Sonesta Simply Suites Denver West Federal Center — Hotel in Lakewood

The room was nice enough although the carpet smelled so badly that I woke up with a terrible headache. That might also have been because I had to carry all of my belongings without the benefit of a cart. I was then inconvenienced to have to be kicked out of my room so the carpet cleaning company could shampoo the carpets and clean the AC units. It helped but, then the room smelled of urine anyway. There was no mention of this beforehand and they said I could decline but, I didn't want to be rude even though they offered no discount on my next night or anything, just acted like guests owe them so they didn't have to close down for cleaning. I was waiting for my new home to be ready so I had more than a couple of suitcases but a few heavy boxes and had to carry them to the center of the long hallway and had to make several trips. The staff had an attitude of, 'too bad, so sad for you' about the lack of a cart and did absolutely nothing to help. Like all of these places now, they claim that they have 'no idea' who took the carts and say how sad it is that an unknown guest is hoarding them in their own rooms to ensure 'they' have it for when they leave, having no concern for the other guests. I have to wonder if those guests aren't slipping them a "tip" to allow them to keep the carts for themselves since they really pretend to 'not' have any idea who took them. Sure. The cameras are right there. I suggested asking guests for a driver license or cell phone to keep until the cart is returned but, they laughed at that thought because it would be more work for them and any 'rental tip' under the table would be gone. Not accusing completely but, keeping something from a guest 'would' ensure that other 'paying' guests have use of a cart that is supposed to be customary to any hotel. When I left a few days later, surprise surprise, no cart again and had to haul my things out like a moving man, alone. Even the maintenance guy didn't offer a hand. So, not very friendly there. My back was already out of alignment from the move in so the move out was even worse. Also, they have a rather ridiculous deposit of $250 they 'insist' is listed on Priceline but, I certainly couldn't find anything about that. I was surprised by it, after reading their reasoning is to ensure they get their silverware etc back but then in the room, there was only 1, disposal mangled spoon in the room that would snag my lip to eat with. I went to the desk to ask for a spoon but she went on a bit how she'd have to go another floor...I interrupted her and said never mind and went to my car for a disposable set in my glove box, so who knows what the large deposit is for except the Lakewood attitude that poor people need not apply. They also have a menu of items for sale that they don't even have. Rather oddly managed to me. You're on your own here, don't expect any help...

This is an extended stay hotel with kitchenettes in room so don't be surprised when you smell food and/or pets throughout the halls, etc. Overall stay is 3 out of 5 because we only used the room for showering and sleeping while in town for an event. We choose NOT to utilize housekeeping services for the most part as we don't like others in the room when we're away (unless it's a longer trip). Look out for costs added to the bill and/or charged to your credit card after you've already checked out.

Cost for parking was never indicated at check-in. Maybe it was fault of attendant at desk at time of check in. No car information was ever asked for; we were just handed a piece of paper to display in windshield of car and we thought it was simply to prevent non-guests from parking on site. Also, not sure why the cost for parking isn't paid at check out and/or taken from the 'incidentals' deposit. It just showed up as another charge days later on our credit card with no explanation until you call the hotel. (In a normal guest's eyes, including mine, this looks extremely shady.)

Smell of cigarette smoke was very strong in our room after not having been there all day and when first waking up in morning. Not sure if this is from previous guests in the room or 'bleed through' from rooms next door. Not the worst after you deal with it for the first 2-3 minutes and your sense of smell becomes numb to it.

Bath tub drain took 2 plus hours to drain after showers which indicates lack of maintenance and/or repairs needed. This left a nasty film, hair, etc. in the tub for every subsequent shower (since we choose not to use or take advantage of daily housekeeping service).

The on-site 'gym' was nice enough as it had equipment to allow all forms of exercise. However, the stationary 'sit-down' bike had an error that prevented it from being used but still left (2) treadmills, an elliptical, and multi-use weight machine along with various free weights. (Bench is a little questionable as my wife almost fell off just by sitting...

We had to change rooms 2 different times during our 3 night stay... Upon checking in, the room that was initially issued had a terrible smell, so we requested a room change. The front desk lady was very pleasant and promptly helped us change rooms. While in this room, the toilet became plugged the first night. I requested a plunger and it took at least 2-3 hours to get a plunger and the plunger was like a toy...something you would get for a dollar or 2 from the dollar store...it did not create a vacuum around the toilet hole to effectively plunge. After plunging for 15-20 minutes and putting hot water in the toilet, it flushed enough to flush water but nothing more. The air conditioner in the room also struggled to keep the room a little cooler than outside temperature. The next morning, I went back to the front desk and asked if they had a better plunger, as we were in need of using the restroom! They did offer to have us change rooms again. The front desk lady, again, was very pleasant. The new room had better air conditioning but did struggle to cool the whole room. When the bedroom door was closed, it did not get any cool air as the air conditioner was in the living room. The toilet in the new room did work well. However, this room also had a rather foul smell, kind of musty and stale smelling. I had to ask for a can of air freshener, which mildly helped but had to keep using it intermittently. The cleanliness of the rooms was also sketchy, with multiple carpet stains and food stains on the walls that had not been washed off. Finally, upon checking out and reviewing my credit card bill, I was overcharged by 15 dollars. I had made my reservation through booking.com and was charged 15 dollars more than my statement. Upon calling the hotel, they said the 15 extra dollars was for a 5 dollar per night parking fee that they had been...