MainStay Suites Raleigh - Cary — Hotel in Cary

Stayed last weekend from Friday to Monday in room 127. The bed was kind of sunken in the middle, my husband and I felt we were rolling to the center, into a black hole in the middle of the bed. We spent the weekend trying to sleep on the edge as much as possible. There was an empty liquor bottle under the bed.

The place was very dated. Only one nightstand on the window side of bed, so if two people stay, there is no place to put your cellphone, eyeglasses, book or whatever for the second person. There are very few outlets in the room for everyone to charge devices. I bought an extension cord and ran it from the light fixture on my husband's side, across the headboard to a kitchen chair next to my side so I have a place off the floor to charge my phone. There is no Duvet covering the comforter, just a sheet underneath, so - ick!

Lamps were very dim. This is 2021, and there are excellent, cheap LED 100w style bulbs that save more money than what they are using. The dim lighting makes the place look very 1960's.

When we arrived, there were no sheets, pillows or blankets to make up the sofa bed. Usually, these are available somewhere in the room. We had to search for someone to get us these sheets and extra towels for us at 11pm! The sofa bed mattress was stained and very thin. My kids did not sleep well on that. We also found a chicken bone under the sofa bed.

Bathroom sink has no vanity around it to set your things on. Even the bar of soap slides off the edge of the sink and into the drain. Just no place to rest toothbrush and toothpaste or comb. The shower has a very weak spray. Not a satisfying shower at all. Took forever to rinse the soap off. I decided not to wash my long hair there since I would NEVER get the soap rinsed out of it.

No hairdryer. I went to the front office to ask for one and they had to search many rooms to find one. So, somebody is without one. I wondered why they wouldn't have wall mounted ones like everyone else.

There are no USB charging ports anywhere, so the kitchen table was cluttered with the kids phones and devices and no place to plug in the computers. Really needed a zip strip or something.

Only one trash can for the place. Really need at least a small one for the bathroom. One for the bedroom would also be nice.

They have a normal sized refrigerator, microwave, small regular coffee maker, dishwasher, dish soap, basic pots and pans with dishes, glasses and mugs for about 4 people for one meal. We usually bring paper plates, cups and plastic utensils with us. Plenty of storage for our cereal, snacks and beverages. A Regular Walmart is nearby (not a Super Walmart) if you need these items. One closet in the bedroom for everyone with a few hangers. If you need to hang up a lot of items, bring some from home or purchase at Walmart.

Due to Covid, the room is cleaned when you check out, not every day. The website still says free breakfast, but the breakfast room is closed. They offered brown bags with granola bars or something at the front desk if you wanted it. (We needed something gluten free, so couldn't use it) They have regular and decaf coffee in the front lobby and an urn of hot water for tea. They have tea bags, sugar packets and creamer packets. I usually got there around 7am, so I don't know how long the coffee holds out or if it's refilled.

I suspect that some of the rooms in another wing have been updated, but not sure.

There is no truck parking, unless you arrive at a time when the parking lot is mostly empty and you claim several spots in a row. Not sure why they say there is truck parking. Check Google satelite view and you can see only standard spaces surrounding the building. We had to disconnect our trailer and tuck it in a corner, blocking other spaces, and then park the van elsewhere. So, be advised.

I don't think we will stay there again. Not unless they refurbish and...

My first experience with this hotel in August/Sept was great. It was clean, friendly staff, kitchen facilities and at a reasonable price, I was expecting that this would be my go to hotel to visit my daughter and new granddaughter at least twice a year. Enter this stay Oct/Nov I thought everything was good until I discovered that my door NEVER locked. The deadbolt inside wouldn’t turn the whole way but I figured I was safe because the door locked…..NOT. Imagine my horror when on a hunch I was able to open my door from the hallway by simply pushing the door. I had stayed in the room for 4 nights. I had wondered why my key wouldnt open exterior hotel doors but opened my room. The front desk person had said they had problems with that door over the weekend and accompanied me to show me how to physically wrench the door until I heard it click. I am disabled and could physically not do it. I was told they were booked solid and would get back to me. A half hour later I had another room. The adjoining door in between rooms had a deadbolt that would NOT lock. I told front desk and was told they would have maintenance look at it on Monday I moved a heavy table in the room to block the adjoining door. Monday came and no maintenance showed up. It rained that night and the carpeting was SOAKED, the water had leaked in around the ac/heating unit. I reported it to the front desk and was accompanied to the room to check that the carpeting was indeed soaked. I was given another room. While moving my stuff I encountered another employee that told me that the first two rooms were Out Of Service because they knew about these issues and they should not have been assigned to any guest until they were fixed. The third room had dirty dishes in the dishwasher and mold on the shower curtain, but at least they properly locked. I do not expect a hotel to be as clean as home but I expect it to be safe. I have contacted the hotel brands website only to be offered points…..really? I would have loved this to be a hotel that would have gotten a lot of my business in the coming years but now I’m searching for something else...

DO NOT RECOMMEND! I have never had to write a negative review before. Customer service was atrocious. I waited 20min to check-in for a room reserved in advance while they figured out how to move people around so that we could remain in 1 room for the 3-night stay and not have to switch. The key card reader outer door at the end of the building nearest to our room was broken, as was the coffee pot and microwave. The beds were comfy, but the 3rd night our a/c unit went out. It was still set for 72, but it was 83 in the room. The unit was blowing hot air. I told the front desk clerk but there were no other rooms. I insisted she come to the room to verify the situation. She checked the thermostat and unit and confirmed this was the case. She made no apology at all and didn't offer to help find us anything else. She said she didn't have the manager's info, but I could get it at check-out. We had to sleep in an 80 degree room. At check-out I asked for the manager's information, but no one could seem to place it either and asked me to call back Monday morning. I called the next day and was given a Gmail (not business) address. In reply to my concerns he simply said they didn't know why the a/c wasn't working and that "Your reservation was a prepaid Advance Purchase reservation. There are no refunds or cancellations on this type of reservation." Yet I reserved a room with functional a/c and did not get that. This is a basic breach of contract. He would not respond to any further attempt at contact to discuss this or my request to contact to whoever is higher up. I was entirely reasonable about an unreasonable situation.

I will add that I went straight to the Choice Hotels chain regarding this incident. They at least were courteous and offered a partial refund for the one night only after I refused the bribe of a giant points. I will not need the points as I will not be staying with...