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Ambassador Hotel Amarillo
Categories: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Event Planning & Services Caterers Hotels, Caterers [Edit]
3100 W Interstate 40Amarillo, TX 79102
(806) 358-6161
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
16 reviews for Ambassador Hotel Amarillo
16 reviews in English
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Review from Shig N.
Huntington Beach, CA
1/17/2010
We met our daughter and her husband in Amarillo. Daughter arranged for us to stay here at a special rate. It reminded me a lot of Embassy Suites - maybe that was its history. Very courteous staff - both in person and by phone.
We didn't have the time to use the amenities but everything was comfortable and clean. Clean and courteous staff earn the four stars. I'm sure it would have gone up if we had opportunities to try the pool, restaurant, etc.
I can see us in Amarillo again and we will remember this stay. -
Review from Joe K.
5/3/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Overall, I would say this hotel gets a "Meh." I'd probably give it 2 and a half stars if I could assign half-stars.
Let me start off my saying the people are nice. That's a plus. I'd say that's generally true anywhere in Amarillo, though.
Other than that, I'd probably pass. Not that it was my choice--I was bumped from a flight on American Airlines for about 20 hours, and this was the compensated room. (In retrospect, I wish I had told them to keep it, asked for a flight voucher or similar and I could have expensed a hotel room for the night.) Apparently, they put their flight crews up here and I was told it was "okay." So I had my travel agent cancel the hotel he was booking for me when someone told me it was bearable.
This is a "faded glory" kind of hotel. It was probably good about a decade or two ago when this was the design for hotels of higher caliber. However, their website says that this was voted Amarillo's best hotel for nine consecutive years. I guess what they don't tell you is that those years were 1981 - 1990. Right now on TripAdvisor, they're currently rocking position #20 out of 60-something hotels in Amarillo. (This falls 7 slots below staying at the Big Texan Hotel. Oh dear.) I do admit bias--I am a Hilton Honors member, and this made me miss the Hilton brands.
The hotel is a high-rise (10 story) type hotel with an indoor courtyard, indoor pool, fitness center, etc. However, they've got all CRT-style TVs, and a design that probably hasn't been updated dramatically since (at least) the 90's. It seems fairly clean, though. The hallways smell like there may be some fragrance pumped in, which might mean that they had a mildew problem at one point. No big deal. None of this stuff was my biggest complaint.
My biggest complaints were essentially the rooms. They certainly could have been worse, but they certainly could have been better. Some of my pet peeves could be found.:
-The pillows are a bummer. They're very little of substance, and as a result, no matter how many or how few I use, I can't find a way to get comfortable.
-Again, the TV was kind of lousy. Not a huge deal, but I'm not a fan.
-Outlets in the room are few and far between.
-The worst part (so far) is that the air conditioner appears to be stuck on 74 degrees. I like it kind of chilly in my hotel rooms. Especially when I have no other clothes to change into... Now I feel sweaty and gross.
-I received a phantom wake up call at 4:58 in the morning. I got to bed after midnight. I wasn't so so happy about that.
-Sure, I'm picky, but bring your own soap. The soap and shampoo that they provide is less than stellar.
There is a TGI Friday's in the Lobby. You can also get TGI Fridays for room service in your room. It looks as though they offer a free buffet-style breakfast in the lobby, but from some of the other reviews, I don't think I'm that interested... There's some other restaurants that you can walk to as well.
Again, the good side of the whole thing was that the staff was pretty nice, and I met others that were stuck in the same boat that I was. The shuttle driver was very nice and was willing to drive me to Walgreen's so I could get contact lens solution. Super kudos to him for that.
It's a lot better than a Motel 6 or something of that caliber. (That's the only thing about Yelp... I wish I could provide half star ratings to better convey a ranking.) I'd probably recommend that you consider the Hilton Garden Inn on the west side of town, especially if it's in the same price range. (#7 on TripAdvisor right now. The Holiday Inns are ranked the best, but I don't stay at hotel chains that list "curved shower rod" or "big shower head" or "air conditioning in public areas" or "ice maker" or "FedEx / Kinko's is across the street" as hotel amenities.)
Not that it's their fault, but I just want to get home. Amarillo's an okay place and all, but I'm ready to get back to Dallas. :-( -
Review from Steven R.
8/29/2011
This hotel made me a little sad. It was like a woman who was pretty at one time, and now puts on way too much makeup and dresses that are much too short.
It was fairly clean, but still smelled faintly like the smoke from thousands of rodeos gone by. The beds were ok. The bathroom had a slow draining sink and bath (one of by pet peeves). And the ac was humid and inadequate. There was an inch of dust around all of the carpet perimeter from the vacuum cleaner that doesn't hug the walls.
There was free hot breakfast (powdered eggs and sausages) and it could be perceived as a benefit that there is a TGIFridays in the hotel. Especially if you like Guinness on tap! -
Review from Cameron K.
Austin, TX
3/27/2011
Dear Ambassador Hotel,
You do a lot of things very well. Your staff is great, front desk, breakfast people, hilarious shuttle driver. The hotel itself is really nice, the atrium is good and the indoor pool is a huge plus. The hotel is easy to get to and had really nice pillows and a comfy bed. All these things should be what I'm talking about and remembering.
Instead, I am writing about your paper-thin walls and doors. I could hear other hotel guests entering their rooms. I also knew when half my floor was taking a shower or flushing the john.
And the second night of my stay, I found out that the damn window wasn't even completely sealed! Here I thought the glass was just skinny as well and that's why I was hearing so much out in the parking lot, but no, there's a gap of several inches clear to the outside. And the temperature was in the 30's.
I know "people make the difference" and all that noise, and in this instance, your people are the difference between two stars and one. I'd like to come here again but I don't think I will because great people doesn't make up for a couple of lousy nights of sleep.
Sincerely,
Me -
Review from R A.
Keller, TX
3/2/2012
There was a time when this hotel was quite impressive, probably about 15 years ago. The experience I had this second time around (in 2012) is not worth writing home about. I brought a team I coach here and it was a terrible experience for them as well. We were greeted by being handed a rather bitchy list of things we better not do (be disruptive, vandalize, etc.). They expected my kids to behave properly (as do I), but I found the majority of the Ambassador's staff didn't seem to meet those same expectations. I was awoken in the morning (about 7:30 am) by maids cleaning and YELLING at each other, and vacuuming. You absolutely can hear every single noise. The breakfast downstairs is mediocre (terrible powdered eggs, dry biscuits, something that sort of passes for sausage) -but, they won't let you bring your food up to your room (for NO justifiable reason). They seem very intent on making sure no one "steals" the food at the FREE buffet...this hotel should have bigger worries on its list. The internet was also spotty and it went down during the day....not good considering the group I was with rely on internet for preparing for competition. The response from the front desk was "we're sorry" - listen, if people are on a working trip, they need the damn internet. If I ever wind up here again (and it will not be of my own accord, I assure you), I think I may hand them a list of what I expect concerning behavior from a hotel.
I won't stay here again and I certainly expect better for the price. Also - the towels are weird. They aren't white. That bothers me because it feels like they are hiding something. It seemed clean. I also feel the bathroom was rather small. And the TV is terrible. Frankly, we would have been better off at Holiday Inn or some of the newer hotels built on the west end of the city. -
Review from Preston T.
Amarillo, TX
2/20/2009 7 photos
Disappointing. Where to start?
I booked through Orbitz - it had decent ratings and looked like the nicest hotel in Amarillo. Now that I've actually stayed here, that's a really depressing thought.
The beds are horrible. I felt like I was sleeping on a trampoline. Every time I stirred or rolled over, I bounced a little bit. The pillow looked huge and fluffy, but as soon as I laid my head down, they deflated into nothing. YOU FAKE PILLOWS!
The room was clean enough. I don't know why Javier O. got gray towels. Mine weren't white either, they were.. peach colored? I'm pretty sure they weren't originally white, because if they were dirty, they wouldn't be peach colored would they? Unless somebody used them to wipe down some peaches. Which.... now that I think about it, sounds silly.
I tried their in-house restaurant - Heritage Park. This supposedly got voted "Best Breakfast in Amarillo" recently. Really? REALLLY? Come on, Amarillo. IHOP is better than this crap. They were nice enough to let me sit here and plug my laptop into a nearby outlet. That's right, I'm sitting here right now after eating the breakfast buffet. Boo. Disappointed and my stomach hurts. But at least they've refilled my coffee 4 times now. My hands are kinda shaking from the caffeine.
So yeah, overall, my experience has been blah. Bad bed, bad breakfast that costs $9 a person. I'm gonna go swimming in the indoor pool now. Well, maybe I'll wait 30 minutes - I don't wanna cramp up. -
Review from Don R.
Austin, TX
7/26/2008
The Ambassador is a good clean hotel, an independent of the Embassy Suites variety. Except no suites, at least our room wasn't.
Unfortunately, my family had to arrive in Amarillo on 2 days notice for my Grandmother's funeral. The Ambassador offered a central location for the various errands my family had to run setting up the service. Plus they offered us a very reasonable bereavement rate, which I have never heard of a hotel doing. My family very much appreciated it.
There is a TGI Friday's in the the lobby, which is nice for a beer/booze break from the family. -
Review from Kathie T.
7/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very clean. Great staff. Older hotel. Small restroom.
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Review from Joanna B.
Austin, TX
11/9/2009
Spent the weekend here recently and the staff was outstanding during our stay - very helpful and friendly. Check in was quick and easy, the door man asked about our plans and offered advice, printed additional maps, etc. Really above and beyond.
The hotel is beginning to show its age but was clean and well kept. We stayed on the 10th floor (the cattle Barron level) and while it is a bit more expensive breakfast and happy hour are free to guests on that floor. And the staff during these hours are polite and friendly.
The indoor pool can get very loud (I would hate to be on floors 3-4 over the pool area) and the "stream" that runs through the hotel reminds me of the water areas on a miniature golf course (unnatural blue color).
But aside for needing a little updating my experience with the staff was great and I would stay here again. -
Review from Adam G.
Ennis, TX
6/23/2009
Rooms were clean, hotel was nice and very classy. Large atrium pool for swimming was great for kids. Room was large and when we went out for dinner I called the front desk and had asked them to make out the couch into the sleeper.
It was done perfectly when we returned with mints on the pillows. Even refreshed the towels we had used.
Whenever we come through Amarillo, this is where we'll stay.
I can't attest to any food quality because we didn't eat there, and they lost a star because the ice machine on my floor was out of order so I had to go down a floor for ice. -
Review from Javier O.
San Francisco, CA
9/23/2008
When I arrived in the room, the first thing I noticed was the towels. They were not white. They were actually Grey. I called the front desk for a replacement and what they brought up was even worst. The bed, were made, however, I often found hair unfamiliar to me. Amarillo needs a Starwood preferred property something fierce.
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Review from David K.
Topeka, KS
1/16/2011
The hotel has a very pleasant staff, several people working the Heritage Cafe for breakfast. Not sure I understand that part of the operation, if the breakfast is free, then why do you need to have a voucher from the front desk to eat there. Make sure you take it with you as well or the voucher nazi will hunt you down. The breakfast was good, several hot foods to pick from and quite refreshing. The rooms where clean, some minor maintenance could make the rooms look much better, curtains not hanging correctly, carpet starting to pull from the walls etc... Overall I was very satisfied and the kudos to the staff for making it a great weekend.
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Review from Azure T.
Canyon Lake, TX
7/3/2010
Very friendly staff and comfy bed. The pet friendly floor was convenient for our traveling dog and us!
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Review from Rick T.
Spring, TX
8/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
There is a TGI Friday's attached to the hotel, which made for a quick and easy lunch. The indoor pool is nice, although I was hoping to be lay out in the sun for a while at an outdoor pool. Free wireless internet, which is a huge plus for me. I can't stand being charged by some hotels for internet! For dinner walked one block to Dyer's BBQ, which has a ton of good food for a very decent price. I believe after 5:30pm, The Big Texan steakhouse will send a limo here to pick you up for free. There is a Gold's Gym nearby within a quick 5 minute jog.
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Review from Stephen W.
Dallas, TX
2/27/2010
It was perfectly fine. I got a large room on 9th floor, with free happy hour (on 10th floor) and free breakfast. I would have given it 4 stars but on my last night the room next door started listening to Mexican TV at 4:30 am and it woke me up and I could not get back to sleep. Workers?Guest? I don't know, but it was annoying. Otherwise, a decent place to stay.
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Review from Mark W.
Austin, TX
6/3/2010
Nice room, soft bed, great sheets.
The 'happy hour' on the 'cattle baron level' was worth the extra money. The guy working the bar was super friendly and attentive. Decent snacks and all you can drink.
