Although I prefer staying at either Hilton or Starwood properties, both of those were out of the question for this business trip, as their lowest room rates exceeded the maximum allowable rate. One of my colleagues informed the rest of us that he was staying at the Candlewood, so I (reluctantly) made a reservation there as well. This is now my third consecutive week at this hotel. The rooms are adequate size for solo travelers, although the queen size bed was a bit lumpy for my liking. That didn't seem to disturb my sleep though. The rooms have air conditioner/heating units built into the walls under the windows and controlled by a digital thermostat on the wall. I didn't care for the way this unit automatically switched between heat and cool. If it's too cold in the room and you turn the thermostat up a nit to ease off of the air conditioning, if you go too far, it will simply turn on the heat. These units also feature an automatic shutoff when the room unoccupied for a period of time, which means that when you come back to your room after a day of work, the room is liable to be hot in the summer or cold in the winter until it has time to adjust the temperature once it detects that you have re-entered the room.

The staff is very friendly and helpful. They will email your folio to you if that is easier for expense reports, although you may have to call a couple of times for them to get it sent correctly depending on who is sending it.

If you're a non-smoker, you will probably want to avoid the 4th floor. Half of the rooms on this floor are designated smoking rooms, but the entire 4th floor hallway wreaks of thick, stale smoke. I am on the 4th floor now, and I have my room window open and the bathroom fan on to suck in the fresh outside air. I think my room smells okay, but it's hard to say after walking through that hallway whether or not any of that smoky air has penetrated my doorway.

Like most newer budget hotels, the floors are thin. When I was on the third floor the previous two stays, I could easily hear my upstairs neighbor walking around.

The rooms are clean, and each comes with a 31" flat panel TV with a separate VCR/DVD player. You can check out a fairly wide selection of DVDs at the front desk for free. Other amenities include an ironing board and iron, medium size refrigerator, kitchen sink, dishwasher, microwave, and two-burner electric stove. The kitchen comes equipped with silverware, dishes, glasses, and a modest assortment of cooking utensils. My colleague who has also been staying here cooked a fairly extensive meal for himself in his room last week.

Bear in mind that housekeeping only comes around to your room here once a week. You will likely be furnished with three towels no matter how long your stay. If you end up needing more towels, you'll have to take your dirty towels down to the front desk to exchange them for fresh ones. Nobody will come in to make your bed. If you like your privacy during the week, this is the place for you.

The Internet connection does rock here. I have had no trouble conducting WebExes through the cabled connection. I have likewise been able to watch the short kinds of videos you'd see on the Weather Channel without any download delays. I must say that this Internet connection is the best one I have ever encountered at any hotel, Hiltons and Starwoods included.

Tons of places to eat within walking distance, and there's a multi-screen theater right across the street. This hotel is about a 5 minute drive from the Walmart data center, and maybe 10 minutes or so to the Walmart home office across town. This hotel was fine given the budgetary constraints placed on this business trip, but of course I would have preferred staying at one of the Hilton or Starwood properties here in Bentonville/Rogers.