Parc 55 Hotel, San Francisco

I spent five nights at the Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco, CA in March 2010. I was attending a large conference, and due to the price I didn't get to stay at my typically choice in the Union Square district, the JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square. I was pleasantly surprised with the Parc 55 Hotel, and would happily recommend it.

I stayed in a City View King room on the 21st floor. The room was a very good size, which was great.  Many of the boutique hotels around Union Square can have small rooms, and that was not an issue here.  Frankly, the room was much larger than I could have used.  This photo is very similar to my room, though its double beds versus the king bed I had. The bedding was very comfortable, and the towels and sheets were soft and in good condition.  While not something, I typically am concerned with, the view was pretty great too.

You can walk to many of San Francisco's great attractions.  The famous cable car and Westfields Shopping Centre are less than a block away.  Additionally, Union Square, Yerba Buena Gardens, the Moscone Convention Center, and the City's Theatre District are all just blocks away.  Finally the Parc 55 Hotel is located within a block of the Powell St BART station, making it very easy to get to and from the airport very inexpensively (current fare is $8.10), as well as providing great access to the city.  Taxi cabs are also plentiful.

Unfortunately something happened with my camera, and I don't have my pictures from the stay and instead are using photos provided by Orbitz.

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Residence Inn Durham Research Triangle Park

We had the opportunity to stay at the Residence Inn Durham Research Triangle Park when visiting family in the Raleigh Durham area in February 2010.  The hotel is conveniently located off of Highway 40 near Route 147 / Durham Freeway and Highway 540 giving you easy access to Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh.  It is just one mile from the 7,000 acre Research Triangle Park, and a short drive from Duke University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and Durham Bulls Ballpark. It is also in a area dense with other hotel options including the Courtyard by Marriott Durham Research Triangle Park, Comfort Inn Durham, La Quinta Inn and Suites Durham Research Triangle Park, and Doubletree Guest Suites Raleigh-Durham.  We choose the Residence Inn because of its competitive rates, my preferred status with Marriott, and the free hot breakfast included.

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Travel Accessory Recommendation: Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Folder 18 Organizer

The Eagle Creek Pack-It's are essential travel supplies for us. They serve two purposes: first, keeping clothes folded nicely and preventing wrinkling; second compressing air out of them to give you more space to pack. They come in small, medium and large. This link is for the medium size, which is great for both pants and shirts.

Highly recommend!

(Neither Amazon nor Eagle Creek provided complimentary or discount product for this review. Constitution Travel may receive compensation if you purchase through the links in this message.)

Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers

I had the opportunity to spend the night at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in mid-October when attending a conference hosted there.

The location of the hotel is definitely its biggest selling point.  Its in the heart of midtown, between between Times Square and Central Park.  It puts you close to Broadway / theaters, Carnegie Hall, Fifth Avenue, and Rockefeller Center. Its also located across the street from the 7 Avenue Subway station, giving you access to the B, D & E lines.  Additionally, it was only a $10 taxi ride from Penn Station.

There were a few other things that really stood out about the hotel.  First, they have LOTS of elevators.  I loathe staying in a big hotel with small number of elevators where they are always slow and stop every floor.  Not a problem here!  The other thing I loved, which are available at many Sheraton and Starwood properties, is the Speed Check Kiosks.  Much like e-ticket check in for an airline, if you have a reservation you can swipe your credit card and be on your way to your room fast.  This is the first time I'd used Starwood's verison, and it worked very well.

The bedroom is quite small, typically of midtown hotel.  This is a fine room for one, and probably okay for two if you aren't going to spend much time in the room.  If you are bringing the family, or planning on spending a lot of time in the room, I'd recommend upgrading to a Club Room or Suite.  As you can see from the pictures, there is just enough room for the queen size bed, desk, and nice flat screen TV.  The Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed's are always great, making for a good nights sleep.  The bathroom is good, much larger than you'd expect given how small the room is. 

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