This Hotel is a basic kind of place to stay. I stayed here starting in June of 2008 through mid-September 2008. I was working lots of OT while here, so all I really needed was a place to sleep. I wasn't expecting much going in, so I wasn't disappointed in what I got. I'll break it down this way......
ROOMS: The basic rooms are small efficiencies and include a small kitchen area. There are some Suites, but during my multiple stays, I only got the Suites twice, so there must not be too many. The Suites also have a small kitchen area. The kitchen areas have the basic stovetop, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator. The kitchen cabinets are clean and stocked with the basics of plates, cups, pots, pans, silverware, etc. The carpet is old and dated and needs to be replaced badly in both the basic rooms and in the Suites and hallways. The beds and pillows are basic fare and could use some upgrades in both the basic rooms and in the Suites. The basic rooms have one queen bed. The Suites that I stayed in have two (2) queen beds. The bathrooms are small and so are the dressing areas in the basic rooms. The Suites have larger dressing areas but suffer from the same small bathroom. The Suites do have a desktop and living room area. Clothing storage is a problem with no dresser space and marginal hanging space. Hangers are also at a premium, with the rooms having no more than 5 hangers in any room at the start of any of my stays. All rooms have access to wireless Internet for a $4.99 per stay. The good news is they only charge you once per stay. If you stay for several weeks, they only charge you once. The Internet was fairly reliable and fast. The rooms are fairly quiet with little noise from other rooms or from the outside. There are washing machines and dryers on every floor, along with vending machines. Every room had an iron, ironing board and hair dryer.
CLEANING: Here is my biggest complaint: No matter how long you stay, your room will not be cleaned unless you pay a fee to have the cleaning staff come to your room. Your bed will not be made unless you make it. The 4 towels you get initially in the bathroom will have to last you your entire stay. If you need more towels, either pay the cleaning fee or go get your own towels. The trash is not removed unless you pay the fee or take it out yourself. The initial cleaning of the rooms is mixed. I often found dirt on the floor from the previous tenant, the cabinet tops and end tables haven't been dusted in some time, judging from the amount of dust I have seen in my rooms. The bathtubs and sinks were clean but many bathtubs were missing the soap dishes. I didn't see any insect problems during my stay.
EXERCISE ROOM: Small is all I can say. They have two (2) treadmills (one doesn't work and didn't for my entire stay), one (1) stationary bike and one (1) stair climber. That's it!!
POOL: Small and only open during the summer months. It closed the Labor Day weekend even though the weather here is still hot. The pool is small with a scattering of chairs and tables.
PARKING: This hotel has a small parking lot in front with larger areas to the sides and rear of the hotel. I never had a problem finding a parking spot.
STAFF: The staff is friendly and tries to help. The front desk is open from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. After hours check in is difficult, at best, since the doors are locked at 11:00 PM and you need a key to get through the door. I never arrived that late, so I don't know the procedure to get someone to let you in. Bottom line, get here before 11:00 PM.
MAINTENANCE ISSUES: I had very few problems during my stay. The biggest problem was a broken bed in Room 125 (a Suite), which was not fixed during my stay. I sat on the edge of the bed the first night only to end up on the floor. The box spring supporting the bed and mattress was broken. Luckily, I was not injured, and luckily the Suite had a second bed in the room. I notified the front desk the next morning but the bed stayed broken during my entire two (2) week stay. On another stay, the AC unit was not working properly. The first morning after arriving at the hotel, I woke up to a room at 59 degrees, although I set the thermostat at 72. The AC just kept cooling (impressive, since it was very hot outside during that time). I brought this to the attention of the front desk that morning. This problem was fixed that evening.
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST: Bagels, toast and coffee. That's it!! I ate here the first morning. The bagel was stale and all I had to put on it was butter. From that point on, I went to the store as soon as I checked in and purchased breakfast food. The bottom line is, buy your own and eat in your room.
AREA: The area around the hotel is very nice, with lots of shopping and the usual fast food and restaurant fare. It is difficult to find any of them, however, due to the Columbia area rules on signs. Most of the shopping and restaurants are well hidden from the main roads. If you didn't know they were there, you'd miss them. Columbia, is a very nice, well thought out community.
AIRPORTS: BWI is only 20 minutes north on I95. Dulles is a little more than an hour away (depending on the time of day and traffic). Washington Reagan is 45 minutes away (depending on the time of day and traffic).
PRICE: Depending on the length of stay, from $99.99 to $149.99 per day.
Here is my bottom line, if you are expecting a 5 Star Hotel, this is not the place. If you expect to be coddled and have your every wish fulfilled, before you wish it, this is not the place to stay. If you just want a place to lay your head, where you can cook your own meals, and where you can sleep well, this place fits the bill fine.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
