Hotel Residence Inn di Colonie

This was our first stay at this particular Residence Inn. My feelings on it are mixed. First impression, was that the signage and entrance to the facility on Wolf Road was very unclear. The Courtyard by Marriott is accessed by the same entrance, but the signs indicating that the Residence Inn is also accessed from that driveway were not clearly visible, causing us to have to turn around and approach it from the opposite direction. Also, we were a bit confused when we walked into the very futuristic-looking lobby and saw only a sign saying ”Courtyard by Marriott”, no sign saying it was a residence Inn. Not sure if both hotels are accessed from the same front entrance, but we were a bit unsure if we were in the right place. When we entered our one-bedroom suite on the 5th floor, we were impressed with the modern, clean design of the suite. It was quite clean as well. I wouldn't necessarily call it ”pristine”, but it had the appearance of cleanliness. Aside from the confusing entrance issues mentioned above, my only criticisms are not anything that the management has any control over, but is the fault of corporate decisions on the design, furnishings, and furniture for the suites. The bed was comfortable enough. The sofa, however, was not. It was rather stiff and hard, and had very little back support. The kitchen was clean, but the refrigerator had no ice maker (ice was obtained by the ice machine on each floor - ice which promptly froze into a solid iceberg after being transported back to the suite and placed in the freezer). There were not many pans. The dishes were on an open shelf instead of in the cabinets, and the cabinets were, for the most part, empty. I did, however, find the toaster, in a deep drawer. Instead of a small table with a couple of chairs as is provided in many full kitchen suites, this one had a ”breakfast bar” in the kitchen with bar stools which we did not even attempt to sit on. Not the most comfortable option for older folks like us. The TV in the living area proclaimed that one could hook up a device to the HDMI port in the back of the TV in order to view content on our own devices, but several attempts to do so resulted in nothing but a black screen, so we gave up on that idea and watched reruns of HGTV house shows instead. Would we stay here again? Most likely. Would I recommend it to other travelers? Sure. The inconveniences were minor. And the futuristic lobby is something to behold!