Home2 Suites by Hilton North Charleston University Blvd — Hotel in North Charleston

My wife and I came down to Charleston to visit family last weekend. We've been using Home2 Suites mostly when we travel since, until this weekend, we've always had a good to great experience with them. This weekend we were travelling with a newborn so we took a first-floor room near the entrance, so we could get in and out easily with the baby.

The room we were in was the first room in the hallway after you pass the kitchen and breakfast area. We had some frustrations at check-in but otherwise got in fine. We went out to dinner and came back to feed the baby around 9:30. While my wife was feeding the baby, I spotted a medium sized roach running through the kitchen. I chased it out of the room and went to see about changing rooms so we didn't risk the baby getting sick from an infestation, or worse, taking home some hitchhikers.

I was told the hotel was booked up for the night and we could see about moving Saturday. In the hustle, I forgot my key so asked for another one at the desk. We went through 3 sets and none would work on the lock. Finally, the assistant manager, who was far more helpful than the desk staff would be this trip, just let me into the room and said if we had to leave, the desk staff could let us in quickly.

The next morning, going to breakfast, I tested the original keys and they worked. As someone that has managed security systems like these, it seems like the card reader was just having issues updating so we assumed the keys would be good for the day.

When we got back later in the afternoon, after visiting family, we found we were locked out of our room. I spoke to the assistant manager again. It turns out they had tried testing some keys while we were out and determined the lock was busted. He said they had one room left on the fourth floor, but as we were planning to head out in the morning, it wasn't going to be worth the trouble to re-pack and then haul all the luggage and baby gear up several elevator rides. We decided to stick out our time in the room. The manager again said the front desk could let us in quickly if we needed to leave the room, but we stayed in for the night.

The next morning, we awoke to find ANOTHER medium sized cockroach running through the room and getting into some of my wife's medical equipment, which we've now had to discard as we cannot guarantee it can be cleaned fully. At this point, we just wanted to feed the baby, eat, and get out of the hotel. The fact that we had cockroaches and were next to the kitchen was a concern, but I'm hoping the hotel is inspected regularly near the food. Trying to leave, I ran into an issue where I could not get back into my room to get my bags because of the lock issue. I went to the front desk where there was a line. The same lady that had to let us in after breakfast was working, she did have a line of about 3 people but I asked if she could find someone to let me into the room again so I could get the rest of our bags. We were getting close to the 11am checkout and I did not want a late charge on top of the rest of this dreadful experience. She appeared to ignore me when I asked for help until I finally had to raise my voice. She then found someone from the cleaning staff to let me in.

We spent hours after driving home, and still this morning, scrubbing everything with Lysol and running our clothes through sanitation cycles to avoid any possible infestation at home. To say I was disappointed in our stay is an understatement. We stayed at this very same Home2 at Christmas in 2023 and it was fine, but after this weekend, I do not see us using Home2 regularly...

I’m not sure why the reviews vary so much, but my three night stay between Christmas and New Year’s was excellent.

The only hiccup that occurred was that the room I’d reserved on the first floor through my app wasn’t available at 3:30, so we were given another room that WAS ready on the second floor. Not a big deal at all. If you travel a lot, it happens sometimes.

A man named Joe checked us in. He was very friendly and had lots of helpful info to share. We were in the area because my husband was having surgery at a hospital a short distance away (a hospital that does NOT get the same glowing review as this hotel) and I had to bring my small dog. It’s a pet friendly hotel and there were lots of other dogs there.

Speaking of dogs - the dog walking area was excellent, clean, and always stocked with bags for cleanup and was in a safe, well-lit area.

Our room, upon check in, was very clean and was absent of any odor discussed in other reviews. There was the normal wear and tear of a hotel room IF you inspected the room with a magnifying glass, but honestly…it was a lovely, clean, fresh room.

We even received a greeting text from the GM, Pavi. She was also incredibly friendly and helpful and let me know to contact her if we ever had any questions or issues. She also snapped a pic of my little dog by their Christmas tree. Little things like that really can make people feel “at home” when they’re away from home. Her kindness actually soothed my frazzled nerves (regarding my husband’s hospital stay. We didn’t talk about that, but just having a friendly face greet you was very nice.)

I was coming and going at odd hours and didn’t feel like exploring the areas, so my meals came mostly via the hotel’s canteen. They had an excellent array of beverages, frozen dinners, snacks, and desserts. I pretty much ate exclusively from those offerings, cooking with my microwave, eating from the dishes provided. They also provide dish soap and dish cloths so that you can wash your dishes and keep things tidy! I took it as a good sign that they had Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer as well! Prices were fair, too. For all that I ate, I would’ve spent the same at a fast food restaurant. It was nice to be able to eat and go straight to sleep.

There were, of course, the normal things that come and go with hotel stays - heavy walkers, guests laughing loudly or chatting, other barking dogs (my dog doesn’t bark…he makes a noise that sounds like a screaming woman, so…thankfully, he kept quiet), but nothing so terrible that it marred my stay and all the responsibilities of guests themselves, not the hotel. (Nothing got crazy or out of hand. Just people, being alive!)

This Home2Suites provided everything that I needed and went above and beyond to make me comfortable.

I’m giving five stars for:

demeanor of staff. Everyone I met, from check in, to management, to housekeeping were friendly and helpful.

cleanliness. My room was very clean and smelled fresh upon check in. Sheets and bed were immaculate.

location. If you are there to visit the local university or the hospital or other business-related things, it’s a great location. (It’s probably not a strategic location for tourists.

room temperature. I like things COLD. While the hallways were a little warm for me (the outdoor weather was cold), my room held a nice and chilly...

There were some disappointments at the Hotel, but two staff members raised the overall Experience.

There was a towel shortage for some reason, and we had to use the same 2 towels for a few days. There was also a very bad odor in the rooms from some type of sewage leak that occurred in throughout the hotel.

Also, very limited breakfast selection, and portions (for example, juices were served in plastic shot glasses. One sip, and the juice is gone) . There was one staff that helped served breakfast, who kept wanting to shut down the breakfast area before the 9:00 limit during the week, and the 10:00 am on the weekend, and was pretty much , always not friendly, and downright rude to guests.

Thank goodness for superb customer service from Kenyetta, who served breakfast each morning with a huge smile, and excellent customer service. I personally saw her go the extra mile each of the 5 days we stayed at the hotel with several guests. She worked non stop everyday, and always made sure each guest were well taken care of and served.

Also, Kikki, front desk representative, welcomed us, and each guest with a smile, and warm greeting. She exhibited just flawless, and superb customer service skills. Upon learning learning why we were staying 5 days at the hotel(Mom funeral services), she tried everything to see if she could give us a Diamond upgraded room. There were no Diamond upgraded available for the first 2 days that we were there, as the hotel was full to capacity; however, that did not deter her from trying. She was able to give us a Diamond upgraded room after the second stay to give us more room for my wife, and I , and our two granddaughters. She also engaged with us when she had a free moment to find out more about my mom, who died 4 months shy of her 100th birthday. She expressed her condolences personally to us, and on behalf of the Hilton family of hotels.

Nikki , like Kenyetta went the extra mile helping guests on several occasions that my wife, and I observed while either dining in the lobby, or just having tea, or coffee. Nikki should be a General Manager at one of the Hilton Hotels. As a former Franchisee for a Hospitality Group,.....I know superior qualities in existing, and new Employees.

Also, my wife, and I are enjoying our 14th year as a Hilton Diamond Member, 7 years as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinuum Member, and we have been to 22 different countries, and seen first hand, world class customer service , and we would have to rank Kenyetta, and Nikki in that elite class.

If I was an undercover boss, as you see on TV, I would promote these two Employees on the spot, because they will become contagious with the superb work ethics, and customer friendly service, and pass it on to all staff members.

The GM at the hotel, Aimee, also deserve kudos , as she helped us on this stay as well. When I called the hotel to ask about possibly bringing our dog, and that we did not want to leave her, funeral, etc,.....she said she would waive the pet deposit to help us since we were going through such a difficult time. Great customer service. I felt that my years of loyalty with Hilton was being returned to me. Had it not been for these 3 staff members, the ratings...