Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Helen, GA — Hotel in Helen

Dear Mary,

First, I would like to thank you for your prompt response to the issues I raised. While I appreciate your timeliness, it is unfortunate that it required a public Google review for these matters to receive attention.

According to your message, it appears you’ve spoken with Judy, the manager, who stated that a refund was issued for the night we vacated the premises. That refund, however, pertains only to the portion of our stay we did not use—having checked in at approximately 5:00 p.m. and departed between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. the following morning. While that refund is appropriate, I want to make it clear that no compensation was provided for the night we did stay—despite the numerous issues we experienced.

When I asked Judy about any consideration for the problems encountered during our stay, she told me that offering us a shower curtain to change ourselves was sufficient and that she was satisfied with her staff’s response. When I inquired why the staff did not assist directly, I was told that the front desk could not be left unattended. I respectfully disagree with the notion that handing a guest a curtain to change a bloody one is a reasonable standard of service.

More troubling was the interaction that occurred when someone—possibly yourself—shouted from upstairs that we would no longer be helped and falsely accused us of smoking marijuana in the room. Despite our denial and an offer to inspect the room (which was accepted by my wife), your staff persisted with the accusation, claiming it must be on our clothing. When my wife acknowledged that as a possibility, the staff responded by threatening a $200 fine and asserting that “this is Georgia, and it’s illegal here.”

These remarks and the tone in which they were delivered were unnecessarily aggressive and humiliating. The police were subsequently called—not because we were agitated, but seemingly as a tactic to escalate the situation. Even the officers noted the staff’s demeanor, expressed their understanding of our position, and suggested that we consider pursuing a civil claim. Had we been guilty of the accusations made, legal action would have been taken against us, which did not occur.

You also mentioned “seeds and residue” as evidence of wrongdoing, which is simply not accurate. Medical marijuana in regulated states is not allowed to contain seeds. If such items were found, that speaks more to the cleanliness of your rooms than to any actions on our part.

With regard to the blood-stained shower curtain, we reported it immediately upon discovering it later in the evening. Our request was straightforward: to have it changed while we stepped out. The assertion that we declined service is untrue. Judy confirmed the next morning that there was no one available to assist us, not that we had refused help.

As for the vomit in the hallway, I personally saw it as early as 4:00 a.m. and reported it twice—once at 7:30 a.m. and again around 9:30 or 10:00 a.m.—with no apparent action taken. Judy acknowledged being aware of it, yet it remained unaddressed for several hours.

Your attempt to shift responsibility from your establishment onto your guests is both disappointing and unprofessional. I sincerely hope that your future guests are treated with more respect and that genuine efforts are made to address valid concerns without deflection or aggression.

Finally, I do want to commend the responding officers. They treated us with dignity and professionalism—something I cannot say about our treatment at your hotel.

Sincerely, Tammy Lehnert Resv#...

My husband and I were looking for a romantic getaway to Helen, GA for our anniversary. I decided to book at the Country Inn & Suites because of the overall guest rating and location. From the outside, everything looked great but once we stepped through the front doors everything took a dive. The front desk attendant was very nice and friendly but the overall appearance of the hotel is so awful and you can tell management/owners do not take pride in this establishment. It’s dark and dreary with hardly any light coming into the main lobby which doesn’t help at all. The floors looked trashed and like they haven’t been cleaned in years. The elevator was sketchy and we could hardly fit our luggage cart in there (luckily the stairs were not far but I felt like I could fall through them at any point). All throughout the hallways the doors to the rooms are beaten up and damaged. The carpets are just as bad if not worse. When we walked into the room you could immediately tell that no one had vacuumed the floors, wiped off any counters, or dusted. One positive is the bathroom isn’t nearly as gross which is why this review isn’t a 1 star. But to be honest, considering the state of everything else, I don’t trust that it’s actually clean, it just appears clean. Our trip is in the middle of November and the temp dropped into the low 40s high 30s, the beds had only sheets on them. No blankets. They had 3 TINY pillows on each bed which honestly made the room look even more pathetic. The sheets appeared clean and luckily we didn’t experience any sand in the beds that other reviewer’s mentioned. If you are considering this hotel for a romantic trip, ABSOLUTELY NOT. If you are passing through and need a place to crash for the night, MAYBE. Even passing through I would probably just continue driving to find a better place than this. Management has a lot of work on their hands and they need to dig deep to figure out and remember why they opened this business in the first place. They are scamming hundreds of people out of their money with the price set where it’s at and the quality (or lack of) that comes with it. It seems that Friendly customer service is what has gotten them the overall good reviews but that’s not the only thing a business needs to be successful. They seriously need to reevaluate their prices and get a grip on reality that this hotel is falling to shambles. I cannot understand how they think $550 is an acceptable price for this garbage can of a hotel for 3 nights.

Also a small note to management/owners, giving the same answer about addressing these issues with the team but not actually correcting or fixing the issues customers are commonly complaining about makes you look even worse. I’m sure I will get the same copied and pasted reply every other person on here...

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding a highly unpleasant and unacceptable experience I had during my recent stay at your hotel. I am extremely disappointed with both the cleanliness of the accommodations and the unprofessional conduct of your staff, particularly the general manager, Judy Moretz

Upon arriving, I found the room in unsanitary condition. The bathroom was dirty, and the shower curtain had what appeared to be blood stains on it. I reported this to the front desk. While they did offer a replacement curtain, I was instructed to change it myself, which is completely unacceptable and unprofessional for any hotel.

Later that morning, vomit was left sitting on the stairs for hours. It was with this that we decided to check out and leave a day early. I was told that I would be accommodated for the second night, but when I inquired about compensation for the first night—given the poor conditions—nothing was done.

Things escalated unnecessarily when an employee came running down the stairs accusing us of smoking marijuana in the room. This accusation was entirely false. My wife is a licensed medical marijuana patient, and although she had her prescription stored securely in her luggage, no marijuana was consumed or smoked in the room at any time.

The general manager, Judy Moretz , then threatened to charge us an additional $200 if we did not vacate the premises immediately. She made it seem as though she was doing us a favor by not calling the police. We chose to leave, but the police were called anyway. When they arrived, they verified my wife’s valid medical marijuana card, confirmed that no illegal activity had occurred, and even noted the manager’s unprofessional behavior.

This situation was not only embarrassing and stressful, but completely avoidable had your staff shown even the most basic level of hospitality and respect. I am requesting a full refund for the night we did stay and compensation for the night we were forced to forgo due to this outrageous behavior.

I trust that you will investigate this matter seriously and take appropriate action. I would appreciate a timely response and a resolution that reflects the gravity of the situation.

Sincerely, Tammy Lehnert Resv#...