Sonesta Simply Suites Columbus Airport Gahanna — Hotel in Mifflin Township

DO NOT BOOK ONE-BEDROOM SUITE AT SONESTA SIMPLY SUITES GAHANNA (Columbus Ohio Airport)

I booked a one-bedroom suite which has a kitchenette, living room, bathroom and a separate bedroom with a Queen bed and a door to separate it from the living room. At least, that's the concept. The reality is, even though photos show otherwise (they are generic, not specific to this location), there is only one air conditioner which is in the living room. The bedroom has no air conditioner. What the hotel has done in these rooms is put a small exhaust fan in the wall to blow air from the living room to the bedroom. The fan is noisy when on, and if you close the doors to separate the bedroom that's the only air flow. We had to set the air conditioner to 62F to get the bedroom to be at least comfortable (probably 10 degrees or more warmer than the living room). The air conditioner blows directly on the sofa in front of it and the fins on the A/C unit cannot be moved to change the flow, so you get blown on constantly if you sit there. The problem is to get the bedroom comfortable, you have to leave the doors open, which means you can't really have a separate bedroom and living room area, and the living room will be uncomfortably cold. We were not at the hotel in the winter but I presume the same issue would happen with the heat running. Sonesta chose to use this cheap, crappy setup which makes this room uncomfortable and not really a one-bedroom suite which can be separated by the door. In the unit we were in, there were other issues: The bathroom door wouldn't close completely. It appears the door or door frame has warped; The refrigerator/freezer is by the wall, but they have the doors opening away from the wall meaning it's difficult to get to the inside as the doors block your way. The unit we had appears to have the capability to have the refrigerator and freezer doors hinged on either side, so whoever did this picked the wrong way to do it; The ice holder for the ice maker, if put in place, is slightly too long and the freezer door won't close. We had to remove the lower freezer door rack to get it to close. Also, the on/off switch for the ice maker was covered by a panel and was not obvious as to how to turn it on; The toilet flush would continue so you'd have to jiggle the handle for a while to get it to stop, and sometimes even that didn't work so you have to take off the tank top and manually push down the flapper to close it. The only upside was the staff was friendly and tried to be helpful, but after one uncomfortable night in the room, we checked out (we had planned to stay 3 nights).

I don't know about the standard rooms, but based on the various issues with maintenance in the room we had, I would not suggest staying at this location, particularly for the price they are asking for below-average rooms. There are a lot of hotels within a couple of miles, including one across the parking lot, so you have a...

I booked a one-bedroom suite which has a kitchenette, living room, bathroom and a separate bedroom with a Queen bed and a door to separate it from the living room. At least, that's the concept.|The reality is, even though photos show otherwise (they are generic, not specific to this location), there is only one air conditioner which is in the living room. The bedroom has no air conditioner. What the hotel has done in these rooms is put a small exhaust fan in the wall to blow air from the living room to the bedroom. The fan is noisy when on, and if you close the doors to separate the bedroom that's the only air flow. |We had to set the air conditioner to 62F to get the bedroom to be at least comfortable (probably 10 degrees or more warmer than the living room). The air conditioner blows directly on the sofa in front of it and the fins on the A/C unit cannot be moved to change the flow, so you get blown on constantly if you sit there. |The problem is to get the bedroom comfortable, you have to leave the doors open, which means you can't really have a separate bedroom and living room area, and the living room will be uncomfortably cold. We were not at the hotel in the winter but I presume the same issue would happen with the heat running. Sonesta chose to use this cheap, crappy setup which makes this room uncomfortable and not really a one-bedroom suite which can be separated by the door.|In the unit we were in, there were other issues:|The bathroom door wouldn't close completely. It appears the door or door frame has warped;|The refrigerator/freezer is by the wall, but they have the doors opening away from the wall meaning it's difficult to get to the inside as the doors block your way. The unit we had appears to have the capability to have the refrigerator and freezer doors hinged on either side, so whoever did this picked the wrong way to do it;|The ice holder for the ice maker, if put in place, is slightly too long and the freezer door won't close. We had to remove the lower freezer door rack to get it to close. Also, the on/off switch for the ice maker was covered by a panel and was not obvious as to how to turn it on;|The toilet flush would continue so you'd have to jiggle the handle for a while to get it to stop, and sometimes even that didn't work so you have to take off the tank top and manually push down the flapper to close it.|The only upside was the staff was friendly and tried to be helpful, but after one uncomfortable night in the room, we checked out (we had planned to stay 3 nights). ||I don't know about the standard rooms, but based on the various issues with maintenance in the room we had, I would not suggest staying at this location, particularly for the price they are asking for below-average rooms. There are a lot of hotels within a couple of miles, including one across the parking lot, so you have a...

SERVICE & CHECKIN Remarkable concierge! Norma was an MVP employee & made this my favorite Sonesta checkin experience of the year (bay area Sonestas are underperforming heavily on this). Parking is available on site & they accept Tap payment. Other staff members were equally friendly-- they actually greet & smile! Room for improvement: It was a lengthier process than most hotels + required manual paperwork to complete. Early checkin also comes with a fee.

LOBBY, ELEVATOR, CORRIDORS The mini library near the elevators was a nice touch. Transitions need some work: guest floors had an odor, the carpet was stained, & all the sanitizing dispensers were empty. This building has seen some things; it's an adjustment for sure...

ROOM https://youtu.be/xC1uY7BNnRA Brown, brown, and MORE browns~ The color palette is uninspired & doesn't offset the heavily worn interior. Still, there a lot to appreciate. Strengths: lots of storage, open space, work desk, ergonomic seating, & adequate overhead lighting. There was a flight odor, but functional windows took care of that. The leather Recliner was also a treat.

BED It did what it was supposed to. No lasting impressions & no complaints.

BATH A medium-sized bathroom, with a surplus of towels! They're a bit thin & on the smaller side, but the quantity makes up for it. The combination shower had excellent water pressure & bath products were pre stocked. Ventilation was also strong.

TV & ENTERTAINMENT Dated on the entertainment center, featuring a ~40" mounted Panasonic SD TV. I recommend catching up on your reading with a book from the library downstairs.

WI-FI & CELL RECEPTION Verizon coverage is bare minimum even when standing by the window in comical positions🫠; A struggle for remote work. --Performance-- Video streaming - average Online gaming - average Video chatting - average --Nerd Stats-- 5-15 Mbps download 4-19 Mbps upload 0% packet loss 16 ms latency 7 ms jitter

FOOD & DRINK DoorDash friendly & very convenient with lots of variety. There's a mini market downstairs & a dinner within walking distance. The kitchenette is also well-equipped with ample cookware & appliances like a coffee pot & 2-burner stove. Despite the wear & tear, everything was functional.

NOISE It was an extremely quiet environment, nicely tucked away from through-traffic. There was awfully loud ceiling work/maintenance during my stay which was really unpleasant.

LOCATION Lots of access within walking distance to shops, restaurants, & transit.

VERDICT What they lack in luster, they make up for in sincerity. The building is overdue for modernization & from what I can tell they are actively working on it. It's a decent stay if you're optimizing for function. Looking forward to a renovation...