Important Hotel Information:

In late 2005, this hotel was converted from a stodgy Holiday Inn to a hip and funky Doubletree. To get an idea of the transformation, picture your grandmother getting Botox and a tummy tuck and then buying a new wardrobe at Betsey Johnson. Guests will still encounter a bit of both worlds: the public areas look like “before” and the guest rooms look like the “after.” The rooms are shockingly beautiful for a suburban business hotel, with quality furnishings and linens, a variety of soft lighting in modern fixtures, contemporary furniture, abstract art on the walls, and even a padded leather headboard for, um, active couples. Baths are standard in size but well-appointed, with lots of granite and sleek fixtures. Public areas are stuck in a former age for now, but are also slated to join the new millennium once renovations are complete. For now the bar and restaurant are like those in any other mid-range chain hotel — they do the job, nothing more. Which leads to the main drawback of this hotel, now or later: It’s in Westport, by an interstate highway in a suburban office park area. This is not a good spot for tourists. For business travelers under 50, however, it’s ideal.