Hotel Impression - Best Western Countryside Inn - Lodi, WI

This is my first 'review' but I don't really think about it like it's a review, because I don't do reviews for a living. Between you and me, let's agree that this will be essentially my impression of the hotel, and I'll tell you what you can expect, and what kinds of features really stood out to me.

That way, if you decide to make a trip that would be in this area, you can take my impression into account as you book overnight accommodations.

Proof that Cheeto and I made it to the hotel and I'm not squirreled away in my basement pretending to make this trip! I got here so early (before normal check in time) that I'm certain I was the first new guest of the night. As I type this it's filling up pretty quickly. The parking lot is getting more full with each half hour. And that likely means a few things:

• Reasonable rate for the rooms



• Great location (very close to the Wisconsin Dells)



• Clean comfortable rooms

All these are true. I can see (but not hear) I-39/I-90 outside my window and it's quite convenient. Although the entrance to the hotel is actually off of a residential street, it's obvious how to get to the place even with little signage. Plus, there's a travel plaza (glorified service station with multiple restaurants inside + little souvenir shop) that you pass by just before getting to the hotel. I've already picked up (and eaten) my dinner from there, which is far easier than venturing out to "downtown Lodi" to find grub. Burgers, Subs and Pizza are the main choices but it's all tasty.

Back to the hotel...

I was greeted by Jamie, who was cheery and genuinely glad to see me. She was not only professional, but personable as well. Like I mentioned, making great time on the road got me here at least an hour before normal check in, but she took care if me, and wouldn't hear anything about making me wait.

She will, however, probably kill me for using this photo. She was a bit camera-shy (something about the witness protection program, I don't remember) but agreed to point to their sign in order for me to take the picture. I don't want to upset her, so here's the one she agreed to:

Breakfast area - (I'll tell you how good this is tomorrow, I gotta eat there first! But it's quite clean.

Here's my room (and I kept my stuff organized for this pic before I eventually totally threw everything everywhere.)

Decent enough TV, comfy bed, lots of room really, and I can't get over how clean this place is. I even went looking in dark corners for dirt or debris, but found nothing!

Can't wait to jump into this thing tonight and get some shut eye.

The pool looked inviting (kids sure got their money's worth right after I took this!) There's a hot tub too.

Cool layout for the lobby. There's a fireplace and business center (actually with a decent computer and printer) and some comfy chairs. But upstairs from this (I was on the stairs taking the photo) there's another little gathering place with comfy chairs in a loft. Never saw something like that before so that was neat.

Like I said, this place is close to the Wisconsin Dells, so they get a lot of tourist traffic (that's a good thing, Mr and Mrs Traveler). They have all sorts of material in the lobby about nearby attractions. And the front desk staff are quite knowledgeable about those attractions (see? I was eavesdropping.) Best of all, they took the time (even though there was a short line of folks waiting to check in when I went spelunking) to make sure each guest knew all the important stuff. (Pool hours, breakfast hours, check out time, etc.).

Jennifer (I hope I got that right) even went as far as personally taking a new keycard to a guest when the one he had wasn't working correctly. She could have just told him to come down and get another.

(You don't see that everyday)

Before I leave this discussion here's my final thought, let me tell you what struck my as unique about this place. The front door contains window stickers for various charities that the hotel supports. It also has one about welcoming support animals (like dogs for the blind, you know?). It's obvious that manager Jaimin Chokshi (I think they call him Jimmy) clearly knows that "it ain't always about the money". I know of a few companies that could use a refresher course in that. Folks who understand that know that brand loyalty can trump a one-time snippet of revenue every time. I'll be a customer for life after this visit.

Of course, that may be awhile from now, but you can bet that when we make a family trip to Wisconsin Dells area, this will be the place that we stay!

Thank you to the Best Western Countryside Inn staff and management for making me feel so welcome and taking care of me so well!