Our first stay at the new-ish (year old) HGI in Springfield makes it our favorite lodging in the Eugene area. Good combination of great service, convenient location, comfortable rooms, amenities on property and competitive rates.
For total experience, we think this HGI is as good as Inn at the 5th . Two very different properties for sure; the latter a boutique hotel and this one part of a national brand. But comparable for guest enjoyment for overnight and we saved over $80 by making HGI our choice this time.
Five star rating here is as compared to other hotels in the Eugene area where we've stayed and also to other HGI properties where we've stayed nationally.
In out of order reference, details follow for the summary above:
LOCATION
Right off the freeway and convenient to nearly anything in Eugene, all just minutes by car. Close to the area's great parks, shopping in the Oakway Center, just a few minutes drive from good Eugene restaurants (such as Red Agave, Marche, Belly, Rye, Sweet Life), the 5th Street Market and UO campus.
SERVICE
From check in to check out, service was top notch even though the hotel was near capacity which always puts extra stress on a staff.. Sales staff and management went out of their way to greet guests during the evening reception and seemed to make everyone feel as if they were truly glad HGI was our choice for lodging. That the hotel enjoys a strong occupancy rate is probably due in part to this kind of service.
ROOM
We made reservations the day before a mid week trip and found the HGI was booked nearly full (see This N That below). Only a handful of rooms, all double queens and all on the freeway side, were available. In a perfect world, I'd say ask for a King room on the odd numbered, non freeway, side. But given our fifth floor (of five) location, the freeway noise for our even numbered room was not much noticeable at night.
A big advantage of the hotel overall was the sound proofing between rooms is good and we didn't hear our neighbors.
Bathrooms are ample sized and functional if not spacious. We had a shower over tub bath but I understand they have shower only rooms and given that is our preference when possible, I pass the info along for others who prefer the same.
Beds are the standard HGI sleep number adjustable (on a dial of one to six from soft to firm).
Room was spacious enough. Everything was sparkling clean. Color palate is what I call "curry colors" of curry leaf green, curry powder orange, and tumeric yellow.
In room fridge and coffee maker.
AMENITIES
The lobby has a plethora of seating at tables and chairs. A fireplace greets you in the entry and as Eugene has more than its share of gloomy days that is a nice touch. Lobby and breakfast room seating area look out through large windows. A bar is right off the lobby. Free coffee available from roughly 5a to 11p. Fresh cookies in late afternoon / early evening.
Exercise room was spacious and bright with free weights and four or five pieces of cardio equipment. Nice sized indoor pool looked most usable, although we didn't take use it.
Free ample parking in a large lot.
Free fast wi-fi
BREAKFAST
HGI does not provide free breakfast. We much prefer this "pay if you use it" set up. Breakfast available for a flat fee ($10.95?) is a combination of cold breakfast buffet (yogurt, fresh fruit, cereal, etc.) combined with cook to order hot items. We've never tried the HGI breakfast, but we received two complimentary passes for same on this visit. I was delighted to find good fresh fruit, including blackberries and melons, in the mix to go with a perfectly poached egg to my request (hard as a golf ball) and toast. People around us seemed to be enjoy their bacon, omelette's and pancakes. Not gourmet fare but certainly better than the free breakfast stuff offered elsewhere.
THIS N THAT
1) OLYMPIC TRIALS MAKE ROOMS HARD TO COME BY UP THROUGH EARLY JULY: Olympic Trials in Eugene have this hotel and many others booked to near capacity through about July 4. If you're planning to visit in that time frame, reserve early to avoid being shut out.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: Several spots of accessible parking near the entry. Level in and public spaces seem to be nicely accessible with one major error. Seems they did not include a run of standard height seating at the bar which is required by Oregon State building code (Chapter 11 - Accessibility) for sure. read more