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  • It has been years since I have stayed in a Hampton Inn, as they just stopped being in cities to which I travelled to frequently. But a recent promotion between Hilton Hhonors and Aeroplan offering me free Gold Status, and 50,000 points if I stayed four times by May 15th drew me to this Downtown Austin Property.

    Although a few blocks off the beaten path, it is really close to the Convention Center and would make a great hotel to stay at for an event such as SXSW.

    My plane landed in Austin at 1:30 in the afternoon, so I decided to use public transit to get downtown, as the Airport Flyer 100 bus stops a few blocks away from the hotel on 6th street. Bus fare is $1.00 and 40 minutes after stepping on the bus, I was in my room. Although not all too convenient if you had a large amount of luggage, with my roll-aboard and the beautiful weather, I did not mind the four block walk at all.

    The greeting at the check-in desk was friendly, and the attendant very efficient. She recognized my Hhonors Gold Status, asked for a credit card and ID, and told me that breakfast was served from 6:00 -10:00 am on the second floor, and that Monday to Thursday there was free beer, wine and appetizers from 5:00 - 6:30 pm also on the second floor.

    Like at all other Hampton Inns, Internet access is free, and there is an access code printed on your room key folder.

  • The Club Lounge on the 43rd floor of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel offers magnificent views of both the city and the waterfront. Fantastic views of both city hall as well as Rogers Centre (skydome) and the CN Tower will leave you breathless while you indulge in a vast array of early evening snacks, or a fairly substantial continental breakfast.

    The lounge has a complete bar with full bar service, however alcoholic beverages are not cheap. Although they are the same price as the lobby bar, bottled beer for instance is $8 or $9. I have never had a problem finding a seat in the evening, but breakfast can be chaos, especially on weekends when a lot of families seem to be around, and there is a mad dash for seats whether you get there early or towards the end of service.

    That being said, this is one of the finest Sheraton lounges I have seen in North America, and I always enjoy the food they have on offer!

  • For those not aware of Canadian geography, Gatineau is across the Ottawa river from downtown Ottawa, Ontario in the province of Quebec. So basically Hull, Gatineau and Ottawa are the same city with taxi and bus service operated by the same parties to all three cities making getting around very easy.

    I chose this hotel based on its proximity to downtown Ottawa with a 15 minute walk to the Byward Market which was our destination very simple. The Alexandra bridge links Gatineau and Ottawa with the Museum of Civilization at one end and the National Gallery of Canada at the other. The view from the bridge of Parliament Hill and downtown Ottawa is spectacular and even if you aren't needing to, the walk across the bridge is fantastic. The pedestrian lane is as wide as a car lane, and as it is an older metal framed bridge, the pedestrian lane is actually wood-planked.

    We had booked two rooms at this hotel, one with a king-size bed and one with two doubles. When we arrived we were met outside by the bellman who was more than happy to grab a luggage cart for us. I declined his offer of helping with the bags to the room.