On Superbowl Sunday, I had occasion to spend a lovely afternoon and night at the Residence Inn in my hometown of Redmond, WA. (Specifically, the occasion was that a windstorm had knocked out our power on Friday night and 36 hours of entertaining a toddler in the dark had wracked my nerves to the point that a hotel room and hot shower was the only way to save my sanity.) Sensing impending doom, my husband called hotels in the area to check on availability and rates. The front desk clerk assured Tim that they had plenty of availability and could take us any time. Although not the cheapest option at over $200, he knew that the Residence Inn would provide the level of comfort and room we needed to watch the Superbowl in the style to which we were accustomed.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the same clerk to whom Tim had spoken on the telephone, and he remembered our situation. Taking pity on me in my unwashed state of sweats and a baseball cap, clinging to the hand of a rambunctious toddler who so desperately wanted to explore the lobby, he gave us a handicap suite at the end of a hallway. He said this would give us a little bit of extra room for our son to run around in, and it had a full kitchen and living area. He offered to send up a crib, told us when the complimentary continental breakfast would be served in the morning, and we were on our grateful and merry way.
On the way to the elevator, we encountered a wedding party checking out from the hotel. Small talk revealed that Superbowl Sunday is one of the best weekends in which to marry, since absolutely no one else is doing it. Everything is cheaper, and if you can get your groom or your guests to miss the big game, you get a whole lot more for your wedding dollar! We also passed the outdoor swimming pool, which was closed for the winter.
Our room was in a corner and at the end of a hallway, which proved to be quiet and very roomy. The full kitchen allowed us to bring in our own groceries, though the hotel offers grocery shopping services for the business travelers who are more frequent guests of such establishments than we blackout refugees are. The living area contained a sofa, two cushy chairs, a coffee table, and two end tables. The sofa does convert to a bed, though our little guest required smaller accommodations. The hotel staff did deliver his sleeping quarters in a matter of minutes (a portable playpen), and even made up his bed with fresh sheets and blankets. The queen-sized bed was comfortably dressed in soft sheets and four pillows of varying firmness. The real prize of this room was the full bathroom, which was outfitted for access by wheelchair, with grab bars and plenty of room to maneuver (chair or small child).
Although the hotel does offer room service through its partnership with the Redmond Marriott Town Center hotel across the street, there are dozens of restaurants and fast food establishments within walking distance. This particular evening we chose to order pizza delivery from our very favorite pizza place: Jet City Pizza. We especially enjoy the chewy beer batter crust. Delivery is always prompt and courteous, and the pizza is always delicious.
Although it is certainly not the hotel's responsibility to baby proof each room in case a guest happens to be under the age of five, we had hours of entertainment trying to keep the child from slamming his fingers into countless drawers and cabinets, from inserting objects into the uncovered outlets, from pulling on the cords from lamps, television, and my husband's laptop, and from banging into sharp corners and tabletops. A major benefit of the hotel's location is the proximity to Redmond Town Center, where same child was taken for some air, shopping, and to give his mother a chance to take a hot shower in peace. Said mother would have appreciated some hair conditioner to go along with the shampoo provided, but the in-room hairdryer made up for this lack.
The only other challenge we faced in this room was in trying to sleep. One of the issues was the pillows, which all proved to be too soft and squishy for my big heavy noggin. I had difficulty finding a comfortable position, at least until I secreted my husband's pillow away from him in his sleep, to add to my own pile. The other issue was completely unrelated to the hotel. Turns out toddlers in strange places are way too excited to sleep, no matter how tired said toddler's parents are. While Tim went back to our house to feed the four elderly cats (only to find the power had come back on minutes before the game started), the child and I engaged in a battle of wits and sheer will. Each time I walked away from the playpen, his little blond head would pop up over the edge, and giggles would erupt from that side of the room.
I tried several creative ways to get him to lie down and sleep, and he tried my every last nerve. I tried placing blankets over the mesh sides so he could not be disturbed by ambient lights or the sight of me. He succeeded in pulling the blankets in and getting himself all tangled in them. I tried ignoring him when his little head popped up. He succeeded in tossing every item out of the playpen, one by one, until all of his stuffed animals, blankets, and pillow were in a heap on the floor. I tried lying on the couch next to the playpen, only to find a little face mashed up against the mesh side, laughing at me. The game only ended when I piled into bed, throwing pillows over my head, and the victorious child babbled and threw things at me. His victory was short-lived, however, when his father returned and with one stern, "Lay down!" got him to quiet and go to sleep.
Well, fine!
Waking came early for us, so we took advantage of the breakfast buffet served starting at 6:30AM in the dining room off the lobby. From the startled looks of the men in business attire, we could tell they were not accustomed to small children joining them for breakfast. Everyone seemed very friendly and smiled at our son as he mashed his banana and leaked milk all over his lap. While he entertained the business travelers, my husband and I availed ourselves of the full breakfast options, ranging from cold cereals, to hot oatmeal, to waffles, scrambled eggs, and sausage. There were bagels, muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt, and of course, hot coffee. Everything was to our liking, though we were starving and in a hurry. It was an enjoyable conclusion to a very pleasant stay.
We would certainly recommend the Redmond Marriott Residence Inn to anyone wanting the comforts of home while traveling. The highlight for us was the attention and care provided by the staff, which went out of their way to see that we had everything we needed to survive a hotel stay with a toddler. The next time the power goes out for longer than 24 hours, we'll be back!
For more information, please see: http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/seard?WT_Ref=mi_left
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