Check in ok with helpful staff answering questions about Balloon Fiesta, which we'd come to see. Card passes did not work too well in outside doors and had to ask for replacement room as first one stank of cigarette smoke despite it being non smoking hotel. Chambermaid should have reported this. Second room not so well situated but clean and tidy with plenty of room for all our cases, etc. Free wifi so could book tickets on line for fiesta next day and managed to park right outside building for early morning get away. Breakfast also served early enough to get to fiesta which was bonus. Usual continental stuff with added eggs and sausage. Dislike the US throw away culture though as all food served on polystyrene plates/dishes with plastic cutlery, so plenty of waste on month long trip in the States. Whole hotel could do with updating and making lighter as quite dull but was value for money so no real complaints.

Had a hard time finding it at first as we booked the room under the hotel name "Scandia Courtyard"...from what we eventually learned it changed to Ramada a week earlier. Anyway once we got the correct room we booked we were happier with the room than we expected, by the looks of the outside. The door stuck so it was VERY hard to get in the room but the inside of the room was fine especially for the price. it was clean, spacious, and recently renovated. The breakfast was typical, and the coffee machine that included expresso, latte, and capachino was a treat. The office employees were fine...not overly friendly, but fine.

At 1st look you might this hotel is fine. I was unable to shower because when my husband used the shower it wouldn't drain and filled the tub with black chunks!! It was disgusting. The toilet tank lid had to be kept off so we could make it stop running after each flush.
This hotel was previously the Sandia Courtyard ( not by Marriott!) and before that a Howard Johnsons. The upgraded rooms are very outdated. Mold in the grout line in the tub.
Beds are fine with decent linens IF you insist on an "upgrade" room!
This is not a 2.5 star hotel more like 1.5

This is an older property in a hotel cluster, located next door to the famed Owl Restaurant and Diner, a destination eatery right off the Interstate. Labor Day Weekend the hotel was nearly nearly sold-out. We had a Family Reunion there and this was a very afforadable site for a large group. There was also a Softball Tournament nearby, so we had several teams staying there as well.

PLUS / MINUS RATINGS:

1) Very friendly staff, from Front Desk to Housekeeping to Maintenance. They kept the the place very clean, considering the crowd. (plus, plus)

2) The bathroom had the newer water saver shower head (a plus); they also had new toilets - the high-efficiency, water-saving oblong-bowl type replacing the older round bowl design (a plus).

3) Electronic-customer-coded safe in room, large enough for an oversized laptop and accessories (plus, plus, plus)

4) No microwave or refrigerator, but I didn't request them (neutral)

5) Crappy ironing board (minus), decent iron - still this is a minus.

6) Comfy clean bed (plus, plus, plus)

7) Good but noisy a/c unit/heat pump. (This is New Mexico in September - the weather fluctuated throughout the day, so I give this a plus for comfort)

8) Good selection of channels on TV (plus)

9) Sufficient outlets for computer & phone chargers (plus)

10) The staff was extremely nice and helpful, quickly providing anything I asked (plus, plus, plus)

11) Bathroom, Part II - in the bath, the marble vanity / shelf extends from door-to-sink-to-tub. This extended shelf povides plenty of space for your stuff (plus), - BUT - This same shelf extends over the toilet. Now that they have the new oblong bowl, YOU CAN'T COMPLETELY RAISE THE TOILET LID OR SEAT. (MINUS, MINUS, MINUS, MINUS)

I understand the need for water conservation, especially in the Desert Southwest, but someone (corporate?) ordered / installed all this new hardware before being sure they could be properly installed.

Summary -

A decent room for the price. It appears that they're working to improve the facilities - that's nice to see in this economy. I didn't ask for a new room because the place was sold out. I made do with the bathroom situation; hopefully they'll cut the marble shelf and raise it six inches. I heard this same bathroom story from more than one other person.

I plan to be in ABQ again within a couple of years. I may check this place out again if I'm on a tight budget and don't need to impress anyone. Hopefully they will continue with sensible improvements.

-RCH Sr-