I recently stayed at the Chicago Staybridge Suites in Oakbrook Terrace near O’Hare airport on a soon to expire free night cert from my Chase IHG card. Maybe not the best value for the cert but using a cert is always a better value than seeing them go away.
I stayed at the hotel, not for an amazing experience since this is after all a budget hotel, but for the location, the free parking, the free breakfast and near to a dinner meeting I had before a flight. In other words, a perfect use for my needs.
Well maybe.
Most of the Staybridge hotels I have stayed at over the years have been, overall, positive. For the cost and value they provide much more space than a standard “box” hotel. But this location was undergoing big renovations and the website had no indication I should expect this. Take a look:
The carpet was gone in the hallway outside our “suite”. That kinda was a good thing because the rest of the carpet in the hallways was disgusting. Oh and then the carpet in our room was…
Yeah, really not so good. The rest of the carpet in the room was not that bad but clearly dated and not very clean. On to the bathroom and shower.
The only way we could get the curtain to not slide completely towards the middle was to wrap towels at either end and “clamp” the curtain in place. Oh it gets worse.
There was no “affixed” hair dryer in our room. I went down to get one and a meant to be wall mounted unit was handed to me. Sorta weird but better than nothing right?
It did not work.
So back downstairs again and this time the rep tested the non-fixed type hair dryer and that one did work thankfully.
While I was down there the “chief engineer” was at the desk and I shared my disappointment about the shower situation. He said he has any number of rooms that have the same issue and he is trying to get to them.
Wonderful.
This was not the only thing run down at this hotel. It was a sunny lovely day so we chose to have our complimentary breakfast out on the patio of the property.
Nothing says class like broken umbrellas, duck tape and zip-ties to hold up your nighttime mood lighting. Beyond this the entire balcony was pulling away from the foundation of the hotel. Not saying it was unsafe but considering the rest of the repairs it gave me pause.
I guess the above in our room sums up the entire experience in one single photo. I do not expect “much” at a budget hotel but I do expect a clean room, working bits and a safe experience. This was one of the worst ever in decades of travels. I did not give this room the “black light” test because, frankly, I was so grossed out already I think had I done that we would have left the property! 🙁
What do you think. Should a hotel be forced to warn you, either on the web site or via e-mail, that they are undergoing renovations and your stay may be impacted? Should they offer a discount automatically in cash or points for such a substandard experience? You tell me! – Rene
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