Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbia/Laurel — Hotel in Columbia

The general manager, Jennifer, is honestly the only reason why I upped my rating. She was very understanding when I expressed my dissatisfaction with the staff and the room. I would have done a 1 star rating if we being real. I mean have you seen the pictures?

I checked in 11/27 @ about 330p. Angie checked me in and Abdul was there as well. Me and my husband came to Maryland to see our parents and family. That's it. I guess maybe our appearance made the assumption that we were a young black couple going to throw a party out something bc after providing my name, Angie gave me a paper that says something along the lines of 'you agree to not have any parties in the room". Okay 🙄. That's the only paper she provided me. Apparently we were also supposed to be notified at checkin regarding house keeping services. We found this out a day later...I'll get to that in a bit.

I ask if we can please get a quiet, high room and away from nurses (bc and stated there are Alot of nurses in the hotel who work at the hospital due to covid) bc we want to be safe for the sake of our parents and she looks down at her computer, does some typing and I'm assuming that she said OK and will adhere to the request. But alas, we get to the room (304) and it's by the elevator... Instant annoyance. But we were both tired and just wanted to relax. I didn't say anything. Me and my husband constantly heard banging above us during the day , like a dragging sound and boom. It was frustrating while we were there but luckily it was quiet at night.

The phone did not work at all. The engineer (he had dreads) came up sat morning (around 11:15)to troubleshoot. He took the phone, comes back TWO HOURS LATER talks to my husband, Leaves, then comes back again in like 45min. He tells my husband that there is a "phone issue throughout the hotel" and he'll be back. We end up leaving an hour later and I checked the phone by the elevator, look at that, it's working! So why did he lie, Idk. I stop by the desk to ask for turndown service, Angie said they don't provide since I'm only here for. 3 nights. I ask why wasn't this relayed during checkin? I also ask for sheets towels and she said I can go back to put them outside the door and housekeeping can bring some up. Now I'm getting a little upset bc clearly we are on our way out but you want me to go back to my room to do this? No. I said we are heading out now, please have them put the items on the table and we will change everything when we get back. She said sure.

We come back, phone still not working. Call the front desk (using my cell phone), Spoke to Abdul and he has no update regarding the phone bc he wasn't told during shift change that there was a pending issue with a guest, but we got out towels and sheets!! 🙃🙃

At this point I ask for the GM name, bc it was rediculous. Non working items in rooms, lack of communication amongst staff, the room itself was not up to parr as a paying guest and no one attempted to resolve. Or at LEAST say " I apologize for the inconvenience you've been receiving, let me see if I can get you to another room, if that's okay". I mean we were here for two more nights. Abdul just said he'll send the GM also an email so my issues can be resolved first thing in the morning.

Sunday morning comes, nothing. Sunday evening, nothing. I'm just over it at this point and just want to go home. We check out Monday morning and luckily it was the general manager.(Abdul did not send her any email as he told me he would do) I expressed my frustration and she understood. She said she was off for the holidays and experienced a similar disservice when she was out to eat with her family. I really appreciated her empathy. I really didn't want anything in return, but she did anyway. I am not one who likes to cause trouble, . I'm just big on customer service. I started in hospitality industry, was in for 8 years (Marriott, kimpton, Sheraton, IHG prop ), to now managing hedge fund clients in times Square.

I just hope going forward every guest is treated the same way: care...

Firstly, i'd just like to state that this is a very long review and if you'd take the time to read it maybe you'd consider avoiding this place at all costs! When we first arrived on Friday, June 10,2023 we were made to feel very welcome by the staff and were giving our room key to our second floor room. The room was very basic including a kitchenette; with barely any utensils, and a very basic bathroom. However, we were satisfied with this as we're never too bothered about the room we stay in, as long as it is clean. My partner, my daughter and I all wanted to get out the house and stay somewhere for the weekend with our dog (this hotel was accommodating for pets). We stayed on Friday night in their two bedroom suite (room 201) which was fairly clean but we cleaned it and it was okay. On Saturday we wanted to stay another night so we paid to stay. We were given room 200 (1bedroom suite with pull out couch) After just a few hours of being in our room we noticed the tv’s (meaning both) did not work. We requested from the front desk batteries which was given to us 7 hours later. This night was daughter was going to sleep on the pull out couch, so while she was out I open the pull out couch. I was going to spray it down with Lysol and change the bedding to the new ones I purchased for her. When I pulled the sheets off I looked through the lining of the bed I noticed there were bed bugs and also the outside of the bed bugs stuck to the mattress. I instantly stoped pack everything up and went to the front desk. I explained and showed them the bed bugs that’s I put on a napkin. The young lady at the front desk was so apologetic and told me she would remove the charges and gave me a receipt. I call the hotel the next morning to speak to a manager still to this day no call back (June 17). My card was charged and the manager still has yet to call. I was at least looking for a call or not be charged due to what my family and I have experienced from this hotel. Neither was done! To anyone thinking of booking here, I would really advise you to think twice unless you plan on spending your weekend with bed bugs, no tv, amenities not working and the list could go on, the manager has no concept of customer service it’s very sad I was treated this way! I never give places a bad review but the lack of customer service and professionalism from this place was shocking! To conclude this review I made it back home threw away all our items that was the hotel. I will definitely not be returning to such a dirty, bed bug...

My trip was associated with the seminal space exploration event: Ultima Thule flyby, discovery of a celestial body which these days has become the farthest object in the Solar System ever visited by a spacecraft. Since Homewood Suites is located adjacent to APL research center where the celebration took place, the choice of the hotel was obvious, but gosh, it impressed me so much that had I known it before and if the hotel was situated farther from campus than some other spot, I still would have booked it without a doubt.

I lived in a Suite #213 and, as the name implies, there are no rooms, only suites. The living room/dining room/bedroom areas are expansive, and the bathroom and closet space is in abundance as well. The kitchen is well-equipped, and there are two large-screen TV sets, the free wi-fi is fast and steady, and there is an iron and board in the closet; in fact, I had all the household essentials I needed, and it was truly a home away from home. The bed was superior to almost any, and the linens were just heavenly, so it feels amazing to relax and sleep. Also, as always, it was touching and amusing at the same time to find the Bible in my bedside drawer. I love that tradition, a touch of the Golden Era and a silent reminiscence of the famous American Gothic painting by Grant Wood :-)) And, to me, it fits the personality of the Hilton brand perfectly.

The breakfast was complimentary and Oh My God, Tasty! I got hooked on these scrambled eggs, but breads and pastries and the fresh fruits, too; in fact, everything was purely delicious.

And last but certainly not least, all staff members were SO nice, friendly and helpful, that you practically feel like family, and there is no hint of exaggeration in what I say.

Season it with a peaceful, calm landscape outside and, of course, add the anticipation of an amazing discovery in my case, and here comes the unforgettable experience. And I will never forget it, and I will definitely return in the future (even before the next flyby). I promised that to myself when it was time to leave.

Thank you, thank you so much, dear Homewood Suites! I'll miss you! See you later!

And onward, ever onward...