I stay in the area regularly on business and usually stay at the Marriot around the corner. I tried this hotel because I thought the included breakfast would make it more of a value.
Upon check-in I received a gift bag filled with snacks (crackers, cookies, hershey's kisses & water) as well as a note informing me that I'd been selected as the "Guest of the Day." I thought this was a nice touch. That is until I got to my room and realized I'd been given such special treatment because my room was filled with the horrible stench of cigarette smoke. I called the front desk to request that my room be changed, but they informed me that they were sold out for the evening. The only thing they could do was provide me with a spray bottle of air freshener to try to mask the odor. It didn't work. All my clothes and my suitcase smelled of smoke by morning! It was awful. Particularly since I had a business meeting in the morning and had to go smelling like a chain smoker!
I realize that this is not likely the norm at this hotel and they can't help that a previous guest violated their non-smoking policy. However, I was surprised a manager didn't contact me or that there wasn't at least a discount provided to me for being given a room which was NOT what I'd paid for.
The hotel was very clean and comfortable in the common areas. I used the small, but adequate fitness center and was very happy with it. The breakfast in the morning was excellent with many options. The staff was friendly and wanted to help me out, but they didn't have many options. I would give this hotel another shot, but with a full service Marriott right around the corner, I just don't see the point in taking another chance. (BTW--this was my 2nd time booking here. The first time, in October 2010, they were over capacity and sent me to another hotel that was in Farmington, CT. Per Marriott policy for Silver Elite members, they picked up the cost of the room as well as gave me enough Marriott Reward points for a free night's stay.)
I've still given this hotel an ok rating because I'm hoping this was an unusual occurance. The scores for location, value and sleep quality are still high. However, due to my experience I had to give lower scores for cleanliness, rooms, and service.