Ft. Lauderdale Airport Hotels | "Pre-cruise Hotels: Best Western Plus Fort Lauderdale Airport"

Source: www.chriscruises.com
Category:Ft. Lauderdale Airport Hotels
By:  chriscruises
Posted By: Hotels In Fort Lauderdale

When I think about Best Western hotels, the first thoughts  that come to mind are road trips, cheap but consistent properties and plastic cups wrapped in plastic.  Those thoughts have their roots in late 70′s adventures in the Midwest with friends, putting those places about a step and a half above camping, sleeping bags and air mattresses that didn’t hold air well.  When asked to review a Best Western for a pre-cruise hotel stay, I didn’t set the bar very high and that was a mistake.  A lot has changed at the hotel chain and the Best Western Plus in Fort Lauderdale, quite frankly, surprised me.

Airport Hotels

They still have the plastic cups wrapped in plastic but if this property is typical of what Best Western represents today, that’s about the only remnant of those 70′s hotels.

Arriving  at the  Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport off a bouncy Southwest Airlines flight from Orlando, I collected my luggage and phoned the hotel for a pick-up.  Instructed to wait curbside, the shuttle van arrived in a few minutes and off we went to the hotel, stopping at some other properties along the way to drop off other travelers.  Best Western hotels are all independently owned and operated and apparently the company that owned the Best Western Plus I was staying at also had several other locations in the city, not far from each other.  The whole process took about 20 minutes from the time I called for pick-up until we arrived at the hotel.

Unfortunately the driver took me to the wrong hotel.

At first I found that hard to believe and thought there must be a mix up on the reservation.   The driver double checked with me to be sure he would take me to the right place, I’ll give him that.  I even had the printed confirmation in-hand,  which he glanced over to verify before we left the airport.  Still, once at the wrong hotel, the front-desk clerk had no problem telling me I was at the wrong place and sent me on my way, calling a cab to pick me up.   Waiting out in front of Wrong Hotel, I realized the free shuttle from the airport was now going to cost me cab fare to get to the right location.  Not a big problem really, unexpected things happen when traveling and I thought “How far could this place be?  It has “airport” in it’s title and we’re not far from the airport.

Lucky for me, Leon from Leona Express airport shuttle service happened by, looking for a fare.  I told Leon my situation and he explained that my hotel was in Dania, not Fort Lauderdale and that I really didn’t want to take cab.  Apparently the free shuttle had taken me in the opposite direction, North of the airport while the Best Western Plus Airport South was, indeed, South of the airport.  $20 and a nice chat with Leon later I finally arrived at the right location.   Leon offered to take me to Port Everglades in the morning to board Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for $20, less if I found others that wanted to go too.  Apparently $20 is Leon’s default fare option.  Airport to any hotel: $20  Any hotel to port:$20  Across the street for toothpaste: $20.  Leon seems like a resourceful guy though so make note of his number if traveling to Fort Lauderdale any time soon.  954-245-1824 fixes any transportation problem and gets you an ear-full of colorful commentary along the way.

Finally at the right hotel, I was greeted by a pleasant front desk staff in a nicely-appointed lobby area (see photo gallery below), checked in promptly and off to my room on the top floor I went.  Rooms here are equipped with a fully-functional kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator and a nice complement of cooking gear.  I didn’t plan on cooking but had I been staying longer, I sure could have.  The hotel’s lobby has a small store with sandwiches, frozen pizza and Smart One’s Weight Watchers entrees and a K-mart with grocery store is within walking distance.

The room itself is far from memories of previous Best Western hotel stays with upgraded bedding, flat screen television with complementary HBO and pay-per-view movies at a reasonable $3.99 price which was kind of surprising.  Movies at the Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina, reviewed not long ago,  were an unbelievable $14.99.

Spacious, the room had a nice king-size bed with plenty of plush pillows, the kind Lisa would have wanted to take home had she been along, a good-sized work desk with complementary Internet access, double-size sofa bed and enough floorspace to easily hold a family of four.

Things were looking up and the transfer debacle was fading from my memory.

It had been pouring down rain all day but a break in the clouds allowed me time to walk across the street for a Subway lunch.  There are several other restaurants within walking distance including a Chipotle,McDonalds, Burger King and the like.  I needed a few last-minute items and took a ten minute walk to K-Mart and a shopping center with  an Old Navy, Marshalls, a Dollar Store and others.

Back at the hotel,  a bus load of people were checking in so I sat in the lobby to see how it was going for them as well.  The front desk staff was processing them quickly and efficiently with a pleasant demeanor often lost when  a bus dumps 50 people someplace all at once.

The hotel has some very nice features including a small but serene pool, fitness center and coffee available 24/7 in a small cafe where breakfast is included in the price of the room and served from 6AM to 10AM every day.

Best Western has three grades of hotel, a Standard, Plus and Premiere.  This one was a Plus hotel, accurately described as “offers that little something extra with an affordable price tag. While each property will be different, each features well appointed rooms and amenities thoughtfully designed to suit any travel occasion.”  This one was $139.85 total with taxes and fees.

Stepping down, the standard version, called simply “Best Western” provides guests with “great value and service. Convenient amenities and warm, comfortable surroundings ensure an effortless stay and reliable hotel experience.”

At the top of the Best Western offerings, Best Western Premiere “will always leave a lasting impression, with its distinct style and personalized guest services. Plush amenities and features provide each guest with a refined level of comfort with every stay.”

It was when I was writing this and reviewing the difference between the three grades that it dawned on me: I booked the wrong place.

Intending to review the Premiere location to compare with other higher quality properties in the area, I booked the Plus location by mistake.  Fully believing I had booked the Premiere location,  I’m sure that’s what I told the shuttle driver when asked which location I wanted.  Sure, he should have picked up on my error when he saw the confirmation but I sure did insist that I was looking for the Premiere property.

Still, the Best Western Plus Fort Lauderdale Airport South Inn and Suites is a good property that I highly recommend and would stay at again in the future.  Actually, I’ll probably book the Premiere location next time and finally see how that one stacks up.