SpringHill Suites by Marriott South Bend Notre Dame Area — Hotel in Notre Dame

Had a late checkin after a reservation made same-day through the Marriott app. We were crossing the country and had been on the road for 12 hours. We were exhausted when we arrived at 1am.

We were told by the desk that we needed to pay. I stated that I already had put it against my CC on the app, but she said that never works. Ok. No problem. Gave her my credit card and we got our room keys. She never stated what the charge was, not did it appear on the screen.

She said that we had a king room on the 2nd floor when giving me the keys. I replied, “oh we booked a 2 queen. We have kids and won’t fit into a single king. Can we get a room with two beds?” I showed her our email confirmation with the two queens.

The desk clerk replied, there are two beds in your room, one is a pull out couch. I replied that wasn’t going to work for us and I again asked if we could have two queens. “We don’t have that room available” was the response. I asked what happened to our room. She said “well I didn’t change it, and we don’t have that available. You should consider sleeping on the couch.” I asked for a refund. Sat on their couch looking for a new hotel. The desk agent said nothing to me while she typed away.

When I came back to the desk I again asked if I was getting a refund. She snapped back as said “yes, I already gave you a refund.” I then asked for a receipt of the refund. She got mad at me and said “do you think that I’m lying to you? I don’t like the way you are talking to me. Get out of my hotel or I’ll call the police!”

I left without escalating this further but of course, I didn’t get a refund. They technically didn’t charge me but they did place a hold on my bank account for twice that room charge. As of a week later, even though management promised to take the hold off it is still there and will be there for another 3 weeks unless they do something about it.

Truly disappointed in the experience and the staff. I stayed at Aloft in downtown - the Aloft had excellent service, a nice room, and a perfect location. I wish that Springhill had worked out. Would have saved me an hour of sleep that night and the time to write this out.

Update 1 - just spoke with the operations manager. She mentioned that they have done everything that they can and then blamed my bank. But the truth is that the bank holds the authorization until a charge comes through on that transaction. I informed her that they can cancel the authorization - however, they do not know how to do this or are unwilling to do so. They are effectively taking my money for a month. Definitely a 1 star experience. The follow up is appreciated, but didn't really do anything. They gave me 7,000 points on my Marriott account, which is worth about a 1/4 night stay at a low dollar hotel. Definitely not worth the 30-day interest free loan that I am giving...

SpringHill Suites Brings a Modern Touch!!!

I stayed at this Springhill Suites location during a recent visit to the South Bend area for business. SpringHill Suites is a newer brand from the Marriot group, adding elegance and modern amenities with a modern flair. I booked this hotel through the Marriot Bonvoy app as it was in the same price range as hotels in a similar vertical. Check-in was seamless and quick and my keys were already prepared for me ahead of time.

The entrance and the spaces near the entrance are very well lit, and there is plenty of room for people to gather and hang out or for people to lounge and relax. The pool and fitness center were open but only accessible by a 'special' key. Only one person at a time was allowed in the fitness center at a time. I was okay as I was the only person who inquired about the fitness center and got in a workout with no issues. The workout area has newer cardio machines and free weights, and you have access to mats, balls and other equipment to work out.

The room was clean and spacious and came with a great supply of USB ports and electrical outlets so I had no issues plugging all of my devices. During my stay, the wifi signal was very good, and I had no issues connecting. The bed, the furniture and the decor were very modern and comfortable. The TV had many options including cable and access to your streaming services like NetFlix, Amazon Prime etc. The bed was very comfortable and I did get a good night's sleep. The washroom was clean and had the usual toiletries included soaps, shampoos and conditioner. The only thing I noticed that stood out was that the previous occupants' soap and shampoo were still in the bathtub when I looked. I just left them there and didn't touch them.

The Breakfast is an American Buffet Style with many hot and cold options. On any given day you find bacon, eggs, sausage and other hot items. Breads, cereals, and pastries are abundant and there is a coffee station with cream, milk and coffee mate-style accoutrements. Fresh fruit was also available with a wide range of offerings.

Overall this was a good stay with no issues. This hotel is newer and has many modern touches that separate it from some of the older hotel brands. If you're looking for those modern touches, this hotel may be...

We stayed here for only one night, passing through in our travels, although I wish it could have been longer. This, by far, is the "fanciest" and most modern hotel I had ever stayed at, but in the price range of what we would typically spend for a moderate hotel room! We checked in late at night, so unfortunately there was nothing open for food. We were able to buy some snack bags of chips from the lobby area. I gave it 3 stars for a couple of reasons. Upon arrival, I noticed quickly that the bathroom had not been cleaned well, or at all. There were whiskers (like maybe the previous person had shaved) all over the counter and some on the floor. The sink and faucet had dried toothpaste spit and splatter. I was pretty grossed out by that, but I was able to wipe it all with extra tissues. The beds and the rest of the room appeared to be clean. I know that many places/hotels have staffing issues right now, so I'm sure the cleaning was done quickly and some areas were accidentally overlooked. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have NEVER slept as comfortably as I did that night! Best. Bed. EVER!! That, and I was really tired. The only other issue was their lack of breakfast and staff to help keep food items filled. There was only one person trying to run the front counter and get more food for the breakfast bar. Poor lady, every time she'd come back from the back room to fill one thing, something else was out! She was running her tail off with very little to show for it. I could tell some people were upset with the breakfast situation, and there was still one more hour left of serving it. Overall, we were very impressed with the quality for the price of a room here! I definitely recommend this hotel, but I also recommend packing a little...