It really isn’t unless you like overpriced garbage restaurants, rude employees, and all spaces packed with conference attendees and screaming children who wandered in from the water park.

 

So, should I stay at the Motel 6, instead?

 

The main appeal of the Anatole to me is the hotel gym they have. For a hotel gym, it’s pretty shweet.

But if you stay at the Doubletree right across the street from the airport, you can can walk 5-10 minutes to the LA Fitness around the corner. A day pass is like $15, though a lot of times they let me in for free. If I was in Dallas for new hire training, I’d just sign up for a monthly membership and cancel afterward if I didn’t have a LA Fitness nearby me at home, though it may still be worth keeping because there are quite a few LA Fitness locations near overnight hotels in the system like FLL, TPA, SEA, and LAX off the top of my head.

 

This made my day, it’s spot on
A grocery store nearby would be nice.
I find myself walking to the Uhaul/Taqueria/Beer store instead. And, I’m only there 1-2 nights a month.

Not sure I’ve ever liked a training hotel anywhere though.

 

there is a Kroger within walking distance if you dont mind 1.5 miles each way. Good sidewalks and seems safe.

 

Yup. I used the Holiday Inn Market Center for a crashpad for a while. It's right there between the Anatole and the Kroger. Very safe for walking. On the same walk (to Kroger) you'll pass the Market Diner (great breakfast and pie), a Panera, a 7-11, a Dicky's BBQ, and a Jimmy Johns.

There's also a light rail station at Market Center, and another at the hospital. Orange line will take you all the way to DFW if you have 45 minutes to spare and want to commute to or from Dallas using other airlines.

A car would help but as temperatures get more comfortable outside walking isn't too bad.

 

Look, here's the deal. That area of Dallas sucks. It's all interstate and shady neighborhoods. Everyone complains about it because it's terrible, rightly so.

The only way to remedy that is to have transportation. Easier said than done when you are a new hire in a 6 week program. Anything less than 8 hours drive and I would drive my car to training. Otherwise you are going to be stuck in whatever hotel you are in because the options within walking distance are lame.

If you have a car, it's a 10 minute drive to the Katy Trail for fitness and scenery followed by a relaxation session at the Katy Trail Icehouse. Tons of other great areas and places to go in the area, just not near Mockingbird and I-35.

So yes, every hotel sucks when you are stuck at the hotel. The Anatole is the least sucky out of all of them. At least it has a huge pool, nice facilities, and a great gym. The doubletree love field is great for a 4 day cqt, but again, without a car it's terrible for any longer than that. The Embassy is nice, but also has the problem of being near Love, although it is on the "good" side, closer to shopping and food. Both of the Sheratons suck. There are no good training hotels because the good hotels for us would be too far from the training center.

I always drive to training. If we stayed in an area that were nicer/more walkable then I would consider flying, but we don't. Downtown Dallas is one of the worst areas in the country for homelessness, property crime, and blighted and abandoned working class areas. All of that surrounds Love field to some extent.

So, in closing, the key to staying sane during training is having a ride. Whack made a pitch for National above....that sounds like a great deal too and I had never heard of that before. If you can, drive. If you drive and are comfortable with it, make your car available to your classmates. Otherwise, prepare yourself for boredom and cabin fever on a scale that you may not have ever experienced.

 

Dang, I never knew. I’ve walked to the rail stop that way a few times. Thank you both for the intel.

 

Thanks!

Can’t be any less safe then heading over the tracks to Target from a MDW hotel I stay at a lot. 😂

 

So true, on every level. I’d consider a two day drive, each way, for a 6 week course.

At a minimum, go buy a $25 bike at a thrift store and roll the dice on long term disability due to traffic.