I waited a while before writing this review to give myself time to gain some 'perspective' on our stay. Unfortunately, time has not changed how we felt about our stay at Comfort Inn & Suites, Chesterfield, MO.

We booked two rooms, one for my husband and self, the second for his 81 year old mother - adjoining rooms if possible. This request was fulfilled.

Sadly, when a hotel books blocks of rooms for 'family reunions' they do not need to let anyone else know this information. When we arrived, we followed a Greyhound sized busload of family members into the hotel - approx. 100 persons - with others arriving in autos. It is unknown to us just how many 'family members' were in this group, but the number was SUBSTANTIAL. We were not the only patrons to suffer due to this group and its activity.

They were polite enough, but the sheer numbers of them and the fact that they never went to bed just made for a horrid stay.

The adults in the group got onto the bus and went to the Casino and left a few older adults (probably grandparents) to watch dozens of children - who overloaded the pool, roamed the halls until wee hours and slammed doors every few seconds (this is NOT an exaggeration) and flushed toilets constantly.

They did not quiet down until after 2 a.m. No one else in the hotel could sleep until these folks decided they were ready to sleep.

The people in the room above had kids jumping from the bed to the floor for hours. Front desk told us there were only two small children in the room.

Repeated calls to the front desk were to no avail. I don't think they could really handle this situation - for various reasons.

We asked to be moved to a quieter floor. My husband and I did move, but my mother in law was already in bed and has difficulty dressing and walking and was exhausted and just could not move that night.

The next moring they assured us that when we came back that evening, her things would be moved into the room next to ours. We got back to the hotel at about 9 pm and, surprise, her bags were missing. She was near tears by this time. Fortunately, the bags were found in another room and brought to her room.

The new rooms on the upper floor were just as noisy, if not more so, than the previous rooms. More family members had arrived for Saturday night to join the reunion. So, it was a repeat scenario - laughing, doors slamming, etc. until 2 a.m.

The pool area was taken over by the family reunion group - another patron said his daughter was kicked in the head and nearly drowned. He was just as upset as we were.

The morning breakfast room was FULL from the beginning of the serving hours to the end with the family reunion - it was impossible to even find a table for our mother - so we left and went to a restaurant for breakfast. So much for any hoped for savings on breakfast. No apologies made. You would think that after staying up all night, these folks would sleep in - oh no, guess they couldn't miss the FREE breakfast that we were forced to miss.

Subsequently, I got the name , phone and email address of the manager and called him three times the following Monday and left my name and work and cell numbers and sent him emails, telling him how disappointed we were with our stay. That we felt we had as much right to a nights sleep as anyone, that is why most people get rooms for the night - to sleep.

He never returned any of my phone calls. Not one. I then contacted the corporate office of Choice Hotels (my sister is an employee and suggested I call and let them know how distressed we were.

Sadly, even though the customer service folks were very kind, and listened patiently, and sent a letter on our behalf to the manager of the hotel in question, ultimately, nothing was done and no overtures were made in the way of an apology. My sister expected us to at least get a coupon for a free stay.

The manager at the Chesterfield, MO Comfort Inn & Suites told Choice Hotel's customer service folks that he had written to me. No letter was ever received from him. A 'copy' of his supposed letter was forwarded to me from Choice Hotels Corp. Office.

Basically, it was a 'too bad, so sad' letter that offered no apology (not sincere, anyway) and not even a coupon for a night elsewhere. WE WOULD NEVER STAY AT THIS HOTEL AGAIN if this is the way the manager deals with regular guests.

Corporate told me that the 'group sales division' books the groups and they cannot let other customers know when the hotel will be filled to capacity in a situation like this. Filling the hotel to capacity with regular guests is NOT THE SAME as filling it to capacity with people who all want to swim together at the same time, eat together at the same time and stay up all night together!

I guess this could happen anywhere - although this is a FIRST for us in 38 years of traveling. We expected more from both the Hotel itself and Choce Hotels Corporate office. Turns out the hotel is 'independently' owned and no one would give us the district manager's name and contact information. Choice Hotels said they could do nothing for us - not even a coupon from them!

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Do what you will with this information.

Exhausted from Illinois