Comfort Inn Collinsville near St. Louis — Hotel in Collinsville

We arrived just before midnight after a 12-hour drive, just needing a clean, quiet place to rest. Check-in was smooth and the woman at the front desk was polite. Sadly, that was the only real positive.

The room immediately smelled like stale cigarettes, which was surprising for a non-smoking room. It wasn’t overwhelming, but definitely noticeable. Since it was so late, we didn’t want to deal with switching rooms and just sprayed some perfume to mask it. But once we settled in, it became obvious how rundown the room was—beat-up furniture, cobwebs in corners, hair in the tub, dried urine on the side of the toilet, and the bathroom floor had black spots like tar that smeared but wouldn’t come off. The room phone didn’t even work, so there was no way to call the front desk without leaving the room.

Still, we tried to push through for one night. But then at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, landscaping started directly outside our room—loud mowing before 8 a.m., right outside the window. I called the front desk from my cell and spoke to someone named Ana, who said she was the manager. She told me they couldn’t do anything about the early mowing because it was a third-party company and the hotel has “no control” over when they start. That’s absurd. If a business is paying a company for a service, of course they can set expectations on timing. If that company can’t respect guest hours, get a new one.

All she said was “Well, at least they’re done now,” after we were already woken up. No apology, no solution—just excuses.

We chose this place based on the good reviews, even though it was a lower-end option. Unfortunately, this experience did not reflect those reviews at all. The room was dirty, the service dismissive, and the lack of concern for guest comfort was frustrating. Not a place we’ll return to...

The good: Location was fair, and the property seemed well maintained; inside seemed clean and I did t notice anything unusual or in disrepair. Several food options nearby, not connected especially accessible, but walkable.
However. There were issues. Breakfast had potential and, post-covid, it was nice to see a visually full range of options. But it was merely there, very mediocre. Even the self-help waffle-iron, which should be hard to mess up, was off. They were using the brand-named equipment and logos, but the regular batter was watery and lacked the usual flavor. Think it was either off brand, extended with cheap ingredients,or something. They did also have a supposed banana nut batter. It wasn’t really either. The rest of the hot food was similarly nearly flavorless.
While sitting in a chair in a room on the second floor, I soon found an ant or similar 4mm bug crawling onto me. I didn’t stay around long to see if the infestation was worse. My room had some sort of tub damage which housekeeping had concealed with the towel & soap Bed seemed okay, but the bug issue was weighing on thoughts and sleep was not great The website was a problem (yes I know it’s not the specific locations issue, but part of the experience), so to book, I had to use a third party app to reserve. Doing so meant losing options and protections, which the front desk almost gleefully pointed out. Essentially seconds after acknowledging they made people and they themselves had problems with the Choice site. “Oops can’t do anything, you booked with someone else”. BECAUSE I HAD TO.
So when the third party app seemed to book one room type, I actually got another type, and they ‘couldn’t’ do anything about it. That reaction was this location’s...

We checked in just before midnight after a 12-hour drive, simply needing a decent place to sleep. Check-in was quick and the front desk staff was kind. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended.

The room had a strong stale cigarette smell despite being non-smoking. We let it go and sprayed perfume since it was late and we didn’t want to deal with a room change. But as we unpacked, the real condition of the room became clear heavily worn-out furniture, cobwebs in the corners, hair in the tub, dried urine on the toilet, and what looked like tar stains on the bathroom floor that smeared when stepped on but wouldn’t wipe up. And the room phone didn’t work, making it impossible to report without leaving the room.

Still, we tried to sleep through it. But then, at 7:45 a.m. on a Sunday, landscaping began right outside our window. Not just light work full-on mowing directly behind guest rooms before 8:00 a.m. I called the front desk from my cell and spoke to Ana, who claimed to be the manager. She told me there was nothing they could do about the noise because it’s a third-party company and the hotel “has no say” in when they start mowing.

Let me be clear: if you’re paying a contractor, you absolutely can—and should—control what time they start work, especially when your guests are trying to sleep. That’s basic hospitality. Her only response? “Well, at least they’re done now.” Of course they were—because I was already wide awake.

This hotel has decent reviews, which is why I gave it a chance. But between the dirty room, broken phone, and the complete lack of care from management, I regret the stay. I wasn’t looking for compensation—just accountability and common sense....