liked the location and amentities
service average
parking ok
room not the nicest or cleanest
if the room is important this is not the place
if you want location with some amentities and some character and dont mind motels this is good

.. that mean a lot. Unexpected in a motel. Soft towels, bathrobes, free wi-fi. Impeccably clean and well maintained, centrally located, friendly and helpful staff, free coffee and cookies in the lobby. A wide-screen TV that actually has HD channels. Breakfast is the usual free fare - bacon&eggs, make-your-own waffles, pastries & juice, yogurt & cereal. But, hey, it's free. And you can read a complimentary Wall Street Journal while you're dining.

Yes, it's a motel. Two stories with rooms opening onto the parking lot. But the Quality Inn Boulder Creek does all the little things well (big things, too), and it all adds up to a very satisfying experience. I go to Boulder a couple of times a year on business, and it's the only place I even think about staying.

The motel is about 10 minutes walk from Pearl street. The reception staff are very friendly and helpful. The rooms are rustic but clean and cosy and have flat screen TVs, the bathrooms are very small. There is a pool but it didn't look too inviting and the gym is very basic with a couple of bits of kit. The free breakfast was edible but again very basic and not that appetizing, think cheap cereal, concentrated juice and artifically flavoured yogurts. However, there is free coffee and cookies in the reception all day.

Spent 4 nights recently on a business trip.

This is a relatively small hotel in a small spot, tucked in on Arapahoe Ave, pretty much adjacent to the CU campus. The location is great as it is pretty much right in the middle of town. If you like to get out and walk around or bike around, this is a great spot. Close to a lot of activities.

The check in was easy and friendly. I got a one king room for $104/night. The room was overall clean, decorated nicely, and decent enough. The rug was a bit worn, but not a big issue. The furniture was modest but in nice condition, and the western themed desk was nice. The flat screen TV in my room was nice, and they had lots of channels on them, including several HD channels, and 3 different HBO channels.

Since this is the People's Republic of Boulder, going green was a theme here like everywhere in town. Total overkill actually. The room had a recycling trash can as well as regular trash cans, and even a water saving toilet with two types of flushes. The breakfast area had a trash can with multiple places to put various types of trash, along with detailed instructions. One thing that is nuts about Boulder is many of the trash cans actually have instructions with photos on them as to what you are allowed to put in them. You have to stand next to a trash can and read it for a bit before throwing something away. After spending a week there, I was missing good old regular trash cans. I am not by any means anti-recycling, but Boulder is ridiculous.

Oh yeah, back to the review. The hotel wi-fi was of adequate speed and the coverage was good. No issues surfing the net on my laptop. The bed was very comfortable, with soft pillows, which I prefer. The shower/bath was great, with plenty of hot water every day. The A/C in my room worked great, and wasn't too loud.

Breakfast was from 7am to 10am, which in my opinion did not open up early enough. They should start it at 6am. The breakfast was pretty average for a hotel of this class. They had a pretty nasty powdered egg and greasy bacon thing every morning which was a poor attempt at hot food. Totally gross. They had the other usual stuff like waffles, hard boiled eggs, bagels, etc. The diet yogurt was nasty. They should have had regular yogurt.

The staff was very friendly and attentive throughout my entire visit. Big plus in that area.

Now for the negatives. The hotel parking lot was very small, and difficult to move around in. If you have a large vehicle, long wheel based truck, or RV, you are going to have significant issues getting parked, especially when the lot is nearly full. There's not much that can be done about this due to the small size of the lot, but you have been warned. Park your large car/truck early in the evening and leave it there or you may be sorry. The lot was not lit very well at night, with marginal security lighting, but although I am normally very sensitive to parking lot security, it wasn't something I got too bent out of shape about. One thing about the parking lot that I clearly did not like is at the end of the lot, there is free walkthrough access (uncontrolled access) to an adjacent apartment complex. Although I am guessing that this is a relatively low crime area in general, the fact that someone can walk into the lot unchecked so easily and slip right back out after potentially breaking into a car or whatever is unnerving to me. They should not allow people to freely access the back of a parking lot like that. I did notice what appeared to be a security camera aimed at the walkthrough gate to this apartment complex (likely due to problems in the past), but they quite simply need to lock that gate or get rid of it altogther.

Probably the biggest negative of all for me (which has been mentioned in previous reviews) is the absolutely paper thin walls. I had a first floor room, and when people are moving about upstairs, you can definitely hear it. And if anyone is outside your room talking or whatever, you can hear every word. The hotel needs to invest some serious money into soundproofing the rooms. Whether it be additional insulation, beefing up windows or whatever, they need to do something. I travel on business a lot, and this is by far one of the worst hotels I've ever been at when it comes to soundproofing. I shouldn't have to put a pair of earplugs in just to get a good night's sleep. Fortunately in general, the area is quiet, but if anyone or anything moves in the parking lot or above a first floor room, be prepared to be disturbed.

Overall, I was pleased with my experience there, although I felt paying $104 a night was too expensive. I would have been more satisfied if the price was in the $80-$90 range. But perhaps prices are higher in Boulder. Maybe they have to pay more for the ridiculous recycling bins all over the place. I dunno. I struggled between giving this hotel a 3 or 4 star rating, but I gave it a 4 because as I stated in the review title, the pros outweigh the cons.