JACKSONVILLE FL May 6, 2008 - One of the toughest aspects of traveling to Daytona Beach is finding a place to stay while one is vacationing in that area. Without a doubt, Daytona Beach is a major tourist hub, and as a result there is no shortage of hotels in the area. Because of this, most travelers base their decision on the factors of appearance, price and availability. This review will focus on the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn, located at 800 North Atlantic Beach in Daytona Beach FL.
Let us begin with availability. How easy was it to find the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn? Even though it is the height of the spring break season in Daytona Beach (The season runs from March to June), We (
IrSabio Travel Consultants) were able to find the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn had plenty of available rooms. That was comforting especially when considering that Daytona Beach has a long standing history of selling out hotel rooms, especially those with beach front views. On a scale of 1 to 5, The Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn earned a rating of 5 out of 5 for availability.
Second to availability is price. Let us be honest with ourselves, considering the fact that the price of gas has soared to eagle altitudes, to be able to save on a hotel stay makes good financial sense. Hotel rooms in Daytona Beach typically average $120.00 per night; however, The Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn offered a buy one night get the other night free special for the weekend of May 2, 2008. As a result, rooms that were normally $98.00 per night were available for $114.00 for the entire weekend. Now that made great financial sense. On a scale of 1 to 5, The Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn earned a rating of 5 out of 5 for pricing and cost effectiveness.
Next, allow us to consider the one aspect that is usually not available until we reach the point of checking in; that aspect being appearance. Please keep in mind that appearance extends to more than just the physical property, and as a result, the appearance of the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn stacked up as follows:
--> Front Desk Staff: We (
IrSabio Travel Consultants) identified ourselves as travel agents, and requested to do a brief site inspection, which amounted to not more than a high level visual scan. The staff's response was evasive, citing that they were not authorized to permit an inspection and would need the approval of 'The Association' who will not be in until Monday May 5, 2008. That was fair, considering that our reviews are not based on the site inspections anyway, but we still found the evasiveness to a simple inspection to be concerning. We gave the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn a 2 of 5 for Staff Engagement.
--> Parking: The property has two designated parking lots, one leading into the second floor, and the other on the first level. The spaces in both lots were tight and difficult to negotiate, especially of driving a SUV or minivan. The first level parking garage showed signs of construction, or the need for extreme cosmetic touch ups. Several of the supports showed unpainted concrete. The lighting of the first level parking garage was also poor. We gave the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn a 1 of 5 for parking.
--> The Room: We (
IrSabio Travel Consultants) were given room 508. Our first impression was that the room had a 1960's feel to it. There were two full sized beds, and a kitchenette, which we considered to be convenient. Aesthetically, the room was in need of a few cosmetic enhancements. We discovered peeling and chipped paint one and near the closet area, there was rust on the conduit near the air conditioning unit, and rust stains in the bath tub. The television was a small 19in screen, and the signal was full of ghost images. The hot water pressure in the vanity was weak at best, and the toilet required two flushes to completely clear the bowl. The patio was very nice, and it overlooked the Atlantic ocean; however, the window to the patio was coated with a film of some sort, possibly salt film from the ocean. The room was clean overall, but the maid's attention to detail was not so good. My wife had to walk the dirty towels which had been left on the vanity to the maid and request clean towels. We gave the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn a 2 of 5 for the room.
When considering the overall appearance of the areas experienced, we gave the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn a rating of 1 of 5 for appearance.
For this review, We (
IrSabio Travel Consultants) gave the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn an overall rating of 3 of 5. All points considered, the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn offers a comfortable stay for the price. If seeking a cost effective alternative to the traditionally higher prices hotels on Daytona Beach, the Daytona Beach Club Oceanfront Inn could be an option. Although, keep in mind that you get what you pay for.
-- Source E. M. Wise CEO IrSabio Travel Consultants 05/06/2008