Well, I must say that I was pretty afraid to come to the hotel after reading all of these reviews posted. However, when I first arrived, and throughout my stay at the plaza, I could not believe how wrong and misleading every one of these reviews was.. My stay, as you will read further, was certainly an enjoyable one as I spent three nights of my 4th of July weekend at the hotel.
Check-in took about 2 min total. I booked my reservations online with the discounted $45.99 rate and reserved three nights in total for three people. My stay was actually split into two different reservations since I decided to add an additional night later during my vacation preparations. The front desk had not trouble at all with this and was able to continue my three night stay without having any problems. I did however have a little trouble with the first set of keys but the second set worked out just fine for the rest of the stay. Housekeeping was very nice and I got additional towels at the front desk upon request.
Now, for the room: clean, organized, well furnished and free of foul scent of any kind. The room was like any other La Quintal or holiday inn room with an added bit of room to boot. The bathroom was clean, spacious and had all the amenities that I could ever want including shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, face soap, toothpaste, etc. etc.. The balcony looked safe and was very nice to walk out onto. The only thing I saw wrong with the room was a little coke stain near the door, that's it! I was very pleased with the room, room service, guest service desk, etc.
I went swimming in the pool after a light jog in downtown Dallas and it was amazing! The water was very warm and the area around the pool was nice and clean. Yes, there are a few holes in the wall area and the hot tub area is closed off but everything is still very nice. I'm not sure what people were expecting when they stayed at the Plaza but lets just say that I was very pleased once I saw for myself after reading the reviews. I continued to swim every morning and my buddies did the same as I reported how nice the facility really was..
The wireless internet, although somewhat annoying to have to use the service in the lobby area only, works just fine and I enjoyed being able to use the internet during my stay.
The "fitness center" facility was a bit bare with only a couple of treadmills and workout stations. This is probably the worst part of the hotel: dark, stained, dirty, broken windows and cracked walls, etc. There were some pieces of equipment available that could prove useful if you were just determined to get some kind of a workout in. Actually, the center had about the same number of machines as any other hotel, just not as inviting and clean, big deal, I didn't come to the Plaza to work out and neither should you.
The hotel is somewhat of a "deserted palace" as I call it because there is nobody apparently taking advantage of the nice facility that the hotel really does encompass in some areas. The fitness center and outside appearance of the hotel is about the worst but areas such as the pool, rooms, lobby and hallway areas are just as good as any other basic hotel if not nicer. Sure, the hotel needs some work and the facility does show some wear in some areas, but you simply can not beat the online price that the hotel offers. You may not want to stay at the hotel for your honeymoon or anniversary, but the hotel is excellent for single men or college guys just looking for a decent place to stay downtown while they are enjoying the Dallas area. Not only was I able to enjoy the area but I also enjoyed the hotel's accommodations as well.
Except for the one night (Thursday), I did not see any homeless people, drug dealers, or *cough* women.. down in the parking lot like everyone on here is warning about. I did notice some "questionable" guests checking in and out of the hotel, but these people would not harm a fly as they are probably from smaller towns and communities wishing to visit a larger metro area and experience the "city life".
Like everyone's "warnings" on this posting, I too am posting my warning too you: do not let these posting scare you, they are posted by mid-aged women and married couple who believe they have found a good deal at a five star hotel located in downtown Dallas, which simply isn't going to happen. For the money, this hotel is fabulous. I am actually writing the rough draft to this review while sitting by the indoor pool on my second day of my stay. I am so confident in my initial impression that I decided to write this review to give those out there a sense of hope who want a cheap hotel for a good stay. I got nightmares at the thought that I had already prepaid for my stay at the Plaza and just now finding out how "horrible" it really is. Please, do not be worried, this hotel is not bad at all. If you read all of these other reviews and actually visit the hotel, you will be as surprised as I was when you arrive.. all is well.