714) 634-4500

Check Out: August 2008



Nice hotel, although proximity to Disneyland makes it cater to tourists more than business. A little noisy in the halls at night, etc.

Right off interstate 5, easy to get to.

Rating:

• Safety: 1
  
• Dining: 1
  
• Bar: 1 (untested)
  
• Internet: 1 (not free, available throughout hotel)
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 1
  
• Work Space, Power: 1
  
• Shower: 0 (came out the wall around 6 foot)
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 8

Directions: Off I-5 south of Disneyland exits (College Drive?)

Last Visit: August 2008 ($150)

Hotel: Westin DFW Airport

City: Irving, Texas
Chain: Westin (Starwood)
Property: Westin DFW Airport Hotel
Address: 4545 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, Texas 75063
Phone Number: (972) 929-4500

Check Out: August 2008



Hotel is a very nice business class hotel. Unexpected was the noise level in the hallway for a hotel in this price range in the middle of the week - drunken conversation in the hall around 1 AM, little kids yelling in the hallway around 6 AM.

Room was nice and comfortable. Flat panel television mounted on the wall with an extremely low res signal coming into it (so what's the point) and a remote with dead batteries. Other than that, very clean, nice staff, very comfortable bed, mini-bar in the room, and plenty of plugs for charging batteries.

Wireless Internet signal weak in rooms at the end of the hall - wired Internet did not work.

Rating:

• Safety: 1
  
• Dining: 1 (several choices, breakfast buffet a little overpriced for what it was but coffee was good)
  
• Bar: 1 (untested)
  
• Internet: 1 (not free, weak signal)
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 0
  
• Work Space, Power: 1
  
• Shower: 1
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 8

Directions: Near DFW

Last Visit: August 2008 ($unknown - company paid but I think around $170)

Flight: AirTran 801 DFW-BWI

Departing From: Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW)
Traveling To: Baltimore, MD (BWI)
ETD: 4:08PM August 12, 2008 CST (Actual 4:20 PM)
ETA: 8:38PM August 12, 2008 EST (Actual 8:08 PM)
Est. Duration: 3 h 30 m (Actual 3 h)
Departure Gate: E17
Arrival Gate: 27
Seat: 22D
Equipment: Boeing 717
Miles:
Other:

Exit row seat, so not too bad. Long flight - seat wouldn't stay up. No one in the middle seat, which is especially nice on a long flight. Was able to open the laptop and get work done for a change.

Left a few minutes late, arrived about a half hour early which is especially sweet. A little turbulence, but nothing bad.

Airports: Dayton International Airport (DAY)

Airport Name: Dayton International Airport
FAA Sign: DAY
Location: Dayton, OH USA
Airport Web Site: http://www.daytonairport.com/

Medium sized airport - 2 main concourses about 22 gates on each. Quite a long walk for an airport this size. Some food services in the center of the two concourses, but once you take the long walk down the concourse there isn't much there.

Free WiFi in concourse C - a rare luxury. Not too bad on the bandwidth either.

Restaurant: Moon Gate

(301) 657-3740
4613 Willow Lane
Bethesda, MD 20815

A sister restaurant to China Gourmet in Kensington, and the former Moonlight Gourmet in Rockville. Moonlight Gourmet was our go-to place for a long time until it closed down a little while ago. We miss it a lot, including the staff there.

Moon Gate is similar in downtown Bethesda. Similar menu with some minor differences. Municipal parking across the street, so easy to park and get to, right off Wisconsin avenue.

Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel Miami

City: Miami, FL
Chain: Four Seasons
Property: Four Seasons Hotel Miami
Address: 1435 Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida 33131
Phone Number: (305) 358-3535

Check Out: May 2008



Obviously, as nice as hotels get, and the only reason I was here was because of a convention in the building. The hotel is incredibly nice and stylish, and also in the heart of Miami. The bottom 9 or so floors of the building are office space, so the common areas, dining, pools, etc. are actually about 10 stories up. So, while in the middle of town, its up and away from the noise of the street and overlooking water. A resort in the sky.

Service and staff were as good as they could be, influenced by the culture of Miami. A lot of fun dining on paella and sangria, and also funny teaching a temporary bartender how to make a martini ("just pour gin in the shaker with ice").

Note: this hotel is beyond the expectations of an expense account for business travel.

Rating:

• Safety: 1 (never left 10 stories up, don't know about the neighborhood)
  
• Dining: 1 (unbelievably good, pricey)
  
• Bar: 1 (top notch)
  
• Internet: 1 (not free, should be deducted at this price)
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 0
  
• Work Space, Power: 1
  
• Shower: 1
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 2 (bonus)
  

Total: 9

Directions:

Last Visit: May 2008 ($345 through convention)

Hotel: Marriott Courtyard Collegeville PA

City: Collegeville, PA
Chain: Marriott
Property: Courtyard by Marriott Collegeville
Address: 600 Campus Drive, Collegeville, PA 19426
Phone Number: (484) 974-2600

Check Out: June 2008

Updated: February 2012


Your basic Courtyard experience. The hotel sat on top of a hill with nothing near it for a while, but there is now a large shopping area across the highway with several places to eat including Olive Garden and PF Chiang, a Best Buy, Wegmen's grocery, and many others. 15 min drive to King of Prussia if you need shopping overload.

The lobby was redecorated late 2011, and a sit down bar and dining experience has been added. This is a stronger feeling of the "home away from home" Marriott seems to be trying to create with the Courtyard brand, with a living room type seating area with a fireplace. An improvement of the original hotel, more of a full service experience now.

Rating:

• Safety: 1 (in the middle of nowhere)
  
• Dining: .5 Breakfast only (didn't try it). Free coffee & tea
  
• Bar: 0, beer for sale though
  
• Internet: 1 (free)
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 1
  
• Work Space, Power: 1
  
• Shower: 1
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 7.5

Directions:


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Last Visit: November 2008 ($109 a night through Orbitz)