The best hotel in Atlanta (and possibly the world)

Something that really bothered me about the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” was the scene where they go to the hotel. In that scene, a family that is supposed to be so poor that they can’t even get their van fixed, gets THREE hotel rooms for six people. Now, my family was never so poor that they had to provide a manual running start to their van, but I can tell you, that when we traveled, there was never ever an option for more than one hotel room. We were all sleeping in that hotel room, no matter what sleeping accommodations that involved.

As you might expect, with three children and two adults, that might get a little crowded, particularly as we all got older and bigger. But there is one place on God’s green earth where a family of five can get a reasonable rate on accommodation big enough for all of them, as well as the best continental breakfast in town, and that place is the Embassy Suites north of Atlanta.

This hotel is mainly a businessman/conference kind of hotel, so I don’t know what it’s like to stay there during the week. But on the weekends, when the businessmen leave, the prices plummet and the place is a haven for families. First of all, the rooms are gigantic, and as they are suites, there was usually a sitting room area, so that everyone is not right on top of each other. Yet the prices, as I have mentioned, are comparable to one room at a regular hotel.

But this hotel has way more amenities than a regular hotel! For starters, there is the aforementioned continental breakfast. This breakfast includes an omelet station, pancakes, breakfast meats, potatoes, breakfast breads, and things I don’t even know about because I never get around to eating them. You could eat there for a week and not eat the same thing twice.

There is also a complimentary happy hour with beer, wine, sodas, and chips and salsa. If you have parents like mine, perhaps they will sneak you some alcohol if you are not quite of age.

The hotel is one of those that’s open all around, with an atrium in the middle, and there are glass elevators that go all the way to the top, which is good for young children who like to do things like ride elevators to look down at people, and also to have elevator races.

For some, the location might be a downside. It is 25 minutes north of the heart of Atlanta. But it’s right next to a mall, movie theaters, and every single chain store you can think of, which was nice if you were from a small town in North Carolina and didn’t necessarily have access to things like an Old Navy or a Best Buy growing up. If you are traveling with small children, they will probably enjoy these things more than what downtown Atlanta can offer them.

It often happens that one’s childhood memories can’t match up to the current experience, but friends, I was at that Embassy Suites just that very weekend, because my parents were in town to help me move in to my new apartment. And the omelets are still as delicious, the rooms are still as spacious, and that glass elevator still goes all the way to the top. That Embassy Suites is truly a marvel among hotels.

So yes, I am all moved in. I had my first day of work today. Everything is going well, and I will write more about it when I am not utilizing my neighbor’s wireless internet.