This weekend is another dance competition in my hometown that still all but requires a hotel stay. This time we’re on the east side of town at a Marriott property with a convention space: the Indianapolis Marriott East. It’s probably been around since the sixties, and several years ago they completed a major remodel. I’m sure they did what they could, but they try to make this out to be a luxury hotel, and it’s just not.

First, you can’t paint and recarpet away decades of cigarette smoke. I can smell it most strongly in the elevators, but the smell is also in the hallways and, faintly, in our room. Our room is adequate but on the small side Also, the layout is weird in an old hotel sort of way. The hallways form three sides of a square with elevators at each corner. We’ve used three different elevators. One is tiny, one is small, and one is a normal size for current times. There’s a nice courtyard in the middle, which is probably the best thing about this hotel.

I’m not sure why this hotel was ever built in this location, because there’s really nothing nearby that warrants a big hotel. We’re about 15 minutes from downtown, the fairgrounds, and every other attraction I can think of. The hotel’s biggest draw, likely, is that it’s very close to where I-465 and I-70 meet, so it’s convenient to folks who are driving through and want to stop near the interstate.

We were at this same hotel last year — maybe a week or two before everything shut down because of COVID. The pool, which is now closed due to COVID, was average for a hotel. There is a restaurant that never seems to have enough staff. This year I’ll give them some grace, because COVID changed things. But last year, with a dance convention occurring and the hotel at capacity, it was infuriating. Note to hotels: dance moms like beer and wine! Last year they only had buffet meals, which make no sense when you’re feeding a 10-year-old girl with finicky eating preferences. At least this year we’re able to order individual meals. At luxury hotel prices, of course.

Did I mention that the safe in my room doesn’t work?

I will say that all the people here – from check in to the restaurant to the housekeeping staff – have been super nice. Which is an improvement over last year. I guess the thing that really puzzles me is why I have to pay 25-50% more for this hotel than I pay to stay at the downtown JW Marriott, a much nicer hotel.

Still, with Madeline’s 11 am call time Friday, dances ending around 11:30 pm, and back at it again at 8 am Saturday, the room has been a real necessity. Fortunately, she got a break Saturday afternoon and evening, and then was back at it at 8:30 am Sunday after staying up until midnight again to watch the awards.

The good news is that her dances did really well. Her solo took third overall for her age group! Her duet was second, and all of her group dances placed: second, third, fourth and fifth (not in the same category).

Yesterday I noticed there’s a Fairfield Inn by Marriott right beside this hotel, so if we’re back here next year, I think I’ll check that out.