HomeTowne Studios & Conference Center Cortland — Hotel in City of Cortland

Not Ideal for Teams or Large Groups – Proceed with Caution

This hotel may work fine for a solo traveler or a couple looking for a quick overnight stay, but if you're traveling with a sports team or a larger group—skip this place and look elsewhere.

Let’s start with the positive: the front desk attendant working Friday night was extremely helpful and accommodating. She even let me preview a room before booking, especially after the Red Roof Inn behind the hotel proved to be unfit for stay. Props to her for going above and beyond.

Now the downside: the Saturday afternoon and evening front desk staff—one who even claimed to be the manager—were rude, disrespectful, and clearly not equipped to handle the needs of group travelers. I personally witnessed them being short and unkind to my mother and other parents from our team. We were told that guests from nearby hotels (like the Red Roof Inn) weren’t allowed to visit, and children—even those supervised by adults—were denied access to the pool. We were eventually able to “pay” $10 per extra kid to allow them to swim, which felt like an unnecessary hassle just to let teammates hang out together.

One staff member even told a guest they couldn't bring a foldable chair from their car to sit with other parents. When they asked for more seating, they were told to “go to their rooms” instead. 🤯

Sunday morning didn’t get better. Guests requesting late checkouts were met with attitude and told they were only being granted as a “favor” because they’d promised others. One staff member was overheard saying they “really didn’t want to” but had no choice. The tone throughout was unprofessional and borderline hostile.

Bottom line: While the rooms themselves are clean, the poor attitude and lack of hospitality from some staff members made multiple guests—including myself—feel like we were a burden for simply being guests. If you’re traveling with a group, especially for sports, I strongly recommend choosing another hotel that actually understands guest service and hospitality.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS HOTEL AND THE...

When we arrived at the hotel, noone was at the Front Desk. Rang the bell a few times. OK, that's fine, they were in a meeting. Had requested a room on first floor & was assigned second floor. OK, I'll live with that. Rooms have been upgraded but definitely "no frills" - strange that kitchen area has no lighting. I mentioned to the staff at the Front Desk & she state we were the 4th person to mention that that morning. So odd that bathroom toilet has no toilet cover. Have never seen that before. Bathroom was painted baby blue (yuck). at 10:00pm, the alarms went off & all guests had to head outside of hotel. A guest mentioned this was the 2nd time this happened in a week. 15 minutes later, the fire dept showed up. On the plus side, the beds were very comfortable, as well as the pillows. Odd that the pillow have security devices installed inside the pillows. Never encountered that before. Lastly, I had to question why my bill was $45 more than the quoted & confirmed price upon booking 2 weeks earlier. Noone could explain the discrepancy & I was issued a credit by mgmt whom I never encountered as Reception stated they would leave message for manager. If I hadn't caught that oversight, would have been charged an additional $45! They need to do a lot of work...

When we arrived at the hotel, noone was at the Front Desk. Rang the bell a few times. OK, that's fine, they were in a meeting. Had requested a room on first floor & was assigned second floor. OK, I'll live with that. Rooms have been upgraded but definitely "no frills" - strange that kitchen area has no lighting. I mentioned to the staff at the Front Desk & she stated I was the 4th person to mention that that morning. So odd that bathroom toilet has no toilet cover. Have never seen that before. Bathroom was painted baby blue (yuck). At 10:00pm, the alarms went off & all guests had to head outside of hotel. A guest mentioned this was the 2nd time this happened in a week. 15 minutes later, the fire dept showed up. On the plus side, the beds were very comfortable, as well as the pillows. Odd that the pillow have security devices installed inside the pillows. Never encountered that before. Lastly, I had to question why my bill was $45 more than the quoted & confirmed price upon booking 2 weeks earlier. Noone could explain the discrepancy & I was issued a credit by mgmt whom I never encountered as Reception stated they would leave message for manager. If I hadn't caught that oversight, would have been charged an additional $45! They need to do a lot of work...