Boardwalk Hotel on Lake Anna by Kasa — Hotel in Louisa

This was the worse experience possible for our stay.

(Summary: dead bugs, dried blood, 9hour wait to access our room for the night, horrendous customer service practices)

People only take the time to make bad reviews, we all know that, but I can honestly say nothing I’m about to say will help me in any way as Kasa has implied they have no intention of offering me any further compensation for my awful experience.

Kasa Living and The Boardwalk at Lake Anna are responsible for the worst hotel/hospitality experience I’ve ever had. For context this is a “virtual reception” hotel and our booking was for Christmas Eve as our family didn’t have enough room for all guests. This was my second time staying at this hotel but first time booking for myself. It will be the last.

All the reviews that say the pillows are hard and the sheets are scratchy are true, but beyond that the two rooms we were placed in were unacceptable.

The was blood on the floor of our first room so we requested a new room, both rooms had dead bugs everywhere and the second room had trash stuck to the counter in the bathroom.

It took until 9 oclock at night to get the codes for our second room, 6 hours from our original request for a different room that we drove three hours from home to get to in the first place. In that six hours I had to call 5 times, write three emails, try using the chat bot twice, which never connected me to a human person, and continually text the number provided trying to get a response anywhere.

I will attach photographs of both rooms in question and let you decide if you want to risk it.

I sent a detailed email to the company first to see what their response would be to a failure like this and was offered a “total refund of $50” which included the $35 dollar cleaning fee and a $15 convenience fee and an apology.

For context the room we booked was $168 and change. It was a king with a kitchen and our replacement room was two full (not queen) beds and a kitchen which they called a “complimentary upgrade”.

If the second room they had provided had been clean and accessible quickly this review would never have happened. I’ve experienced rooms with issues before in hotels and small B&B’s, it happens, it’s a part of hospitality. But in those cases there were human receptionists and owners on site and the response was always appropriate and swift and I left those businesses happy and willing to book again. It’s not that hard unless you have a virtual system that bounces guest’s grievances from call center to call center all over earth before the issue can be resolved.

I will NEVER book at this location ever again and won’t book with Kasa unless my only other option is sleeping in my car in sub zero temperatures.

Kasa has no business being in the hospitality field as they have no idea how to take the thought experiment of “virtual check in” and make it something other than a ‘real life nightmare’. The reality is that people travel on Christmas and Christmas Eve and you have to be prepared as a hotel to accommodate that.

There is no excuse for what we experienced and no explanation I would accept for a hotel to fail so utterly at providing a clean, safe, accessible room for paying guests.

Edit: to clarify the timeline we had early check in at noon for our first room and weren't provided access to the second "upgraded"...

I attended the grand opening for this hotel. It has its pros and cons. For example, there are no ice machines or vending machines of any kind, and there's no guest laundry facility. If it's late night and you get thirsty or hungry, you'd better have brought your own snacks and drinks, or you'll be hopping in the car to drive to the only place that will be open - Sheetz (17 minutes away). Also, only rooms with kitchens have microwaves right now. They said they're looking into solutions for putting microwaves in the other rooms. Another difference in this hotel is that the beds are closer to the ground so if you're used to a regular or taller bed at other hotels, just know that you're not going to get that here. The sofa in the suite doesn't seem to be meant for comfort or cozying up with family or loved ones; it's rather stiff and has no arms. There's one elevator and I didn't see any luggage carts, so if you have quite a bit of baggage, you may have to make multiple trips. Also, the suites do not have closets right now, but they are working on a solution for that. Until then, be prepared to put your clothes in the drawers. As for the balconies, they are different sizes, and some are too small, so you can only go outside and stand - won't be able to sit and relax in a chair, which is especially disappointing if you pay for a suite and have a beautiful view of the lake. On the other hand, the rooms are spacious, the TVs are great, all rooms have refrigerators, if you get a room on the back left side facing the lake, then you'll have a beautiful view, there's a nice area on the 1st floor for small gatherings, it's brand new and clean, the lobby and outdoor patio area are great, and you can send a text to get service!! I think this hotel will be much better to stay at when the additional conveniences are added. But if you don't care about those things, then this is the perfect...

Full review in hopes of helping other guest: First time staying in a non-traditional hotel, so I was initially weary of booking a non-staffed location at Thanksgiving! However, it was one of the best lodging experiences I’ve ever had and I stay in hotels frequently. KASA provided clearly written check-in/out instructions. Access to the secure building and room was super easy. Facility was spotless. Elevator was quiet and stairwells were safe and clean. Staff was very responsive and available by phone 24/7 as promised; they fully answered my many pre-arrival questions. When answer was unknown, operator said they’d get back to me and they promptly did. KASA also contacted me, during my stay, to see how things were going!

The surface parking lot was well-lit, safe, close to the hotel entrance and equipped with a wheelchair ramp. A full-service seafood restaurant is steps away from the room. Guest rooms are much larger than standard hotel rooms and very comfortable. Although room faced parking lot - no problem…there was an open sitting/lobby area with a huge balcony that provided great views of Lake Anna! Never encountered other guest face-to-face, but I would like to thank whoever found (and left) my grocery store rewards card in the lobby. Much appreciated!

Would definitely return to The Boardwalk at Lake Anna! There were no negatives…(but as a 5’4” female, FYI - the shower head is extremely high, there’s no place to hang clothing, no desk telephone, or clock.) Almost forgot: The hotel is built on a hill - entry to 1st and 2nd floor are both ground level for those of us who want to avoid using elevator/stairs. However, the 2nd floor lake view rooms (rear of...