Spark by Hilton Abingdon I-81 near Fairgrounds

The key card was a hassle since we had to get it redone each morning. The building layout is a little strange, though it does have guest laundry. Rooms were clean, the location is excellent, and breakfast was basic, just as expected.

We stayed in room 201 after reading the rough reviews and ended up having a really good stay. I’m picky, and we usually choose nicer Hiltons, but this place didn’t give me a motel feel at all. It looked like some improvements had been made, with new carpet, clean rooms and lobby, and genuinely friendly staff. Breakfast is simple but has more than the bare minimum: bagels, oatmeal, cereal, toast, and yogurt. McDonald’s is right next door if that’s not enough.

The bathrooms need a better setup. The tubs are shallow and the curtains are short, so shower water ends up all over the floor. It also took about 15 minutes for the water to get warmer than lukewarm. The rooms were very clean, though sparsely furnished. The building is new but has a strangely long layout, and despite there being hardly anyone there, we got rooms as far as possible from the lobby desk. Breakfast was cold food only.

A clean, quiet spot for a quick overnight, and check-in, check-out, and the room were all fine. Most of the staff seemed nice and the atmosphere was good, but the dark-haired woman at the front was aggressive. I only asked a question and got talked down to like a child.