The Hotel Blue
On April 4th, 2010 I checked into The Hotel Blue in Albuquerque, NM with high expectations. The Hotel Blue features the Tempur-Pedic DeluxeBed in every room, which is a step above most hotels, and almost unheard of at hotels which are less than $100.00 per night. After checking in, I went straight to my room to rest a bit before proceeding with my plans for the evening.
Once I was settled in my room, I laid down on the bed for a brief nap. I didn’t bother to pull back the comforter and sheets. The Tempur-Pedic bed was comfortable from the beginning, and quickly the foam began to soften slightly under me. Within minutes I was asleep with my alarm set for two hours of rest. When I awoke from my nap, I felt no stress throughout my body, and had not moved a bit while I was asleep.
Later in the evening, I peeled the covers back for my night’s sleep. The sheets were crisp and clean, and it was just warm enough to use the light blanket and leave the comforter off for the night. I noticed that without the sheets and comforter below me, the bed felt slightly firmer at first. The DeluxeBed was still very comfortable, but the extra padding I was lying on earlier made a difference. As I noticed the firmer feel, I also noticed that the bed was able to contour to my body much more effectively. This feeling was unique to a memory foam bed. Within a few brief minutes, the luxurious memory foam had softened below me, allowing my full body to feel the comfort of the Swedish-made memory foam bed. I fell asleep quickly and in complete comfort.
When I awoke at about 7:30 in the morning, my wakeup call had not even come in yet. I slept soundly and peacefully all night, and woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a busy day. When I got out of bed, I felt the surface of the bed and found that the foam directly below my body was soft and conforming, but on other areas of the bed the foam was somewhat firmer. The temperature-sensitive foam proved its capabilities that night. As I got ready for my day, I felt no pain, no stiffness, and no fatigue. This is important, as I typically feel stiffness in my back after staying at a hotel. My high expectations for The Hotel Blue were easily met and exceeded.
I noticed early that the main street by the hotel would see a lot of traffic throughout the afternoon and evening, and I was a little concerned about possible noise from the road interrupting my sleep. I was on the sixth floor, and typical motor noise was non-existent at this level. There was the occasional loud vehicle, but the noise was only barely noticeable when I was awake, and did not have any impact on my sleep at all. If you are concerned about the possible traffic noise, staying in a room at the furthest end of the hotel away from Central Ave. would certainly resolve this. The blinds drew tight, letting in almost no light in the evening. Once I was settled into my room, there was no outside interference in my rest. There were also several in-room amenities which helped me relax, such as the 42 inch LCD TV with satellite service. There was a refrigerator with freezer, microwave oven, and one free bottle of water in the room. All of the typically forgotten toiletries were available in-room, such as a shaver with shaving cream, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
I had also noticed several steps that The Hotel Blue had taken to go green. In the general areas of the hotel as well as in the rooms there were CF light bulbs everywhere possible. There were also dispensers for shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, hand soap, and lotion. This was done to reduce packaging used in each room.
When I had arrived at The hotel Blue in the mid-afternoon, I have to admit that the outward appearance seemed as if this were a budget hotel, the exterior of the building was maintained, but seemed a little dated. Walking into the lobby removed any doubts I had, due to ample space in the lobby, newer stylish furnishings, and a very well maintained common area. There were complimentary fresh-baked cookies on the table and computer workstations for guests. After my initial nap when I checked in, I found some of the highlights of the hotel and I was also equally impressed. There is shuttle service available from the airport, plus additional shuttles to the Old Town Albuquerque shopping center and the Albuquerque Convention Center. The hotel was located at the west end on “the strip”, Central Avenue. There are multiple restaurants and nightclubs within a short walk from the hotel. I also learned that there was a complimentary breakfast bar available in the mornings, complete with fresh Starbucks coffee. I got a chance to check out the meeting rooms, which were large enough for about 60 people in each of the three rooms. It appeared that these rooms could be joined for higher capacity.
All in all, I would recommend The Hotel Blue for any occasion you might be visiting Albuquerque, NM. During my stay, I did find a few issues with my hotel room, but these were all minor and had no impact on my rest there. As an example, the door to my room required a little extra effort to close and the showerhead had a slight leak. These were all isolated problems though, and could be encountered at any hotel in any price range. I also learned, when I checked out in the morning and spoke to the general manager, that there were some major renovations scheduled to take place in the near future, including replacing furniture in rooms, replacing doors at the rooms, and a general face-lift for the entire hotel.
Beds.org is proud to have the only hotel bed review site in the world! We feel that for far too long hotels have not been rated for the most important aspect of your stay...your sleeping surface. While some mattresses and beds offered at various hotels are new and higher end models of brands you may know well, some hotels feature mattresses and beds that are uncomfortable, unsupportive and saw better days when it was first made 20-years ago! We invite you add your own review below:
Post A Comment/Review :
|
This is members only feature.If you are already a member, please sign in or you can sign up for free. |
Sign Up
| Already a member? Sign in here! |
| |
|
| |
|
|
Login
