Spark by Hilton Lansing

Teresa, the manager, is a blessing. After a really bad, rude experience when I tried to check in at Hilton garden prairie on our drive to Kansas City, I was sitting in the van with my kids, unsure where we'd stay. Every place I called wanted way too much for a room. Then I found this hotel, and the person who answered was super nice. Check-in was easy, and we got two adjoining rooms, right by the door, which made things simple with so many kids. The next morning, after breakfast and back in our room, my son was freaking out and screaming. The manager came in to make sure everything was okay, which meant a lot to me. She showed she cared. Teresa was amazing again at checkout, too. The rooms were very nice and clean, stocked with everything, and big, with comfortable beds. We're very happy and will come back for a whole week. I recommend it to anyone with kids. The staff are super friendly, and I look forward to returning.

For a small, inexpensive hotel, I was impressed. My family and I were traveling on I-70, and the spacious rooms, comfortable beds, and clean spaces worked well for us. The tech was a nice surprise, from wireless chargers to TVs controlled by phone with all the streaming services. Since fewer people watch cable now, streaming access matters to me. The bathroom had all the soaps and lotion, plus great water pressure. Breakfast was generous, the coffee was actually good, and there was a nice gym and pool. Staff were friendly, and the hotel felt modern. There wasn't a business center or printer, though. I'd recommend it.

Spark is basic and budget friendly, and works well for a one-night stop on a trip. We paid a little over $100 for comfy beds, a good night's sleep, and free breakfast, so a smallish room without in-room coffee or a microwave wasn't a big deal. This was the only hotel on our cross-country trip, mostly at Spark by Hilton hotels, where we wanted a microwave and didn't have one in the room. We'd brought takeout pork stew for dinner, so we put it in the fridge and planned to carry it in our cooler to the next Sparks, hoping for a microwave there. Then we had the brilliant idea to take it down to breakfast at this Lansing Soarks, where there was a microwave. We had a table, utensils, and a sunny breakfast room, and found that high-protein soup makes a perfect morning meal. We added English muffins from the complementary breakfast. The coffee was pretty good compared with other hotels, and available 24 hours. GPS took us along residential streets after the Interstate, which seemed odd, but maybe that was because we selected no tolls.

The room itself was perfect, recently remodeled and clean, with that new-room smell. But right after checking in I found out the hot tub wasn't working, and that was the only reason I chose to stay here since I live locally. I spoke with Bella, asked for a refund, and checked out. Bella was very professional and explained I'd need to talk to the manager the next day. I went back and spoke with General manager Teresa. She's phenomenal and a huge asset to the property. She listened to my concerns with professionalism and empathy, and we reached a resolution, even though it didn't meet my needs at first. I'll definitely stay here again once the hot tub is back up and running.