I was definitely leery of staying here after reading the reviews. But, we didn't experience any of the negatives previously reported. Check in was very easy. All the front desk staff were extremely nice and accomodating. The room we had was dated and a bit worn. However, we expected that from an older hotel with lower room rates. And, even though it was older, the room was clean, smelled fresh, and included a microwave, small refrigerator, desk, and chairs as well as the two beds. We had a problem with a clogged toilet but the staff brought us a plunger and it was fixed right away.

The pool was very nice and larger than usual for this type of hotel. The breakfast area was also unusually large with plenty of seating. Breakfast buffet choices included waffles, muffins, donuts, bagels, oatmeal, cereal, coffee, juices, and milk. Also, the area surrounding the hotel was pleasant with a variety of places to eat. We chose a nearby pizzeria with an extensive menu including homemade breads and gourmet pizza slices.

Overall, it turned out to be a fine place for our overnight stop on the way home from Orlando.

Funny, when I decided to write a review I first read the one already there and see they had the same problems and concerns with the front desk help as we did. Only thing is they stated it very nicely. Although I would love to name the elderly female manager by name I will not but she has to be the worst with customer service. RUDE, arigant are nice words to descibe my check in. I was even informed I threatened her and the staff and upon questioning her fround my threat to be I planned to call the Customer Service department at Days Inn. Check in was nothing but problems and I found others in our group also had the same problems. As prior person stated when more than 1 person came to the desk at the same time she flipped. Our first room smelled of urine and when requesting another room we had to wait till it was inspected to see if we touched anything. We were in the room for less than 3 minutes. Our second room, also not with the rest of the group as requested did not have the microwave and frig promised. TV did not work and when we called to the front desk were told they had no mantainance on duty. 3 hours later someone did show up to the room unknown to us. We were told it was fixed but when we checked it we only had a volume of all the way high or no sound at all. Someone from our group finally fixed the TV. Upon going to bed we found out we had no clock radio or alarm that worked in the room and also called on that but found no one could help us. Next morning at about 8 AM maintanance showed up in our room, knocked and walked in while my family were still in bed and I was in the shower. He found out the TV was fixed and replaced the radio/alarm. Night 2 saw us hit up by a bum asking for change while swimming. Comp breakfast was very light with just toast, juice, stale cereal and coffee. Only served for a few hours ending at 9 AM. Our second room was a typical room, beds seem small for doubles and are hard. Shower was dirty with black mold on the top of the shower, under the mat and all over the vents and ceiling (vents and ceiling were covered with a black dust). Overall we avoided the female manager at all costs but other staff was nice. Tammy, a new cleaning manager was GREAT! She is what managment should be about and knew what customer service was. I would avoid sending groups here and avoid check ins when female manager is on duty. Its not worth the hassles when you are traveling.

The Days Inn Lake Norman, formerly the Holiday Inn was in a list of suggested hotels we received with our National Bowling Tournament paperwork. It was very convenient to where we needed to be and had easy in and out access. The front desk clerk seemed to get a little agitated when 4 guests arrived to check in at the same time. Otherwise, check in was quite a breeze. Although our room was cool, the AC unit was not running. In an effort to cool it down some more, the unit would not come on. We immediately called the front desk, and maintenance personnel was there in less than 30 min. and had it working fine. We also noticed we did not have enough towels, so we asked the maintenance personnel how we could get more towels. They told us to see one of the maids. As it turned out, in less than 15 min., they brought us more towels. The room was a typical hotel room 2 beds, dresser, night stand, with small table and 2 chairs. There was no refrigerator or microwave in any of the rooms we reserved, so we were quite disappointed with that. Overall decor and cleanliness of the room was typical. Under the non-skid mat in the tub appeared to not get cleaned regularly. The worst thing about this room, the beds were HARD AS A ROCK. It was almost like a sheet draped across plywood. Everyone in our group complained that their beds were horrible. There was a bass tournament going on the same time we were there, and there were lots of boats. Fortunately either the boat owners or the hotel staff made sure that each of the room guests had a parking space convenient to their room. We also visited the small onsite bar upon our early afternoon arrival. It was pleasant, and the proprietor was exceptionally nice. I must say most everyone at this hotel was exceptionally nice. In fact most everyone we encountered in this city was very nice. Would I stay there again. Probably would. Would I say something about the beds next time? Definitely.