I stayed here for a week for business. As soon as I opened my hotel door I knew this was bad. I had a non smoking room and it smelled like smoke. The popcorn ceiling and outdated decor was a nice touch. The last night of my trip I was awakened by a drip. I went into the bathroom and the ceiling fan had water dripping out. The bathroom floor was wet. I was checking out that day and I told the front desk person and he laughed and said "Yeah this place sucks". I agreed. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!!

We stayed here for one week, in a suite with a queen-size bed. The location is very central, near the intersection of I-635 (east/west corridor) and the North Dallas Tollway (north/south corridor). The property is also within walking distance of the Dallas Galleria. Also within walking distance are: CVS, Wendy's, a sandwich shop, KFC, Paradise Bakery, and several other eateries.

For the physically fit (or those trying to be), there is a small workout area on the first floor. In addition, the hotel has an arrangement with a new, nearby gym within walking distance, where you can use the facilities for no charge by showing your hotel key. For the movie/couch potatoes, the front desk has a large collection of DVDs, free to use/check out while you are staying there.

All rooms come with a full kitchen (frig, stove, microwave, sink, dishes, utensils). This makes it very convenient for a longer-term visitor, rather than eating all meals out. Immediately adjacent to the kitchen area is a work station/desk area. The rooms come with wired internet, for no extra charge.

In the living room area, there is a TV & DVD player. The sofa can/does open as a sleeper, and is very comfortable.

The bedroom was OK, and also had a TV in it.

The bathroom is OK, though my one "beef" is that there is very meager counter space on the bathroom vanity.

This property is a very economic, pleasant choice, especially for long-term guests. It should not be confused with a "luxury property" by any means. If you check into this place thinking of it that way, you will be disappointed. But the property is very good at being an economic, mid-level lodging alternative.

I had never been to this hotel before, but after reading several positive reviews, I decided to bypass my normal $100/night hotel and book a 2-week stay at the Candlewood Suites by the Galleria. While I did experience issues during my stay, the management resolved them and because of that, I would definitely stay here again.

We arrived around 11 p.m. and the door to the lobby was locked. There was a phone near the locked door which rang to the front desk. We had to ask the person on duty to let us in. I guess after a certain hour, sometime after 9, they lock the lobby door and you need a room key to enter the lobby. While this is smart from a security standpoint, it's definitely a hassle if you're trying to check in or if you want to order a pizza after 9.

It should also be noted that the lobby closes at 11 p.m., so there is not someone on duty 24/7. I believe they re-open the lobby at 6 a.m.

The lobby itself is not very impressive, but it serves its purpose.

One thing the hotel requires at check-in is your license plate(s) numbers. I believe they will tow away other vehicles that aren't registered with the hotel. This was a problem for me because I planned to rent a car at one point and also borrow a relative's car during times in my stay. So this could pose as a pain if you plan on driving different vehicles or having visitors during your stay.

The hotel also holds $25 against your account at check-in, which you supposedly get back at the end of your stay.

One issue that we found to be a detriment to our trip was the spastic internet connection. I've read other reviews of customers that have stayed at this hotel and they've complained of the same issue. It seems to be a problem with the connection, which times out every minute or so. If you plan on watching videos online or using instant messaging services during your stay here, prepare to MANY and FREQUENT interruptions with your internet use.

Another con was the air conditioning unit. It would kick on every few minutes or so, and it was so loud that you had to turn up the TV significantly to hear it. The room would often feel very hot or very cold, even with the thermostat at a steady temperature.

We also experienced problems with our TV at some points during our stay. Some channels would come in very fuzzy. The channels themselves were also limited. For example, we did not get certain basic channels like MTV although we did get HBO.

The first room we were given, the smoke detector was hanging from the ceiling by a wire and the shower did not work. We were moved to a room nearby, and that room was great. Included in the room was a fairly spacious closet with ironing board, iron, and even a laundry basket to use during your stay. ( A great perk to this hotel is the free guest laundry. Simply bring your own detergent and save a bundle with the free washing and drying. )

The kitchen in the room is just fantastic. It comes complete with a full fridge/freezer, several spacious cabinets, tupperware, cups, dishes, bowls, silverware, cooking utensils, a pot, a pan, a stove top, a dishwasher, a sink, a microwave, a coffee maker, a toaster, salt, pepper and sugar packets. They even give you a roll of paper towels, dish detergent and dish soap.

Your room will come equipped with a DVD and VHS player, which is great. There's also a comfortable recliner and a nice bed. One issue with the bed is that one person will have zero space on their side. One side of the bed is so close to the wall that you can barely walk by to lay down. They should definitely move the bed over a foot or two to give more space.

The location of the hotel is pretty convenient. It's very close to the Galleria and some bakeries/coffee shops. It's only a hop, skip and a jump to the Dallas North Tollway.

A unique amenity at this hotel is the Candlewood Cupboard. It's basically a mini-shop near the lobby that runs on the honor system. Some items offered for sale are mouth wash, razors,shaving cream, condiments, milk, chocolate milk, juices, sodas, water, ice cream, frozen snacks like Red Barron pizza, sandwiches, burritos, etc. This would be great for someone who will be without a vehicle for some/all of their stay. Some of the items, however, are significantly overpriced. For example, a small Starbucks iced coffee bottle was $3.50. I can only assume the prices are high because so many customers must steal food items, since it runs on the honor system. You can either drop money in a slit in the counter, or fill out a form with your room number and total cost of items.

The washers, dryers, two public use computers and the gym were all located in the Candlewood Cupboard room. The gym had a few exercise machines, including treadmills, a bike and a weight machine. There was also a scale in the room.

If the gym is not satisfactory for you, guests receive free access to the Planet Fitness gym and and their tanning facilities next door. Just present your room card and photo ID to get in free.

Another great amenity at this hotel is the free DVD rentals. Customers can rent up to 2 movies at a time from their library collection, which is actually quite impressive. There are several binders full of DVD covers to browse through and choose. The young man working at the front desk, though, was kind of rude to us. He told us to "pick up the phone and call him when you're ready, I have something to do," and he went to go sit down at his computer. What exactly is more important than dealing with customers at your hotel that are standing right in front of you?

We didn't stay long enough to try out of the weekly housekeeping services, but when we asked the front desk for extra towels, they were happily given.

There was no restaurant on site and no room service. I believe pets are allowed.

The biggest problem of my trip, however, happened on the 7th day or so of my trip. I woke up to the sight of a couple ants in my bed. We jumped out of bed to find the floor covered in ants. This was certainly not the way I hoped to wake up on my Saturday morning. The weirdest part about all of this is that we kept the room very clean. I specifically made sure we brought our garbage downstairs daily to avoid attracting bugs. Somehow, the bugs made their way in and we spent the morning packing up our bags, terrified. I had several suitcases that I was sure the ants must've infested.

We talked to the man at the front desk, and he came up to look in our room. He was very friendly and offered to move us into another room-- the room we first had, with the broken shower and smoke detector. At this point, we were so disgusted that we just wanted to leave the hotel early. If ants could get up to our room on the second floor, they could surely walk 10 feet down the hallway to the next room. We left behind lots of money worth of food in the fridge, since we couldn't bring milk/cheese/fruits, etc. with us to a new hotel-- one we didn't even have secured yet. The guy from the front desk acted like this was a normal occurrence, with ants coming through vents frequently.

We were told we'd get a phone call on Monday about a refund (this was on Saturday) when a manager was on duty. Monday came and went, as did Tuesday. I played phone tag with the hotel all day Wednesday, and never got to speak with a manager. The next day, however, the manager called to let me know that he not only refunded me for the remaining part of my stay, but for my entire stay due to our inconvenience. He apologized profusely and definitely made everything right.

Aside from this experience we had, the hotel seemed to be very clean and well taken care of. I even saw someone cleaning the walls with a rag on my first night there. How often do you notice carpets being vacuumed, much less walls being scrubbed clean?

With everything considered, I would stay at this hotel again due to its location, price and excellent customer service. No hotel is perfect, but this one gives you more bang for your buck.

I had a problem connecting to the internet. The front desk clerk was very attentive, but after replacing the cable, the modem and eventually changing rooms, the problem persisted. The next day another staff member asked if the problem had been resolved, I told him it wasn't but was able to use their computer in the pantry. He came by and looked at my computer and discovered that it was not confirgured correctly for the ethernet. With a few clicks he solved my problem!

Excellent customer service!