Quality Inn & Suites Sequim at Olympic National Park — Hotel in Sequim

This was a fairly average hotel. Our room was a bit musty upon entry, but opening the windows and turning on the AC fixed that. As far as average stays goes, I would have given this a 5 star, however we weren't really able to utilize the pool well. The first time we went to the pool there were two other families there. One of the families were other hotel guests, a mom with her son and daughter. The other family was a mom with two preteen aged boys and a toddler. The two preteen boys were being pretty aggressive in and out of the pool. The hotel was kind enough to provide balls and other water toys to play with at the pool. The two boys kept throwing the balls so hard and aggressively that when they'd hit a wall or window it sounded like they were breaking things or leaving holes. Several times the balls would hit other people, myself included, to which I now have a bruise forming on my upper shoulder. If that weren't enough, they were throwing the balls and splashing so roughly that other kids weren't able to enjoy the pool. My daughter eventually got out and asked if we could leave. She was pretty upset because we had driven over 8 hours and almost the whole time she talked about how she couldn't wait to get in the pool. The mom sat there most of the time not providing any guidance to the kids. My friend finally said something to them about simmering down, and they did for a bit, but then the front desk lady tapped on the window, holding the wireless phone from the front desk, and the mom left. After which the boys were even worse. Stayed for another half hour or so, sitting in the hot tub, before we left. Upon leaving though we overheard part of the mom's conversation which made it clear that she was an employee or the friend of an employee of the hotel. Now that wouldn't normally bother, except that when paying guests expect to have a good experience, as that is what they're paying for, allowing your hotel staff and or their friends, to ruin that, is just not okay. The front desk was literally across the hall from the pool room, so I know she could hear how loud and obnoxious the boys were being. While we were sitting there we were shocked that she wasn't saying anything. However upon realizing that the mom was an employee or friend/family of an employee made it pretty clear why no reprimanding was issued in the midst of the chaos. We ran into the other family who was in the pool room. The mom said she went and complained and that there had been another family in the pool room earlier who had the same experience who also complained. Thus alluding to the fact that the issue should definitely have been dealt with before we arrived, given that there were two complaints made about it. We stayed for 3 days and were only able to use the pool area peacefully for 1 of them. It was pretty disappointing. Other than that, the experience was good... The breakfast...

This is a more-economical option that's owned by the same person who owns the Holiday Inn Express and the Brown Bear Diner at the east end of town (I asked, as BBD cards were prominently displayed in the lobby area: I asked, and I suggested the owner give people a 10% discount in order to entice them to drive across town).

We've stayed at both places. Here are the differences to see if the premium for HIE is worth it.

The QI location is next to US 101, with an open parking lot that's shared with an Applebee's that's adjacent. This means a bit more noise, which staff explained was due to it being springtime, when those with motorcycles break them out to accelerate up and down the local as well as the state highway, and you'll notice this noise periodically, but not overnight. My initial concern about the parking lot was the safety of the vehicle given the attractiveness of catalytic converters in a state with legislative indifference to the matter, but we did not have an issue. The lobby was less modern, darker, and bordering on dingy compared to HIE, but it had the basics, including a mini-store and evening cookies, the latter a pleasant surprise. The staff at QI's front desk were all very friendly and helpful, obviously appreciative of being talked to like a fellow human being. There were only a couple of carts available to haul luggage, seemingly insufficient given the hotel's size, but it wasn't an issue for us.

The rooms were basic, again not as modern, but they did have USB plugs. The refrigerator was smaller, the bathtub older. However, the bed and the pillows were comfortable, and sleep was fine despite being at the end where US-101 went by and on the same side as the connecting local street, a potential "double whammy" in the noise department.

The pool at QI is smaller than HIE, it was not heated sufficiently, the hottub smaller and cooler, and the pool area much smaller. There was an inconsistency as to how late the pool area was open, but staff was flexible with that. Breakfast was a step above basic: one day, there were extra toppings for waffles, the other day not, the offerings pretty much the same every day, enough to get your day started. Coffee/tea are available 24/7, always a plus for me. Staff tended to eat breakfast there, too, and this group, as well as the cleaning staff (who clean at your request), weren't friendly and felt a bit strange, though harmless.

In summary, the plusses are the front desk staff, the evening cookies, the 24/7 coffee/tea. The easy access to US-101 is a plus and a minus. What you give up (vs. HIE) is the modern, being away from US-101 and its noise, a step down in breakfast, a much lesser pool area, and if you like it, BBD (which has gone up in price quite a bit), but adding all of those things increases your "per night" cost...

Make sure to check your bank accounts after staying with this hotel! It's hard to tell whether the managers of this hotel are scammers or just incompetent, but they'll do everything they can to add on extra fees and charges. While they placed and refunded the expected $25 hold on my card, they added an additional two $25 charges that were NOT refunded until I called to question them, and another $20 charge that I was assured would be refunded on that call, but has yet to be. I also had my dog with me, very happy to find a pet friendly hotel. Not only did I book a pet-friendly room online, but also had my dog with me in the lobby upon check in, signed an agreement stating I had no undisclosed pets, AND was charged the normal $20 pet fee. However, they waited until the next morning to inform me that a note had been made that my dog was undisclosed and that I would be charged an extra fee on top of the original one because I had never disclosed that I had a pet. Manager was very "generous" and only charged us $80 instead of $100 because in her words, "it's a little of everyone's fault". I work in the hospitality industry and never want to be the person to make a scene, especially over something as minimal as a $100 fee. However, it seems like rather than address the supposed undisclosed dog as I checked in, signed the paperwork, and walked through the lobby with him, they would rather excuse incorrect procedures on their end, argue about the logic of charging a regular pet fee and then an undocumented pet fee, and do whatever they can to make more money than the $300 a night we already are paying them. It's unfortunate that Quality Inn has chosen to provide service and make money through...