Staybridge Suites Charlottesville Airport by IHG — Hotel in Hollymead

WOW! I traveled with my mom and college age daughter for a women's retreat in the area. We have traveled extensively in the US and abroad and all three of us were extremely impressed with every aspect of this stay!! We had a late arrival and the front desk clerk Brianna and her colleague, maybe Dee?, were so gracious and welcoming. As it is a brand new hotel they were still learning certain aspects and we threw a curve ball at them. We wanted to split the bill with two cards. They did not know how to do this but did not dismiss us and tell us to take care of it at checkout. Instead they called someone and worked until they figured it out and accommodated our request, all with a smile and gracious demeanor.

The next morning we were amazed with the scrumptious breakfast that was FRESH eggs, blueberry muffins to die for cooked on site, yogurt parfait bar with FRESH blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and pineapple, and several other staples like waffle station, sausage, bacon, cereal, HOT coffee, juice and normal things you would find at a breakfast bar. They had glasses and nice silverware not plastic cups or plasticware. It was a very welcoming and comfortable dining area complete with a fireplace. The staff however made it even more wonderful. Terrence was the breakfast attendant who served everyone with a gracious smile, put down what he was carrying to assist someone with waffles, took time to smile and ask how your day was going and made sure he followed through quickly with every quests requests. He acted in this same manner each day. Kudos to you Terrence!

Our room was HUGE! We had a stove, dishwasher, refrigerator place for groceries, two queen beds and a lovely sofa and desk. We could find nothing wrong. Everything was super clean.

We wish we had time to enjoy the outdoor seating, fire pit, grill area, indoor pool and gym.

We didn't need to leave super early on our day of checkout so we sat in an area off of the breakfast room that had several couches, Two tall tables with chairs and a window seat facing more overstuffed chairs. It was extremely comfortable and welcoming. There was even a sliding door we could close for quiet. We asked Ken if we could turn down the music in the room as we wanted to sit and listen to a podcast together. He didn't know how to do it but he got assistance and they together figured out how to accommodate our request! Upon checkout Ken and Rachel told us how much they appreciated hearing all of our compliments about a fantastic stay. They sent us on our way with a gracious end to the most gracious and relaxing stay.

This is the first time I have ever felt compelled to write a hotel review due to its incredible merits. We will look for this hotel chain everywhere we go now.

Kudos Staybridge for the most excellent stay with some of the most amazing hotel staff I have ever had the pleasure to encounter!! Please give these staff members recognition for...

I must stipulate from the top that Staybridge is by far my favorite luxury-lite hotel franchise, and I have no trouble explaining why: spacious sound-dampened suites, kitchens, multiple large flat screen TV's, high end finishes, and reliably immaculate, comfortable furnishings, to name just a few reasons.

But each property is a unique experience, and this one also had its share of unexpected amenities and pleasant surprises. Chief among those is the ridiculously varied and professionally presented super-breakfast buffet. A game I started playing on my way down to eat each morning was, 'Can I think of a breakfast food or dish that I won't see laid out for consumption?' (Only on my last day did I score a point in this game, but only because they ran out of OJ, which is my essential breaky beverage.)

This hotel also had a very nicely appointed indoor pool with view-framing glass walls on two sides. And despite seeing fairly heavy use during my stay, on my occasions to swim, the children were calm and their parents never left them untended. I still give the hotel some points for this because they're obviously doing something to promote this culture of responsible community swimming that many other hotels could take lessons from.

Also, before my arrival, I had to modify my stay period and the front desk personnel nearly fought over the opportunity to see who could out customer-service who. (I'm not kidding; after taking a moment to express my sincere appreciation, first one agent, then another gave me loyalty program points.)

So then why did I ding them one star?

I have to admit I'm not feeling completely guiltless about it, since it's not really their fault. But after that qualifier, I cannot overstate just how far this hotel seems to be from anything worth doing in Charlottesville (besides, obviously, using the airport--if flying in or out is your priority, I don't see how you can't have a five star experience at this Staybridge). On one day, I took an Uber to go a movie, and my driver was joking with me about how many Starbucks away from the theater my hotel was. "I think you're either five or six Starbucks from your movie," she told me. Then later she confirmed that it was only five Starbucks.

Point being, if you plan on doing fun stuff in Charlottesville, this is still an almost perfect place to stay, as long as you preset your expectations with the understanding that you'll probably travel half an hour each way, no matter what you want to do.

For me, this is a negligible complaint. I would absolutely and enthusiastically stay here again and again. Staybridge remains my personal undisputed emperor of the affordable yet opulent...

⚠️Staybridge Suites👎🏻Haybale 🍁& Fall Decor🎃 Blocking Sliding Glass Doors & Hotel Front Entrance? After a Gas Leak💨, Smoke Alarm 🚨 , and Full Evacuation 🔥 of All Hotel Guests Before 6 A.M., the Weekend After Thanksgiving!😳

We stayed here at 🦃Thanksgiving 2024 during a full emergency evacuation before 6:00 a.m. — fire trucks 🚒 pulled right up to the front entrance, firefighters ran hoses in through the doors, and police 🚓and other first responders🚑 were everywhere. The entire parking lot was filled with emergency vehicles. We had to carry our newborn twin babies down the stairwell — no stroller, no elevator — and stand in the cold, dark parking lot. It was terrifying. The 💨gas leak shut off all gas to the hotel, and there was no hot water🚿for two days over Thanksgiving 🦃weekend.

To make things worse, after the evacuation, the gas leak shut down all 🔥hot water 💧for the entire weekend. We couldn’t shower or bathe the babies, the laundry room was unusable, and the hotel didn’t serve any hot breakfast🧇. We had to leave the hotel just to get clean🚰, feed our kids, and find a laundromat 🧼to wash their clothes👕. It felt like we were paying for a room we couldn’t even use as a family.

Now we’re back, and the hotel has placed a giant haybale and fall display directly in the hotel’s main entrance. Not inside. Not outside. Literally in the doorway. This is the same doorway emergency crews once had to access repeatedly. And now it’s completely obstructed for guests like us trying to enter with a wide twin stroller, hotel carts, or luggage. We bumped into it trying to get in, and fake pumpkins, real mums, and plastic leaves started falling off. I had to pick them up off the ground while two toddlers tried to touch everything.

Our twins were born premature, and they have respiratory issues and hay allergies. We shouldn’t have to push past moldy hay filled with bugs and dust just to get into our hotel room. That’s not just gross — it’s a health hazard, and a fire/safety code violation waiting to happen.

Decorations should never block evacuation routes or emergency access. This isn’t “cute fall décor” — it’s a dangerous obstruction in a hotel where first responders had to rush in during a real emergency not that long ago.

We love festive decorations — but they belong outside, by the building, where the benches and potted plants are, not in the main guest entrance where strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, carts, and emergency crews all need access.

We don’t need medical bills from a hotel’s poor...