Candlewood Suites New Bern by IHG — Hotel in New Bern

While the room itself was generally clean, there were several issues that made my stay very disappointing. I was told the property was newly renovated; however, the only update I noticed was the flooring. Everything else felt outdated and did not reflect what was advertised.

To start on a positive note, the staff was very friendly during check-in, which I appreciated. In particular, when I let the front desk know that the microwave in my room was dirty, an older Caucasian woman (I unfortunately forgot her name) immediately sent someone to clean it. Her quick response and professionalism deserve a big thank you.

That said, there were still multiple concerns. The microwave being dirty in the first place raised questions about overall cleanliness. More concerning was the noise level—the room next to mine sounded like they were having a party well into the night, making it difficult to relax or sleep.

Parking was another major inconvenience. There were no available spaces on-site, and I was forced to park at a sister property next door—something I was not made aware of beforehand. During check-in, there were not enough luggage carts available, which caused unnecessary stress and delays. I was also told that breakfast would be included with my stay, but no breakfast was offered. That kind of misinformation is simply unacceptable.

The most frustrating part was being charged a different rate than what I was originally quoted at the time of booking. During checkout, when I received the printout, I brought this up to the same front desk woman. She apologized and explained that it was the new girl and that she was still in training. I totally understand that and appreciated the apology—but that kind of error should not fall on the customer. It reflects poor internal communication and leads to a lack of trust.

Additionally, the pool was shared with the sister property, which made it feel overcrowded and took away from any sense of relaxation or exclusivity. For the price I paid, I expected a much higher level of service, cleanliness, and honesty.

Overall, while I appreciated the kindness of the front desk staff—especially the woman who addressed both the microwave and rate issues—this stay did not meet expectations. Once significant improvements are made it would be a...

We stayed in the hotel with family friends and per their recommendation. I was called about 30 minutes prior to arrival to be informed they did not have my room available but that I would be upgraded to a suite, which was awesome. It was further from the beach than I would have like but it was not too bad since we stayed at the beach all day. However, once in the hotel I didn't want to leave again. There is a mall nearby, a Walmart, lots of convenient stores and food chains but nothing that you won't see anywhere else. We were excited to go to Publix but it wasn't set to open for 11 days. The room itself was great. The room was clean, convenient, and comfortable. The only issue was the bathroom tub was a little high and it was hard to step out. There was only one roll of toilet paper in the room and a 3/4 quarter finished roll on the holder? The kitchen was clean. The only issue was the burners began to smoke when we first used them. They offered DVDs for borrowing but our DVD player did not work. The thing that bothered me the most was the tv in the king bedroom did not work! The sound was in and out and the picture kept freezing. After all day at the beach I wanted to lay in bed and watch tv and I could not, it was frustrating, this was following a call to the front desk with instructions to unplug and plug back in. After that didn't work I just gave up. Customer service is huge for me. When we first checked in the reception person was curt and by my standards rude. She didn't greet me, other than can I help you, take my information and what was the purpose of my visit. I am not sure if she was dealing with something that happened prior or trying to transition to the 3pm check in issues but it was offputting for me as a guest. I saw her later in the evening to get the movie after waiting for 10 minutes for someone to come to the desk. Her attitude was better and she asked how was my room, however, the earlier incident had already rubbed me the wrong way. That is why I gave low score for staff. Other than that the stay was pleasant, I would stay again if I couldn't find something closer to the beach or if I was...

Hotel was fine and clean. The studio provides a small kitchen with cooking equipment. Refrigerator would make noise regularly. However, there were some issues need to be addressed.

First, information on rate/charges needs to be clearer. Fee was not disclosed on booking site. Front desk (male) pulled out one piece of paper showing different daily rates of Extended stay. No early departure fee was indicated on the form. Rate was handwritten and not rigorous. I had no choice but signed it. I was not given a copy of the form after I signed the form.

Second, when I checked out, front desk (female) told me that there would be an early departure fee since I had to check out earlier than scheduled stay. As mentioned before, the fee was not disclosed. I was not informed on the day of check-in. I told her the early departure fee was not disclosed and shown on the website. I asked her what if I did not sign the rate change form. She said even I did not sign it, I would still be charged. After that, the lady made some adjustments and printed out a copy of the receipt. The receipt showed that I was charged for the same rate when I booked. The only discrepancy was the Early Departure Fee. I assumed that everything was settled. I asked for the copy of rate change form I signed for record. Hours after I checked out, previous male staff called me and said he wanted to charge me the higher fees since I checked out before the scheduled 10-day stay. I did not returned the call because that was not right. I've already checked out by hotel staff and got the receipt. I was charged the non-disclosed Early Departure Fee. I should not be responsible for some kind of mistakes hotel staff made. Also, please don't surprise guests...