Quality Suites Albuquerque

Is the area around Quality Suites Albuquerque on Gibson Blvd safe? My son and I will be arriving on a Friday night around midnight, taking a taxi from the airport. The rest of our group doesn%26#39;t arrive until Saturday evening. I%26#39;m a little worried about our safety. Can anyone give me some advice?

Quality Suites Albuquerque

Hi Winston,

I don%26#39;t think you have anything to worry about. If you%26#39;re getting in a taxi at the airport and then being dropped off at your hotel, there%26#39;s not much risk. Your hotel is less than five minutes from the airport, and very close to several other business-oriented hotels. I used to drive by it every day, and the clientele is mostly business and airport travelers. Also, you%26#39;ll see lots of military there due to the nearby air force base. Tourists usually stay elsewhere. I wouldn%26#39;t take a stroll by yourself after midnight there, but I wouldn%26#39;t do that anywhere, really.

The thing about that area is there%26#39;s not much in walking distance except a gas station, a Burger King and a Subway. The nearby neighborhoods are not fancy: think of any neighborhood near an airport in a medium-sized city, and you%26#39;ve got the idea. Since there%26#39;s so many hotels around there, I see lots of different types of people walking around during the day.

However, a very short cab ride away there are several unique places, including Albuquerque%26#39;s museum cluster, old town, nob hill, and the university. Since you have to wait on people on Saturday, I would take a cab to UNM, and take a walk around the campus. Then walk across Central %26amp; eat at the Frontier. Normally I%26#39;d suggest museums and cultural stuff first, but if you%26#39;re going to do that with your group, you may want to wait.

Have a great visit!

Quality Suites Albuquerque

I have not clue about that hotel, but the Hilton Garden Inn right outside of the Abq airport has inside corridors and felt very safe to us. Maybe change to that for the first night.

Our entire group (30 families)is booked the Quality Suites, so changing hotels is not an option. Is the hotel clean? Thanks ABQ info, for your reassurance and the tips on what to do that first day.

Hi Winston,

I think it%26#39;s probably fairly clean, and I%26#39;m basing that on seeing a preponderance of military people there. I%26#39;ve read some reviews, and anyone who complained about cleanliness seemed to have a specific mess that wasn%26#39;t cleaned, not a general cleanliness complaint. One reviewer claimed he could tell it wasn%26#39;t clean by the exterior. (??) Not sure what that meant, as it looks very much like all the other hotels in the neighborhood, if not a little nicer.

Also, according to a website for the hotel, there are only 73 rooms there. If your family is renting 30 of them, you may have considerably more clout with the management than if you had rented only one room. If you have any complaints or problems, they will probably be very motivated to fix them!

30 families! Does this mean Michigan is invading?!?!

I%26#39;m not sure if the hotel is large enough to have a group manager, but a call placed to that person or a general manager along the lines of '; Thirty families are staying at your property and I just want to make sure you are the person to contact in case we have a complaint or compliment about the hotel while we are there'; might get you somewhere. With the economy the way it is, hotels are very smart to make sure that the guests who pay the most, i.e. groups and frequent guests, get the best treatment.

Thanks for the suggestion karmethecat. Yes, my son%26#39;s middle school (parents and kids)is invading Albuquerque on Spring break. The secretary from the school planned the entire trip for us. Can you suggest any reasonalby priced, but good, places to eat near the hotel? We%26#39;re not renting a car, so restaurants witihn walking distance would be great.

Hey Winston,

Well, the closest things within walking distance besides the Subway and Burger King are a Village Inn, Applebee%26#39;s, and Fuddrucker%26#39;s, all of which are east of the hotel at the corner of Yale and Gibson, and none of which I recommend. There%26#39;s a sandwich shop called Christy%26#39;s that%26#39;s pretty good. It%26#39;s just south of Gibson on the west side of Yale, but it%26#39;s only open for breakfast and lunch.

All of the other hotels around you will have restaurants as well. I would really recommend a cab though, as you are close to lots of great inexpensive places like the Frontier, the 66 diner, Mannie%26#39;s, The Chocolate Factory, Cervantes, El Taco Tote, and Dion%26#39;s Pizza. I normally wouldn%26#39;t recommend pizza, but you%26#39;ve got middle schoolers, and Dion%26#39;s a big step up from Domino%26#39;s or Pizza Hut. Plus they%26#39;ve got salads and sandwiches for adults and they%26#39;re used to crowds. It%26#39;s right beside El Taco Tote, so people could go either place.

If any adults go out for a nice dinner, try Zinc Wine Bar, Yanni%26#39;s, Vivace, Il Vicino, Los Equipales, Antiquity, Season%26#39;s, or for an inexpensive happy hour: Monte Vista Fire Station on a Tuesday. All of these places are close to you, and that%26#39;s really just the tip of the iceberg. But my fingers hurt from typing so much, so I give! ;)

One more thing: the restaurants at the corner of Yale and Gibson are about a mile away from your hotel, and Gibson is a very busy six-lane street. There is a construction project that may have parts of the sidewalk torn up in between, and the walk will be uphill to the restaurants, downhill on the way back. I also forgot to mention there%26#39;s an IHOP: it%26#39;s on Gibson not quite to Yale, so a bit closer.

Hope that helps!

Their Yellow Pages ad states ';Complimentary Airport Transportation,'; but if that includes midnight arrivals, I do not know. The Quality Suites is probably not more than a mile from the airport, so a cab driver might expect a big tip, for such a short fare ride. :-)

I will also include the 15 reviews of this Quality Suites here on T/A. They are all over the board to say the least. It sounds as though you are locked in anyway, so hopefully, yours will be a positive experience.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60933-d142191-鈥?/a>

As previously recommended, I too would take a cab ride to the UNM/Nob Hill area (the blocks immediately east of UNM) on Central Ave. (old ';Route 66';) to absorb a little Albuquerque flavor.

If taking cabs around to restaurants is too much, there is a city bus, Route 16/18 also known as the Bug. Goes from near your hotel to the university and Central Ave, where there are plenty of places to dine. $2 for adult day pass, students 35cents and kids under 10 riding with an adult are free. http://www.cabq.gov/transit