Spark by Hilton Branson Meadows

For the price, it’s a nice place, with great staff, a nice pool, good breakfast choices, and nighttime treats that the kids loved. The rooms are small, but workable for two people, so don’t expect much space. Some rooms have microwaves and some don’t, which meant going to the lobby to heat things up for us. The layout could have been thought through better: the nightstands have a top but no shelves, there’s no bathroom counter, and a mirror over the desk would give you somewhere to put on makeup. The shower-tub combo can’t be used as a tub because there’s no way to plug it, while the sink does have a stopper. Why not make it a walk-in shower instead?

Jodie at the front desk was incredibly friendly and helpful, and she arranged an early check-in that gave me far more time at Silver Dollar City than I expected. Spark has nice amenities too, including a small free breakfast, an evening ice cream social, and a hot tub in the pool room. The location is decent and convenient enough. My one gripe is the luggage carts. With only three wheels, they were frustrating and made me drop my things a couple of times. The angled asphalt around the hotel made them even harder to roll. Traditional carts would be a real improvement.

We had a great time during our 4 nights at the Spark. The rooms were a good size, the beds were comfortable, and the bathroom was roomy too. When a small maintenance issue came up, the front desk dealt with it right away. The staff were kind and helpful the whole stay. Thank you, James. I’ll be back and will tell people about our stay.

The constant noise was the biggest problem by far. This is the noisiest brand-name hotel we’ve stayed at. We could hear doors shutting, footsteps in the hall, car doors in the parking lot, and even a yapping dog from our room on the 4th floor. A mother and toddler’s conversation came clearly through the bathroom vent, as if they were in the room with us. As the hotel filled up, bedtime interruptions became constant and made restful sleep difficult. It’s a shame noise reduction wasn’t considered in the remodel, and I can’t imagine many people choosing to return if they want a restful stay. I really wanted to like the hotel, and the fresh remodel and helpful front desk staff gave me high hopes. The room was fine for a short stay with one or two people, but there was little space to unpack, no drawers, and only one desk chair, so a group would end up lounging on the beds. The beds were a little soft but comfortable, the linens were crisp and fresh, and we appreciated the extra third pillow on each queen bed. The room had been cleaned with a scented product that could be a problem for someone with allergies. The bathroom was small but adequate for one or two people, with good water pressure and quick, plentiful hot water. With children, the limited space around the sink would be hard to manage. The bathroom door latch needed repair, but maintenance fixed it as soon as we told the front desk. Breakfast was a pleasant surprise, with pancakes, eggs, and sausage each morning. Having it on the third floor seemed odd, but turned out to be convenient. We also appreciated the bottle filling station on the first floor. We found it by accident, but it was much easier than filling a tall bottle at the bathroom sink.