This was my second stay and, overall, another good one. First I,d like to say thank you for something you may not be aware of, my pillow. I have neck problems so when I find a good one that fits the way I need I take it with me. Unfortunately I left it in the room. I called the front desk that afternoon to hopefully get it back, having my daughter-in-law pick it up as she and my son and grandkids live close by. The clerk was very courteous and said it was likely in laundry but couldn't leave the front desk to check. He graciously said he would leave a note and someone could pick it up the next morning. My daughter-in-law did just that.
This is a budget no-frills hotel in a safe location. My son and his family live probably less than 2 miles from there so I am very familiar with the area in southeast Huntsville. I can't think of anything you can't get nearby as all the big box stores, numerous gas stations, restaurants, and a few small bars, etc are a stones throw away. As someone that used to travel with work with plenty of weekly and monthly motel stays I know how important convenience and room costs can be. There are cheaper motels nearby but I don't recommend them due to location(safety) and poor past experience as well as inconvenience due to traffic on 72. VIP has a restaurant on one side and a small bar on the other, both just across the parking lots. There are plenty of others within safe and easy walking distance.
The room: I'm a smoker and booked a smoking room. Those aren't easy to find anymore. That said, there were signs of it if you looked. Nothing to fault VIP for as I put that on previous guests and the room, at least to me, didn't smell like it. The most important parts, counters, tub, toilet, bedding, etc were clean but the floor, TV remote, and spaces you could only see when sitting down or looking under something could use some attention.
There was an issue with the TV box where every time I turned it on to watch I had to unplug the box and plug it back in to get it to wake up.
The water was just warm enough for a shower but never any hot water for my preference even after letting it run 3-5 minutes prior. Stayed warm for a long shower but forget about a hot bath. The drain was slow like it needed cleaning out. Not so slow that the shower didn't drain fast enough but slow enough that any water straight from the tub faucet would fill it faster than it could drain. Likely needed cleaning out. Not a housekeeping issue but more a maintenance issue since the ”hair catcher” or whatever you call it would need to be removed.
The towels would make good loofahs for exfoliating. A little fabric softener would be a plus.
The pillows were flat. Something to address for the next updates.
The floors are vinyl, much preferred over nasty carpet that always keeps something for itself even after a thorough vacuuming.
The door needs a new weather ***** and/or threshold as I did have one unwelcome guest slip under it. Not the kind you'd have to worry about living there though and I simply evicted him with a flush.
I give VIP 4 out of 5 stars. I'm a realist and I know that keeping everything perfect isn't cost effective and could easily increase room rates but I also know that some of the small details would simply take a little more time and attention.
I try to be thorough not just for potential guests but also for owners, management, and staff are fully aware of any issues, grievances, or thumbs up.
I would definitely stay again.
