The Embassy Suites Hotel in Grapevine, Texas. Photo / Supplied
Belinda Feek enjoys six nights in the Embassy Suites by Hilton Grapevine in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas
Location: A 10-minute drive from Dallas-Fort Worth airport and about five minutes from Grapevine town. Grapevine sits in the middle of Fort Worth and Dallas, each a roughly 25-minute drive away. An airport shuttle service is available.
Style: Classic American brick, modern and newly renovated.
Perfect for: Business or pleasure, given all rooms are spacious suites. Handy if you want to get in a hearty shopping experience at Grapevine Mills, the second largest shopping mall in North Texas, which is less than a kilometre away.
First impressions: Way more impressive in person than on Google, where it looks quite dated, but that will be because the hotel had a refurb in 2019 where everything but the baths were replaced. It’s quite classic in its style; its rooms surround the open reception and breakfast area which you can look down on from above.
Room: Massive. So big that you’ve got a door to close off your bedroom from the bathroom, lounge and dining area. It also, fortunately, serves to keep out the noise from your fridge or air-conditioning unit. My room had two comfortable queen beds and a view that looks out over the motorway and out towards Grapevine township.
For short stays, there is a note in the bathroom telling guests they can request a “stay over clean”, making the bed, bathroom refresh, and have their rubbish emptied. For longer stays, there is a full room clean on the fifth day.
Bathroom: Normal-sized bathroom with shower over bath. Only four very basic toiletries are provided though - shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, and body wash, so it pays to bring all your essentials.
Food and drink: A nice bar area which, impressively, has a happy two hours every evening where free beer and wine are provided. A vast selection of tap beers along with wines and cocktails are on offer. Breakfast is also included, both hot and cold, between 6am and 9am.
Facilities: Wi-fi is included but you do have to re-log in every 24 hours. There is plenty of parking, a swimming pool, and a gym with basic equipment. The coffee in the room is horrible, but you can get a better one downstairs at the coffee bar/essentials store where can you pick up any travelling basics you may have left at home.
In the neighbourhood: It’s quite a commercial immediate area, although a big selling point is the sport and hunting store next door - Outdoor World - but more so Grapevine Mills where you’ll find Legoland, SeaWorld, a movie theatre and countless shops to fill at least a day of your holiday.
Family friendly: Heaps of families were enjoying the hotel and likely its spacious facilities and rooms. No babysitting services are provided.
Accessibility: A range of mobility, visual and hearing accessible rooms are available, with features including lever door handles, visual alarms and notification devices for the doorbell, braille room numbers, lowered or adjustable closet rails, bathrooms with grab bars, accessible bathtubs or roll-in showers, and more. The hotel itself has accessible public areas, elevators, pool and other facilities. Check the website for full details - there is comprehensive information available.
Sustainability: The only crockery provided was individually wrapped in plastic, and disposable paper cups were also plastic-wrapped.