We stayed at the Comfort Inn Smithfield a few weeks ago while in the area visiting family. Traveling with several kids we found the hotel to be very family friendly. Breakfast had enough variety to please even the pickiest eater. Our kids spent the entire weekend at the pool which was well maintained and we had it almost to ourselves for 2 whole days. Staff were friendly and accommodating. On our next trip we will return to Comfort Inn...seems to be the best hotel in the area.

I am writing this review because I was concerned about some of the recent negative reviews this establishment has received lately which do not seem warranted based on our most recent stay in July 2011. For the last five years, we've driven with the family (kids now 10, 12, 14) from Ottawa, Canada to NC for summer holidays. Smithfield has been a good stopping point on our travels with the added bonus of outlet shopping for a couple of days. Based on Trip Advisor reviews which had this hotel rated as #1, I booked it the first year we planned to stop here. At the time, it lived up to its favourable reviews - clean, well appointed rooms & friendly front desk staff. Every year since, I have booked this hotel but we have taken the opportunity to stop at some of the other hotels in the area and checked out their rooms. In the end, either the hotels or the rooms have not met with what we know we can expect at the Comfort Inn and, in the end, we have kept our reservation with them. This year, as before, we stayed in a clean, good sized room with comfortable beds & pillows. The breakfast was satisfactory - the typical cereals, bagels, waffles. The front desk staff were, as always, friendly and efficient. In fact, I called the hotel a few days prior to our arrival to advise them that I was expecting Visa to courier me a new credit card for my pick up at the hotel. When I arrived to check in, I happened to be with the same person that I had spoken with on the phone earlier and when I mentioned my name, he remembered me immediately, told me that my package had arrived and went to get it promptly. We would recommend staying here over the other hotels in the area. If you want to try a good authentic, Mexican restaurant for lunch or dinner check out El Sombrero right around the corner. The food and service are excellent; much better than the typical big-chain restaurants in the area.

We had a room with 2 queen beds & it was a very large room & bath. Everything was clean & comfortable. The flat screen tv & wifi were also a nice addition. The included breakfast was exceptional with scrambled eggs, sausage, blueberry & plain waffles, fruits, muffins, pastries, & cereal & yogurt. The friendly lady kept everything clean & well stocked. It certainly was a bargain with the coupon we found in Roomsaver at the rest stop It didn't hurt that Outback was nearby & also Texas Steakhouse(which gave a discount when you showed your keycard. We will make this a regular stop on our way home from Florida. .

I was in town for about a week visiting friends and on the surface this looks like a great place to stay...unfortunately if you're there for a few days, as I was, things become clearer. First, most of the front desk staff was friendly...enough, there were a couple that didn't seem to grasp the concept of customer service however, and would be much better suited for a different job. The breakfast is mediocre and repeative without many options, especially healthy ones. The attendant was friendly; however, she took way too many smoke breaks and hardly ever stocked or cleaned the area through the morning. The rooms are surfaced cleaned and not very well at that. The tub was dirty, the bathroom floor was such that I placed the extra towels down as not to directly step on it at any point. The bed sheets were not changed daily, the furniture was dusty, and the room had ants. I know this is not a "luxury" hotel and I'm not a complainer so I stayed for 3 days until I overheard a conversation between a front desk clerk and the manager discuss several rooms inhabited by bed bugs. This guy is a real piece of work. I gathered my things and abruptly checked out. I did not voice all the complaints with the place because it was obvious no one there would care or try to remedy the situation. I checked in at the Sleep Inn next door and this place understands what service is. My advice; there are a lot of hotels at this I-95 exit so unless they're all full....don't stay here...because really they don't care about your business anyway!