Staybridge Suites Columbus OSU-Medical Center by IHG — Hotel in Columbus

I called late in the evening of 4/30/24 on behalf of my husband due to a family medical emergency. Literally!! My brother in law at OSU Hospital on his death bed and my husband had a 2-3 hour drive with his mother and nephew to make it to the hospital so to say it least he was in hurry and forgot his credit card and he called me to make a reservation to a hotel near the hospital so we usually go with IHG hotels because they usually are good but this one was my worst experience in customer service. I called the number that came in they the app got a young lady explained the situation advised that I wanted to make the reservation immediately and she put her on hold twice for about 10-15 minutes then she told me she was transferring to reservations without accommodating the situation so I was on hold for another to 10-15 minutes till a gentleman answered and explained the situation again and all he wanted was my credit card number did not ask me my I needed and I stopped for a minute because I had to make sure that I got a two bed with a pull out sofa because 3 people we're coming and he said ok ", credit card number please!" I asked " you are giving me a 2 bed with a pull out sofa right, right? He said yes, I asked him for the price he said $161 including fees, asked again and he repeated that information again so I gave him my credit card number, advised him I was a platinum rewards member, literally kept dismissing what I was telling him and also trying to give him my email to get confirmation number but he was more concerned about the money, so he took my information, finally took my rewards number and email and he was rushing me off the phone. I was pissed, still am because not only he did not book the reservation at the holiday inn Express he did it for Staybridge Suites which I did not know, he gave me a King size bed with a pull out sofa, cost more money and he did not put my rewards number 🤬 my husband called me confused about where he was staying, I was mad and upset, looked at my email to my surprise this person did what he wanted not what I asked to or him to do. I called at 530 am front desk to see if my husband checked in because if he did I did not want to wake him up and same gentleman from the night before and he verified he did then he asked " Why don't you call your husband directly?" Let me min remind you that the reservation was in both of our names so I told him he was getting out of hand by asking that question and to mind his business. I can honestly say I had the worst experience ever especially on a very bad family emergency and corporate really needs to do something about this and I will be filling a complaint with corporate regarding this matter and if this does not get resolved then will definitely go to another competitor that will appreciate...

I would give zero stars if I could. In November 2024, we booked a 3-night stay (12/20–12/23/2024) at this property. However, the hotel canceled our reservation without any prior notice. We only learned of the cancellation upon arrival.

We were told we had to relocate to another hotel ("Hotel C"), located outside the university area (it's approximately a 16-minute drive away), and stay there for two nights before returning to this property for the third night—after the Ohio State vs. Tennessee playoff game. This sudden change caused major disruption to our plans. Given the late hour and the fact that we were traveling with children, we had no choice but to stay at Hotel C on 12/20. However, that Hotel C did not meet our needs, so we had to search for alternative lodging—almost at midnight—for the remaining two nights (12/21–12/23), ultimately incurring higher costs. Although we were offered a second night at Hotel C, we checked out the next morning.

I requested a refund, which the property declined. I then pursued the matter through the Ohio Attorney General’s mediation process, but the hotel also refused to refund still.

This business is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which prevented us from filing a formal complaint with them. According to public records available through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, this property has received multiple complaints, including one incident where the hotel allegedly threatened legal action against a guest unless a negative Google review was removed.

On 1/23/2025, after I posted my review, Mr. Singh from this hotel emailed me threatening legal action unless I removed my account of how the hotel relocated guests. As a gesture of good faith, I revised my review to provide a detailed and factual account of our experience.

Edit 1/25/2025: After I posted my review on TripAdvisor and Google, Mr. Singh sent me four emails threatening legal action and stating he would report my review to my employer—even though this was a personal family vacation.

Edit 1/26/2025: In their response, the hotel made several false statements attempting to discredit me. Mr. Singh's responses to my TripAdvisor review violated platform guidelines and were removed ten times. I have preserved a copy of their response should it be needed to address further false claims.

Since this Staybridge refused to issue a refund, I pursued legal action and received a favorable court judgment against them.

To ensure my review is posted, I am not attaching Mr. Singh’s unprofessional emails here. However, all legal rights are reserved if the hotel continues to make false claims, invade my privacy, or attempt to defame me.

Important lesson learned: Never overlook negative reviews—no matter how high a property’s average...

I would give zero stars if I could. To anyone considering a reservation—please read carefully.

In November, we booked a 3-night stay (12/20–12/23/2024), but the property canceled our reservation without prior notice. We only discovered this upon arrival. We were told we had to relocate to Hotel C, outside the university area, and stay there for two nights before returning for the third night after the Ohio State vs. Tennessee playoff game. This caused major disruptions to our plans. Given the late hour and the presence of children, we had no choice but to stay at Hotel C on 12/20. However, Hotel C did not meet our needs, forcing us to find alternative lodging—almost at midnight—for the remaining two nights (12/21–12/23) at a higher cost. Despite being offered a second night at Hotel C, we checked out the next day.

I requested a refund from this property, but they declined.

This business is NOT accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) preventing us from filing a complaint there.

EDIT on 1/23/2025: After I posted my review, Mr. Singh from this property emailed me, threatening legal action if I didn’t remove my description of their practice of relocating guests. As a show of good faith, I updated my review there to provide a specific account of our experience.

If you’ve experienced similar issues, I encourage you to file a complaint with the Ohio AG's office.

EDIT 1/25/2025: After I posted my review, the manager sent me four emails in which he not only threatened legal action but also mentioned reporting my review to my workplace, despite this being a personal family vacation. In their response to my review, they falsely claimed that I involved my workplace in this matter.

EDIT 1/26/2025: In response to the hotel's response, the description of the situation was inaccurate and unfairly discrediting. I have taken a screenshot of their response in case it is needed to address their false accusations.

EDIT 3/2025: I received a favorable court decision against this hotel.

The hotel's response remains false. They refused to issue a refund: 1) When I contacted them directly. 2) When I attempted to resolve the issue through the Attorney General's mediation process.

This is why this went to court. The ruling required the hotel not only to refund our reservation payment completely but also to reimburse us for breakfast, mileage, and filing costs (plus interests).

EDIT 8/2025: My case was unique because I had made a prepaid reservation. Still, it was frustrating and lengthy to deal with this hotel to get my refund and other costs through litigation. Clearer policies are needed to close such loophole in hotel...