University Place Hotel Indianapolis

University Place Conference Center & Hotel is located on the campus of IUPUI (Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis) just outside of the downtown area. My three night stay was booked at a Priceline rate of $65.00 + tax/night for a 4* hotel.

And that in a nutshell is the main problem with this hotel. While it is a decent hotel it does not belong in a 4* category. The hotel rooms are pretty much standard that you would see at any Courtyard, Hilton Garden Inn, etc. that caters to business travelers. But in the top category it is not. The hotel was situated mainly for visitors to the IUPUI hospital next door and conference attendees on campus. The hotel was OK for a business stay, but I would not recommend it for visiting Indianapolis on vacation.

Now for some specifics:

Parking - A parking garage at $14 per night (my co-worker paid for this, so I'm not sure of the exact cost)

Check-In - No problem, nice, quick, efficient.

Rooms - Like I stated above, nothing special. Biggest problem: paper thin walls and doors so you could everything going on in the rooms next to you and the hallway outside. Best amenity - new flat screen TV in the room. No problems with the cleanliness of the rooms.

Restaurants - two restaurants on-site. One more upscale, one bar and grill. A gutted food court has been closed down for some time in the conference center.

Fitness Center - Not bad. Lots of equipment and most in better shape than I've seen at other places. Probably the one thing that would get 4 stars.

Swimming pool - Not that I would have had time to use it, but what swimming pool.

Other amenities - Take your room key or check at the desk to pay discounted rates to some IUPUI fitness facilities.

That comes out to be a pretty average hotel. I have no real complaints about the hotel but I also came away with nothing to wow me above a 3* rating here on TravBuddy.