Candlewood Suites Bismarck by IHG — Hotel in Bismarck

Let me start by saying we have stayed in this hotel before and it was great, that is why we returned. This round...not so much. We checked in and front desk was pleasant. When we got to the room I started putting stuff away, not really paying attention to the room until I went to throw something away and noticed the previous guests garbage still in the can. My husband then asked me if I had been in the bathroom before him and I stated no. He said come here. I went to bathroom and there was what appeared to be a bloody rag on the sink. I called the front desk right then. He apologized profusely and said he would move us to another room. While I'm on the phone, my husband goes look at this and i look down and the floor looked like they had dumped or hit the vacuum cleaner bag on the floor. There was dust and lint all over the carpet. So front desk came down and gave us new keys and said they had upgraded us to a suite, which was very nice of him and i showed him what was going on. When we got in to the suite it was another not so clean room. The floor in the kitchenette was dirty. The dishwasher had not been emptied and there was standing water in the bottom of it. I had to wash the cup and plate and fork we used out of the dishwasher because I didn't know if they were clean. The bed sheets appeared to have been changed, but there was a couple black hairs on the sheets. By this time I was just ready to do what i had to do, beings we were in town for a medical appt ASAP in the morning. I did not want to move again. The bathroom had hair in the shower and on the shower walls. The wall looked like someone had squirted shampoo or something on the wall next to shower. We noticed on the cards that housekeeping leaves it was the same people that cleaned both rooms. These people need better training or something. Just not a good stay at all, as an IHG rewards member, I think I'll choose another...

Overall my stay was ok. My main issues were not necessarily with the hotel itself but the other guests not being considerate. I had asked for a top floor room during my reservation and found I was given a 2nd floor room. When I asked at the desk for a top floor, the front desk person said the hotel was full and I could not be moved. I was also told that the hotel did not offer the Continental Breakfast. Every night, I could hear the rooms above me dropping and slamming stuff just as I would turn in for the evening. Fitness room was way too small for the amount of equipment in there and it was co-located with the laundry facilities. The equipment itself was great but seemed to be an after-thought. I was Thankful I was the only one in there at the times I decided to workout. The room was clean, neat and well kept, as was most of the rest of the hotel but there were signs of its age in a few places. The Entrance/Exit doors were... odd. The outer door waited until you were right in front of it to recognize someone was there to start the process of opening. The inner door required it to be open by hand, which is not convenient, at all, when trying to wheel your luggage in, as well. I could have used the handicap button to open the door but I did not. Doesn't seem appropriate. On the night before my departure, I asked about a late checkout, and was told due to how full the hotel was, I could not get one. Overall, if these things do not concern you, this is not a bad place to stay. Several places to eat within walking distance, as well as a WalMart. As a constant Business traveler, I have become accustomed to more amenities and considerations and have learned to appreciate them when I have them. Staff was friendly and professional during my few...

After making my reservation on IHG.com, I called the hotel to confirm they had a pool. The person at the front desk said "yes". What they failed to tell me, was that it was under re-construction for the next 6 months. I found this out upon check in. I also was informed that my room would only be cleaned once a week. I thought it was a law that the room needed to be cleaned every 3 days. I don't even sleep in my own sheets at home longer than 3-4 nights. When arriving to my room, I noticed my door was covered in black marks, most likely from boots and shoes holding the door open because it was incredibly hard to open. After looking over the room, I noticed I didn't have a couch like the room pictures on the website showed, there are tears in the carpet, the silverware and pots were dirty, the room phone hand receiver didn't work, the guide on the tv didn't work, and the towel rack in the bathroom was broken. I bit my tongue and stayed anyway, because I had just finished a 13 drive to get here. I had made reservations for 2 weeks and was working nights so I slept during the day. On the fifth day, my phone "red" light started blinking. I had to ask the front desk "three" times to turn it off before they actually did. 20 minutes after that, I received a knock on my door, waking me up mind you, by a hotel guest that said the front desk just checked him into my room. He showed me his check in information and he was correct. I informed him that I would be here another week and a half. I have 2 more nights before my first week is up, and I have decided to check out and move to another hotel for my last week stay here in Bismarck, ND. I travel for work about 7 months a year, and have never had such a bad experience at an IHG hotel. Never again will...