Extended Stay America Suites- Albuquerque - Rio Rancho Blvd. — Hotel in Rio Rancho

I checked into the hotel on Friday afternoon after a long flight, hoping for a quiet and restful stay. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

As soon as I arrived on the 3rd floor where my room is located, I was hit with the strong smell of cigarette smoke, barking dogs, and the distinct odor of marijuana coming from across the hall. Although I was exhausted and tried to brush it off, these issues only escalated as my stay continued.

When I entered my room, it was clean and orderly, which was a relief. However, I quickly noticed that the main dresser in front of the TV had significant damage. While walking past it, I ended up cutting myself on an exposed edge and had to use a towel to stop the bleeding. It’s now Saturday, 12:15 p.m., and I still haven’t received fresh towels to replace the one I bled on.

Worse, the cigarette smell from the hallway has started to creep into my room. As someone with asthma, this is a serious concern. I brought it to the staff’s attention and asked to be moved to a different room, but was told nothing was available. No real solution was offered.

To top it off, the bed feels like a cheap IKEA frame—flimsy and uncomfortable, offering very little support.

I’ve stayed at Extended Stay locations in California before, and I can say without hesitation that the quality there is far superior to what I’ve experienced here in Albuquerque. Between the unpleasant smells, noise, safety issues, lack of response from staff, and overall discomfort, I wouldn’t recommend this location—especially not to anyone with health sensitivities or expectations of basic hospitality standards.

UPDATE!@!!!!!!: After I posted my initial review, I received a call about an hour later informing me that a new room was available. While I’m grateful they allowed me to move, what followed was completely unacceptable. The hotel staff made it their priority to wake me from a dead sleep just to ask if I was extending my stay. After I said no, a staff member returned just an hour later—two hours before checkout time—and barged into my room without knocking. Had I not used the top lock, he would have walked in completely unannounced. My girlfriend and I were both asleep and in our undergarments. This kind of intrusion is absolutely inappropriate and unprofessional. I sincerely hope hotel management understands that entering a guest's room without knocking or waiting for a response is a serious violation of privacy and trust.

UPDATE: The fact that you would even attempt to deny that my review was meant for your hotel is completely beyond me. Let me be very clear: the review specifically references your property located at 2221 Rio Rancho — the same address listed on both your signage and my attached itinerary. There is absolutely no confusion here. I stayed at your hotel, and I’m holding your team accountable.

Instead of taking ownership, your response felt dismissive, as if my experience and the money I spent staying at your establishment meant nothing. That alone speaks volumes about the kind of customer service you offer. Not only was my stay deeply unsatisfactory, but your unwillingness to acknowledge what occurred is even more disappointing.

I didn’t spend my hard-earned money to be ignored, disrespected, or gaslit about where I stayed. What I expect now is accountability, not deflection. At a minimum, I believe I am owed a full reimbursement or a complimentary stay to make up for the poor experience and your unprofessional handling of this issue.

The ball is in your court to make this right. If not, I will make sure this experience is shared across every review platform available so others are aware of the type of treatment they...

Between the constant traffic noise, repeated smoking at the hotel entrance by long-term tenants, police involved atmosphere, lack of parking spaces, and poor handling of my reservation, I cannot recommend this property. Travelers will find much better options nearby.

The traffic noise is nonstop all night. The windows block almost nothing, it sounds like they’re open. I was woken up repeatedly by racing motorcycles and cars with loud exhausts.

Despite “no smoking” signs at the entrance, long-term tenants sit just outside the lobby smoking throughout the day, so it does not feel like a smoke-free facility.

The breakfast dining area was unavailable due to a loud argument between a long-term tenant and a police officer that had been called to the property, which made the space feel unsafe.

Instead of greeting guests at the desk, staff frequently stay in the back room, forcing customers to wait endlessly or call out loudly just to be noticed and receive service.

The biggest issue came when I tried to extend my stay by one night. My reservation was confirmed through Expedia a day prior. I was never told I needed to re-check in. Instead of handling this as a simple misunderstanding with a customer service gesture, the assistant manager told me she had “wasted her day” trying to reach me (even though I never received a call), accused me of being “disrespectful” when I tried to explain the situation to staff, she talked over me and interrupted repeatedly, and attempted to charge a $98 late checkout fee. When I refused the fee, I was told my reservation was being canceled, I would be placed on a do-not-return list, and was being given 15 minutes to leave or police would be called. Did this really happen? Threats? Police?! What kind of an establishment is this?! Unprofessional way of handling travelers. I wake in the early morning and leave until late evening. Wouldn’t that be an exceptional customer? What a nightmare! At one point I was even told my belongings would be kept until I paid the late fee, which was completely inappropriate. Lastly, because the assistant manager threatened to call the police if the room was not left in good order, I called the non-emergency police line myself to ask how to handle the situation since I had forgotten to take pictures. Following their guidance, I had the front desk check the room. It was confirmed to be in good condition.

As an upstanding corporate traveler, I have never in 30 years of traveling experienced anything like this! A hotel threatening do-not-return, a $98 fee, and threatening to involve police over a simple booking miscommunication? What should have been resolved with a basic customer service gesture turned into one of the most stressful and inappropriate hotel experiences I’ve ever had.

Had I been the manager, I would have taken the time to explain the Expedia policies and the importance of checking in when changes are made, then waived the late fee as a one-time courtesy. That simple gesture would have resolved the misunderstanding, left the guest satisfied, and created the opportunity for a repeat customer. I am still baffled that such an avoidable situation was handled this way — it was unreasonable and beyond my comprehension. As an owner, I would be embarrassed to know a guest was treated in this manner. Please...

We had one night booked (months in advance). Check in was odd... held my ID so we could check the room. No mention of a change to reservation but I used my key to enter a standard queen room instead of the one bedroom suite we had booked. Went to the desk and, oh... yeah... we had to downgrade you to be able to get you a room. Downgraded? Who actually says that? They were overbooked but absolutely refused to acknowledge any blame. The clerk and his manager actually tried to present it as if they were doing us a favor. They actually suggested it was our fault that they were overbooked. They suggested it was because we had booked on an outside site (which would still not be okay), but we let them know we booked through Extended Stay (on the company website). Oh... well... you are lucky to have a room. It's the Balloon Festival... rooms are hard to get. Wait, what? That's why we booked a room months ago. If you ordered a steak at a restaurant and they brought you a dried out hamburger patty... should they be able to suggest you are just lucky to eat - because they are running out of food? ||After asking for at least a reduced rate, they grudgingly offered 20 dollars. They said it was the difference between the two rooms. I don't know... but to have to downgrade a customer, it seems they would want to offer some kind of additional compensation. I once stayed at an Embassy Suites that comped the entire room because our check-in was delayed by several hours. Clearly Extended Stay America doesn't have quite the same concern for customer satisfaction. We cancelled our room (at no cost - how gracious of them). I felt good about it... maybe the lady who had reserved two rooms but was being told by the desk clerk that she only had one (despite her confirmation email to the contrary) would actually get her second room that night. Or maybe someone who drove many hours only to arrive later that night to find out that they couldn't even be downgraded would actually get to stay... instead of running around frantically, at who knows what time of night, to find a room... since... you know... they were overbooked. ||We did find another room... at the Sandia Casino. It was amazing! Two queens instead of a queen and a sofa sleeper (yet to have any linens) shoved into the room. Nicer, cleaner, valet parking, and fifty dollars cheaper. But, best of all, every member of the staff greeted us and treated us like we mattered... like they actually cared if our stay was going well and, indeed, if there was any way they could make it better. Perhaps the staff of the Extended Stay could visit the facility for a bit of customer...