Overall Impression This historic hotel originally opened in 1915 and had just remodeled and reopened in December 2010 shortly before we stayed there. We found the location of this hotel, in Davenport just a few blocks from the riverfront, to be excellent for access to the Quad Cities.

Our first impression upon our arrival on a cold wintry day was positive. As we entered the main lobby we discovered a warm fire burning and a very friendly bellman who greeted us at the door. This property had many appealing facilities including handsome common areas, restaurants, a well equipped fitness center, a spa and conference facilities.

Although the weather was extremely cold, it was actually perfect for bald eagle viewing which we were excited about trying during our stay. The locals say that the colder the weather, the better the eagle viewing because the eagles will begin to gather up in a few favorite spots which can easily be reached by car or by walking down to the riverfront.

We found the rooms to be very warm, comfortable, clean, stylish and quiet. When we arrived back at our hotel after being out in the cold we found the soaking tub to be a great way to take the chill of the winter off. There was a TV installed in the mirror in the bathroom which allowed me to catch up on the news while I soaked in the tub.

From the hotel we could reach most of the points of interest we planned to visit. There was a little construction still underway at the hotel during our stay, but it did not detract from our experience in any way. This beautiful historic hotel with 130 guest rooms had many pluses and will be on our list to return to for a future visit to the Quad Cities.

Children The hotel welcomed children of all ages.

Class Of Accommodation Luxury hotel.

Concierge Donna Montgomery

Connectivity Complimentary high speed WiFi internet was available in the room.

General Manager Wesley Ludoff

Handicapped Access Yes.

Length Of Stay Three nights

Location This hotel is located in Davenport, Iowa. The Quad Cities International Airport is 6 miles from the airport. When we were there the hotel had a complimentary shuttle service to the airport.

Managed Restoration Saint Louis

Owned Purchased by Restoration Saint Louis in 2009. The owners when we visited the property were Amy and Ahmrit Gill.

Pets Allowed Dogs and cats under 40 pounds were welcome. Service/guide dogs of all sizes were welcome with a per stay fee of $50.

Size There were 130 rooms in the 11 story brick hotel with 150 people on staff.

Year Opened-Renovated The hotel first opened in 1915. It reopened after renovation December 2010.

Lobby And Common Areas From the main entrance area we walked down a hallway of polished marble to the front desk in a large central common area with a beautiful lighted stained glass ceiling. There were several restaurants like Bix Bistro and Lounge, and Beignet Done That coffee shop close by.

The hotel had many dramatic rich earth tones of deep browns, dark sky blues and classic tans. The décor was stylish and the furniture looked comfortable. The artwork in the hotel was created by local artists and there were designer touches throughout. The ambiance was warm, inviting and friendly.

Bathroom Our 5 foot by 9 foot bathroom included a 3 foot by 5 foot bathtub and shower combination and a full size mirror with a flat screen LCD TV built in. The towels in our bathroom were particularly luxurious and thick.

Room We stayed in a Standard Room, Room 509, with two firm and comfortable queen beds. The room was approximately 15 by 20 feet with a separate alcove space for closets and windows. The room was decorated with the same style and color theme of earth tones of the hotel.

Our room had a mini bar, complimentary coffee and tea, speakerphone with voice mail for up to 20 minutes and local calls, laptop safe, a network data port, wireless internet access, MP3 alarm clock radio, flat-screen HD satellite and cable TV with pay per view movies and games, and a complimentary daily newspaper upon request.

Food And Restaurants Meal options included in-room dining, Bix Bistro and Lounge, Beignet Done That coffee shop, and Bowling Alley Café.

Amenities Our room had bathrobes, ironing board, Gilchrist & Soames body lotion, shampoo and conditioner, a security safe, a stocked mini bar and refrigerator, self service tea and coffee, microwave oven, ice bucket with ice tongs, flat screen HD TV with satellite and cable TV with pay per view movies and games, MP3 radio alarm clock, and a complimentary daily newspaper upon request. Laundry, dry cleaning, bellman and valet services were available.

Facilities There were several places to eat, Bix Bistro and Lounge, Beignet Done That coffee shop, Bowling Alley Café, whirlpool, outdoor sun deck, bowling alley (under construction), game room and amusement center, indoor heated swimming pool, full service salon and day spa, fitness center with cardio and strength equipment.

Fitness Center And Spa There was a full-service salon and day spa, complimentary access to the fitness center with cardio and strength equipment.

Pool There was an indoor heated swimming pool approximately 20 by 50 feet in size.

Conference Facilities This hotel had six meeting rooms with a total meeting space of 10,000 square feet. There were four meeting personnel working at the hotel. The meeting rooms included the Gold Room, 5,000 square feet large, the Davenport Room, 2,000 square feet in size, and the Club Davenport, 1,100 square feet large. For smaller gatherings guests could request the Bettendorf Room, Moline Boardroom and the Rock Island Boardroom.

Other From this hotel we could easily and quickly reach all of the destinations we were interested in visiting including local restaurants, Figge Art Museum, Rock Island Arsenal and Clock Tower, Davenport and Rock Island riverfront, Village of East Davenport and LeClair U.S. Army Corps locks and dam for eagle viewing.

The hotel practiced resource conservation by changing bed linens every third day and at checkout. They provided a card that we could leave on the pillow in the morning to request the linens be changed out. Guestrooms and suites were non-smoking.

This hotel used a pass key that we waved near the sensor rather than the type of pass key that runs into a slot. We needed this key to use the elevators and to enter our room. We found this type of pass key easy, reliable and effective to use.

Cleanliness Excellent

Date Of Review January 2011

Reviewers Article by Chester Godsy

Photographs by Chester Godsy and Joni Johnson-Godsy

Service The room was serviced on a daily basis by housekeeping. Evening turndown was available upon request. The staff members we met were very friendly.

Would You Stay There Again? Yes.

Overall Impression The Quad Cities, Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa as well as Moline and Rock Island Illinois in the United States, have a combined population of around 379,000. The area is considered one of the top four viewing locations for the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), a bird of prey found in North America and the symbol of the United States as well as its national bird. We traveled there to see bald eagles. We met many friendly and interesting people while in the Quad Cities and saw over 200 wild bald eagles. During our stay, we visited several excellent restaurants, historic sites, shopping areas and an art museum.

The Quad Cities straddle the Mississippi River. The towns of Davenport and Bettendorf are on the west side of the Mississippi River in Iowa and the towns of Rock Island and East Moline are on the east side of the Mississippi River in Illinois. The Quad Cities were very easy to navigate in our car. The points of interest were nearby and easily accessible by car. We always felt safe and secure as we traveled around this region.

One important feature of this area are the locks and dams created and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to enhance riverboat navigation on the Mississippi River. They are very important to the eagles because the ice is broken up just past the dams by the moving water. This open water is where stunned fish can be found as food sources for the eagles. The eagles gather up just past these dams in large numbers during the winter months of December through March where they can be seen diving and scooping up fish with their talons from the water.

We stayed in the Blackhawk Hotel located in downtown Davenport Iowa near the riverfront. This beautiful historic hotel was originally opened in 1915 and was renovated in December 2010. During our stay in the Quad Cities, we visited several restaurants with excellent food and service and we sampled beef and bison steaks and walleye (a fresh water fish), local favorites. This was an outstanding area for bald eagle sightings.

Cost Of Visiting We found prices in this area to be very reasonable. The Midwest has a reputation for having some of the most reasonable prices in the country and we found that the Quad Cities was no exception.

Location Quad City International Airport. The largest known city is Daveport. The Quad Cities make up Davenport IA, Bettendorf IA, Moline IL, and Rock Island IL.

Money Issues Banks and ATMs were readily available in the area.

Time Central Standard Time

Transportation We drove our car around the area. The layout of the city and the points of interest were easy to find easy and reach.

Facilities There were hotels, restaurants, shops, banks, international airport, art museum, hospitals and all the types of facilities found in most large cities.

Shopping And Souvenirs We visited the Woodlands Gallery featuring wildlife art prints of paintings of bald eagles located in East Davenport, Iowa along the riverfront.

Tourism Highlights Eagle Viewing (from December to March, but best in January and February), Arsenal Island Historic Clock Tower, Arsenal Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island Historic Confederate Cemetery, Riverfront District in Davenport Iowa and Rock Island Illinois, dinning and shopping.

On our first day in the Quad Cities we visited Arsenal Island (a United States identification is required for entry). On our drive into Arsenal Island we spotted a national cemetery, a historic confederate cemetery, and the Davenport House before arriving at the visitors center. At the visitors center we met a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who gave us a tour of the Clock Tower next to the visitors center. The Clock Tower, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1867 and has four twelve foot diameter faces with hands of 5 and 6 feet long and a 3,500 pound bell. The tower itself is 117 feet tall and twenty five feet square. This old building was originally a storehouse for holding materials. Now in addition to being a historic site which can be toured by visitors the tower also houses some U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offices.

We met with a local naturalist who took us on an Eagle Safari. During our Safari we learned many interesting facts about the eagles and viewed eagles using spotting scopes ranging from a x15 to x45 zoom magnification. We watched eagles with the spotting scopes and took pictures from the warmth of a car. On the Eagle Safaris tour, we saw a mixture of fully mature eagles and juveniles and were able to get within 25 yards of the birds.

We toured the Figge Art museum on the Riverfront in Davenport, Iowa which was within walking distance from our hotel. On our tour of the Figge we saw our first two Jackson Pollock originals, a Homer original, and the living work of Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the Jackson Pollock originals was quite large spanning about 20 feet across.

We visited the village of east Davenport for a little shopping. While there we found an art gallery which contained an interesting collection of art prints of bald eagle paintings in addition to their fine collection of prints of wildlife art paintings by notable wildlife artists.

Lock and Dam #14 is located on the Mississippi River in LeClaire Iowa, just off Highway 67 and just South of Interstate 80 and approximately 10 miles from our hotel by car. At Lock and Dam #14 there is an Army Corps of Engineers project office and a viewing area for the public with parking and restrooms. This location appeared to be very popular with bird watchers and photographers. They lined the viewing area with cameras and viewing scopes. We found a spot in the viewing area where we could watch the eagles launch from the trees and swoop into the water and catch fish 25 yards from where we were standing. In all of our years of eagle watching this was one of the most amazing sites we have ever witnessed at such a close distance.

Date Of Visit January 2011

Reviewers Article by Chester Godsy

Photographs by Chester Godsy and Joni Johnson-Godsy

Would You Visit This Destination Again? Yes