HFCS: effika’s blog

This past week I’ve been at the OSEHP conference. The designated hotel was the Marriott on 71st over in lovely Tulsa, OK. The conference was merely OK, but the Ag inspector guys rocked. They brought in random diseased organs as visual aids, handled them with bare hands, and got blood all over the tablecloth. I feel kinda bad for the guy who had to reset that room.

Last winter, I stayed at a recently opened Holiday Inn (near the Bass Pro Shop) for training (yes, the ice apocalypse trip).

Both hotels had their strengths and weaknesses, but for my needs the Holiday Inn edged ahead of the Marriott.

Beds: Evenly matched, although I liked the pillows at the Holiday Inn better. I’m not a big fan of down.

Bathrooms: Holiday Inn wins this one. I had shelves to arrange my toiletries, both inside and outside the shower (Marriott: no shelves anywhere). Their hairdryer worked better too.

TVs: Holiday Inn again, but only because they had a nice new big TV, and the Marriott was working off an older model.

Climate Control: Marriott, no questions. I loved that heater/air conditioner unit. Quick, accurate, and even a little fun. The Holiday Inn operated more like a normal house system (heat or cool), instead of heating/cooling on demand to reach the temperature.

Decor: Holiday Inn, definitely. This is completely subjective, but I liked the dark wood and rich tones of the Holiday Inn more than the eclectic mix of styles from the Marriott. The Marriott is trying to transition out of that awful Southwest phase.

Free Stuff: The Marriott had the best bathroom goodies (Bath & Bodyworks Aromatherapy stuff, even in one of my favorite scents), but I’ve got to have a good free breakfast, which the Marriott did not provide. The Holiday Inn had eggs, waffles, apples, oranges, bananas, yogurt, cereals, 3 different kinds of juices, milk, coffee, ect. Their breakfast lounge also had a TV with the local news, and lots of comfy chairs and couches. Having breakfast included in the room price is a big point for me. I’m sure the room service at the Marriott provided a great breakfast, but I didn’t want to pay to find out.