I will admit to having gone into my stay at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Fayetteville with hesitation, however, my business group was meeting here and I needed to be with the clan. Booked the hotel directly, at the conference rate, which was a few dollars below rack rate for the dates of our meeting, midweek in November 2010.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The bedding was comfortable and clean, the carpeting was clean, the climate control worked perfectly, and I slept well. The conference facilities were also adequate.

It is true that the bathrooms are ready for renovations: the bathtubs are narrow and the grout is old and stained, the fixtures are dated, the countertop is cheap plastic, and the ceiling low. The bath amenities were minimal--just shampoo and soap.

In the room, the two air-pressure mattresses were comfortable enough, and the sheets were fine. The closet did contain an ironing board and steamiron, though I did not have occasion to use them. The TV worked fine. The acoustical "cottage cheese style" ceiling was worn in places, and could be re-shot or painted. I did not observe any insects or vermin. Internet service was available but I did not use it.

Housekeeping did not steal anything from me, and I left my laptop unsecured in the room along with a camera and my mobile phones. I did leave a gratuity on the bathroom sink for the housekeeping per my usual routine, and received a rather obsequious thank-you note. Maybe they expected a larger tip!

Parking was free in the adjacent garage. Room service was available, but not vey late into the night, and when I was in the mood for a snack, the kitchen had already closed. There is a restaurant on-site.

I would rate the hotel as 3-stars, and say that it comparable to a run-of-the-mill Holiday Inn or Radisson.

My wife stayed here for business. An employee stole her hair iron. When she told the front desk, they admitted that they had problem employees who were stealing. The manager admitted it too, and told my wife that she would be reimbursed. However it's been months now and they will not reimburse it. They were just lying to try and make her go away. Now when she calls, she cannot get in touch with the manager. He is never available and will not return calls. He even told an employee to ask my wife for a receipt. I don't have a receipt for a Christmas present from two years ago.

Besides this, the hotel is garbage anyway. Don't recommend it.

I'll begin with the pluses: The Cosmopolitan Hotel is within walking distance to the center of Fayetteville and is close to many great restaurants, shops, bars, etc. Check-in was easy. The Sleep Number beds were great, and the linens were clean. We did not try the bar/ restaurant on the second floor.

Negatives: The room could definitely have been cleaner. The floor felt grimy, and the tiny bathroom needed an update. The housekeeping staff wasn't very polite and acted inconvenienced when we asked for a few more drinking cups and hand towels. There is a distinct lack of electrical outlets in the rooms. The free covered parking is nice, but the parking deck is not attached to the hotel, making it necessary to walk through the poorly-lit back alley and side of the building to get to the hotel entrance (not very pleasant at night). We were overcharged at check-out, but the staff was quick to correct the error. Overall, the stay was just OK. Nothing fancy, nothing noteworthy, probably not even worthy of a second stay.

This hotel needs a real facelift, but I appreciated the location, free parking and the willingness of the staff to be friendly and acommodating. Breakfast buffet was ok. Room was very large and sleep number bed was great. But condition of bathroom needed serious attention. Also noticed unpleasant odor in 5th floor hallway.