Aloft Columbus University District — Hotel in Columbus

Don’t Stay at Aloft Columbus—Unless You Want to Bring Home Fleas

If you’re considering a stay at Aloft Columbus University District, or trusting your travel to any property managed by Olshan Properties, you may want to reconsider. My recent experience was not only uncomfortable, but the aftermath has been handled with a stunning lack of care, professionalism, or basic human decency.

Flea-Infested Room and Zero Accountability

After checking in just after midnight on June 23, I woke up covered in flea bites. That’s right: fleas. In a supposedly reputable hotel. I immediately checked out and reported the issue to the General Manager, Gwen Mulvey. Her first reaction? Not concern, not an apology, but a bizarre question about whether I’d been “in the woods” between check-in and my complaint. As if I’d gone camping in the hotel parking lot.

A Refund—But No Real Help

To her credit, Gwen did refund my prepaid room. That’s the bare minimum. But when I reached out to Marriott (the brand under which Aloft operates), things got even more absurd. Gwen called me to say she’d closed my case—without resolving anything. Meanwhile, the clothes and luggage I’d brought into the room were now infested with fleas, making my business trip a nightmare. I had no wearable clothing for the remainder of my trip, and now face the cost and hassle of replacing my infested belongings.

Stonewalling and Passing the Buck

Gwen’s only offer? To have pest control inspect the room—after I’d already leeft. No compensation, no apology, no help with my ruined clothing or luggage. Marriott’s own advice was to keep my bag as “evidence” and take photos of my bites. That’s what I’ve done—at Marriott’s direction, not Gwen’s.

Parent Company and Leadership: Missing in Action

I turned to Olshan Properties, the parent company, for help. Unsurprisingly, I received the same lack of concern and zero resolution. I even left a voicemail for Karyn Marasco, Senior Vice President, Hotel Division of Olshan Properties, and never heard back. Zachary Bornstein, Chief Executive Officer, who is supposed to handle escalated issues, has been completely nonresponsive.

The Bottom Line

I travel for work every week. I’m not a “problem guest” or someone looking to make trouble. I simply expect a clean, safe room and basic accountability when things go wrong. Instead, I’ve encountered a chain of indifference and finger-pointing—from Aloft Columbus’s management, to Olshan Properties, to their senior leadership.

If you value your health, your belongings, and your peace of mind, look elsewhere. This experience has shown me that Aloft Columbus, Olshan Properties, and their management are not interested in guest safety or satisfaction—only in closing complaints and moving...

The room itself was nice along with the scenery, the service was terrible, upon checking in I had booked with points so the stay should have cost nothing, when taking the card for the damage deposit they stated I would not be charged at all, 10 minutes later I’m charged two separate times for $50 and $104, I immediately went back down to see what was going on and they said the $50 was a mistake because we entered the card twice and the $104 was the deposit they stated it would be removed after checkout. Today we are checking out and as soon as I left I got charged another $40 so I went back because this is absolutely ridiculous and the blond front desk lady with the three legged dog was the rudest person I have ever met, she did not even say what the newest charge was and proceeded to tell me we did not book with points and I needed to pay more for the whole stay, I told her this was not the case and the lady checking us in even confirmed our points stay. She was not accommodating what so ever and kept repeating that we were lying and we booked it under a card. So we sat there in the lobby contacting management of Marriott for over an hour, as we finally get closer to solving this they stated they were about to call the front desk lady and she proceeds to tell us she is leaving and even if we called they will not be refunding Us as she sees it was booked under payment, at this point we straight up told her I will not be paying this as we specifically got this stay covered, she then kicked me and my disabled friend out and very rudely she told him not to trip down the stairs on our way out. I have never had such a horrible experience staying anywhere I would not recommend this place. the blonde front desk lady truly has no redeeming qualities as...

Upon checking in, I was informed of a $50 deposit requirement. I used my prepaid card, the terminal approved the transaction, and the funds were immediately deducted from my account. However, the clerk claimed that the system did not register my deposit and insisted I pay an additional $50. I checked my bank account, confirmed the funds were removed, and showed them proof. The general manager Flatout lied and I called this lie out and they acted toward me like I was being aggressive when all I was doing was pointing out gross misconduct.

Despite this, management got involved and continued to deny that the deposit had been processed. When I calmly tried to explain the situation, they were dismissive, condescending, and made derogatory comments about me using a prepaid card. This was extremely unprofessional, especially since the card had already fulfilled the deposit requirement.

I also had my support animal with me, which is a medical necessity for managing epilepsy. The stress of this situation could have triggered my condition, yet not once did it seem to occur to them to be accommodating in any way—at an establishment specifically meant to provide accommodations. This complete lack of understanding or compassion made an already bad experience even worse.

Ultimately, they refused to honor my stay, leaving me stranded with no accommodations during a 1,500-mile holiday trip home, even though I had already paid for the room in full. To make matters worse, I now have to wait 5–10 days to have my money refunded. This experience was unacceptable and caused significant stress during what should have been a straightforward...