On June 30th, at ~6:00 A.M., my family and I checked into the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Dallas, Texas. We were greeted by a friendly staff whose native language was not English, which made communication difficult. Finally, after 20 minutes, we got into our room, which was clean, cool, and simple, but still efficient. It had two double-size beds, a pull out couch, two televisions, a sink and a fridge, and a full size bathroom. Those amenities will set you back a total of $142 for every night, which is a cheaper rate than the hotels closer to downtown.

The entire reason that my family and I found the hotel was for volleyball. I play for Motion Volleyball Program out of Wisconsin, and our team qualified for nationals through bid tournaments. Nationals is in a different location every year; this year it was in Dallas. We had an early morning on the first day, which warranted the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. The food was typical, consisting of eggs, sausage, grits, oatmeal, coffee, etc. However, I thought it was satisfactory, and that’s coming from someone who loves breakfast food. We were thankful for that because we would be staying 3 more nights still.

Long after the wonderful breakfast and volleyball games, a couple of teammates and myself decided to dip in the hot tub. Like any seasoned hot tub user, I strolled over to the wall and turned the dial that controlled the jets. What I didn’t know was that these were no ordinary jets. No—these jets roared to life and attempted to soak towels, phones, and wallets that were feet from the edge. As part of the package, the bottom of the pool was enameled with a buildup of who-knows-what. One of the doors to the pool had even come off of its hinges and was leaned up. It was ridiculous. 

You would think that would be the end of the disturbances. It was not. The next day, we returned to our rooms after hours of volleyball only to find we had no running water because of a broken water main; It would be hours until it was operational. We were sweaty and stinky, and no one could shower now. The hotel did offer to shuttle us to a nearby facility that had showers and rooms, but we politely declined because we didn’t have time. It was not something I would expect from a hotel of this caliber.

Other factors made a difference for me like distance from the convention center where the volleyball tournament was, which was over 20 minutes further by car from this hotel compared to other options. Although, I believe some other hotels in Dallas are more worth the money. If you are trying to save money on a trip to Dallas and want more than enough to get by, it is a good option. If you want high quality service, awesome pool facilities, and consistent running water, I would look elsewhere.