I reserved the Ramada Plaza in Akron, OH while attending a conference at University of Akron. Mostly for the convenience since I only live 1 hr away. The room was small but that was not a huge deal. I only needed it to sleep. The room had a horrible smell and the furniture was soiled. The bedding, however, looked clean and comfortable. I looked for some sort of snack and was told that the previous owners took the machines but that I could venture into the city. Took a quick ride, but didn't feel really safe going out alone so I returned to the hotel. The internet connection which was complimentary was slow and stopped. In the middle of the night, I decided to put lights on in case something was crawling around in there. The smell was disgusting. In the morning, I took a shower and decided to dry my hair. The dryer would not work. I tried to plug in my flatiron and it did not work either. The sleep number bed deflated but would not reinflate. I told the desk about the problems and they said they would look into it.
During the day, I was dreading going back to the Ramada so I called to see if I could cancel the 2nd night. They asked the problem and said, "Oh, the electricians said that it was the plug and that it "might" be fixed by the time you return." I asked about the furniture. They didn't seem to know about that problem. Asked to speak to a manager and there was not one on duty. I cancelled but paid for a miserable night. They told me that they would credit me 50%. When I got the bill I was charged tax, parking and they took off 10%. Big deal..... And where else does one park when they stay in a hotel except in the parking lot. I called back 2 other times and was given the run around about being credited for the night of disgust! A manager was supposed to call me back. That was November 3 & 4 and today is December 23rd. I guess I lost!

While the room is OK, the documentation in the room regarding the hotel restaurant says it opens at 6:30AM for breakfast. When going down to the restaurant, it stated 7. However after going to the restuarant it still wasn't open at 7 as stated by the menus that were down by the restaurant. You may have to pay for parking but I expect that from most downtown hotels as space is limited. Most restaurants around the area are open during the daytime only so better getting something away or one the way here.

I stayed here for a conference, and the hotel did a nice job of hosting the event. The room was fine--the bathroom is a bit small, but the sleep number bed makes up for that. Every room in the hotel, conference or otherwise, is really dark. The overhead lighting is very dim, and the gloomy Akron weather didn't do much to make up for it. It made it kind of hard to get work done. Also, the "Business Center" is a joke--one computer with a version of Microsoft so old it couldn't open my Word document. No fax, no copier. However, the internet is free, which is a nice gesture, and the price of my room was extremely reasonable.

My biggest disappointment was definitely the onsite restaurant. I had read that there was free breakfast, which is not true--there is a restaurant that serves a variety of meals, including a 6 dollar continental breakfast. I went to the restaurant on my first morning, at 8:15, because I had a 9am meeting. I figured, hey, 45 minutes should be plenty, yes? Especially since I planned on getting the continental breakfast, which is cereal, fruit, and a muffin. Well, at first, I thought they were closed. There was no one in sight. But several people were eating, so I sat down. It took a full ten minutes before a woman came to my table. I said, I'm in a hurry, can I order the continental breakfast? She said, "Oh, I only get drinks, your waitress will be out soon." Ok. The waitress did not appear for another 15 minutes, and took my order with a serious "I cannot be bothered" attitude. I ordered the continental breakfast, which took another TWENTY MINUTES to gather. I choked down my food in two minutes and rushed to my meeting. I would never go back there--Hattie's cafe down the street is much more pleasant!

If you have work, particularly attending a conference or an event in John Kinght Center or nearby; there are only two decent hotels to choose. One of them is Ramada Plaza Akron, the other option is far below the average , I experienced both the hotels.
Ramada is going through a renovation, you may want to ask for one of those renovated rooms.
There's nothing great about this hotel, just an average place to stay ! I had requested for a late check-out and the hotel's response was courteous.