Staybridge Suites Lakeland West by IHG — Hotel in Lakeland

First, I will start by saying the reason we stayed at this motel in the first place is we were working in the area from out of town and it was a convenient location. It also had a full-size refrigerator along with a coffee pot and onsite laundry facility with that said, we stayed here 4 times over the past 2 months each stay was worse than the one before.

One the first stay upon check in we were greeted by a friendly gentleman which I believe was the manager or assistant manager, this would be the one and only person on this staff that respected customers. When returning to the room after work you could not enter the front door due to people blocking the doorway and I’m talking about 20 or so adults drinking alcohol beverages, have nothing against that but you would think it would be done inside in the breakfast area or out back in the BBQ area and not the front of the main entrance to the motel. The noise was un-called for just about every night of this stay kids and adults yelling in the hall ways after 11pm. On this stay the room was descent, it had a light cleaning daily, trash taken out, coffee replaced, dusted and vacuumed.

On the second and third stay things were on a downhill slide. The individuals at the front desk were rude half the time no one was available at the front desk and if they were they just looked at you as if you worked there and they were waiting for you to ask if you could help them, normally when you walk up to a front desk you will be greeted with hello or hi can I help you but don’t count on it here. I called several times with no answer to see if I could get coffee or have the room serviced. The hallways were not vacuumed and had not been for days you could tell from passing by the same food on the carpet each day. The elevators were dirty, the entry way doors had not been cleaned there were finger prints all over them the trash was overflowing at the main and side entrance. In the breakfast area the lady servicing the breakfast items had pulled a bag of raisins from under the counter and spilled some I did bring it to her attention but she said not to worry about it she had spilled a lot of things today, I could see if it was only 3 or 4 but it was a lot and it was in an area where people would be stepping on them. It got to where on this stay you didn’t know what to expect when you returned to your room because when they say lightly serviced that is an overstatement the room was not dusted, vacuumed, shower dispensers not filled, no coffee and the list goes on. When we checked out this time we knew we had to return to finish out our project. I made a reservation and requested the first floor and a king.

So we arrived for our fourth stay loaded our luggage on a cart and checked in got our keys and headed to our room to our surprise there was a note hanging on the door handle DISINFECTANT IS PROGRESS DO NOT ENTER ROOM. So I went back to the from desk and got keys to another room on second floor 2 queen beds OK so that’s not the end of the world buttttt. We got settled in, there were dirty dishes in the dishwasher and as we seen at the last stay the light cleaning again was an overstatement. After a few days I started breaking out with red bumps and itching each day got worse and kept spreading. I finally went to urgent care to find out it was bedbugs and fleas. We inspected the sheets and there were little shavings of black hairs all over the bottom sheet of the bed we were sleeping in, I then decided to check the bed we were not sleeping in and found the same on it so that tells me the sheets had not been changed on either bed after the last person or persons checked out. I pulled all liens off both beds and requested they be changed. I started disinfecting the room myself and to it was unbelievable the bugs that were coming out of the couch. My husband also started to break out but not as bad as myself. 90% of our time is spent in a motel we have never encountered anything like this. We will not stay there again and we would not recommend that anyone stay there. I hope that the owner of this establishment reads this and re-evaluates their staff and the cleanliness of this...

It seems that my review keeps getting deleted not just on here but Trip Advisor as well. Wonder why that is? This place has BEDBUGS! Do not stay here! I am with FEMA and stayed here while on deployment to assist the disaster survivors. The first day I got there I had a mild itch, each day got worse, I brought to the managers attention they inspected the room and assured me it was carpet beetles not bed bugs. When I got back after a 12 hour day, they assured me it was taken care of. They steam cleaned the floor stripped the bed etc. That lasted one night, the next night was worse than all the others. I went to the front desk and I patiently explained that I again have bed bugs. They offered me another room but I didn't want to move and just carry the bugs with ma. I asked that I be moved to another room and that the hotel take all of my items and have everything sanitized. I also asked to speak with the manager of the hotel at 10:30 she called and she was immediately hostile! I continued to be calm and polite until she started spewing nonsense. She said it couldn't be bedbugs because it takes 5-7 days to even see the bites and my issues started on the first day. Still she said it was carpet beetles, then she tried to tell me some lame story about how she was laying on the beach and got bit all over by sand fleas. I had not been anywhere near sand as I said above I was working 12 hour days assisting survivors. I told her all of that was ridiculous and all I wanted was a new room and to have my stuff sanitized to ensure I didn't carry them anywhere else. When I told her I would pay for an exterminator to come in and assess she FLIPPED OUT! She told me to get the F$&k out of her hotel that night (it was after 11pm). So to keep this all quiet she was happy to kick me out in the middle of the night and spread the infestation to another hotel. While I tried to figure out what to do, I was in tears, it was late, I had another 12 hour day ahead of me and I was being literally put out on the street. Finally the lady at the front desk gave me another room for the night , I had to take the morning off to go and sanitize everything I had myself. Which means that survivors had to wait longer for assistance. That woman was awful and should be deeply ashamed of her behavior. All I wanted was a new room and to have my stuff sanitized and she acted like I was asking her to jump off of the highest roof. It's funny how the hotels answered everyone else but deleted my review. Ask yourself why they reacted...

Traveling during a pandemic, with a dog was a bit stressful. However, during our extended stay we felt safe, comfortable and right at home. Covid19 precautions are in place with sanitizer stations literally at every possible point of contact. Our room was very clean AND comfortable. The kitchen had everything we needed to make our meals...even a full size refrigerator with an ice maker. The front desk staff ALWAYS went above and beyond to make my pooch Sissi feel like she had a dozen new besties that gave her yummy treats and when we left it was like saying goodbye to our friends when we move. The housekeepers were always kind and accommodating and kept us stocked if we needed anything between our weekly cleanings. Happy hour turned into 'yappy hour' when the sweet gal gave us our snacks and drinks and we went to the courtyard to visit with the friends we had made of the other guests and their doggies. Each morning, the lady serving up our breakfast was always nice and helped us start our day with a good breakfast and a smile! Even the maintenance guy was awesome and greeted Sissi each day with lots of belly rubs and pats. The few negative reviews are likely serious to the authors, but seem pretty nit picky and some down right petty. Stay a few extra days (or 18 like we did) and you can get the full story of excellent customer service and the warmth of genuinely nice people! Yes the hotel sits beside a flight school and the airport which is obvious when you book a room if you do any research at all. But the noise is MINIMAL since the actual runways are far off from the hotel and everything shuts down early in the evening. The 'noise' is possibly a small plane taxiing down to the runways or idling engines. We welcomed the opportunity to see these small planes up close and personal and the occasional private jet parked nearby. Our multiple "potty walks" were much richer and interesting as well as feeling safe in the surrounding areas...there's also a doggie poopy bag/trash can station out back with great areas to walk your dog. Just be considerate and pick up after your dog...not everyone does and stepping in a pile at night is NOT fun. One piece of advice, bring laundry detergent and dryer sheets coz you can do your laundry for FREE! We're currently in the process of moving to Lakeland and are unlikely to need the services of Staybridge in Lakeland, however if we ever have a reason or anyone needs a nice place to stay for a while, we'll always recommend Mia and her...