Sonesta ES Suites Princeton — Hotel in South Brunswick



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What Makes a Good Hotel Great?

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To start, there isn’t really one thing that makes a hotel the best or greatest. However, there are certain things that a hotel can (and should, in our opinion) offer and provide for its guests.

These are a few of the things that the team at Hotel Ballard thinks makes a good hotel a great one:

• Service: This is number-one. We think that everyone, regardless of whether you’re in town on business, celebrating something special, or just plain vacationing, you deserve the best service. A great hotel will not just have a friendly staff, but they will do everything they can to make your stay more comfortable. At Hotel Ballard, we’ve ensured our best-service promise with highly trained staff. In addition, we have a 24-hour concierge to help with your needs – great or small.

• Location: It’s important to stay in a place that’s close to where you need to be, whatever that might be. If you’re headed in to meet with clients or partners, or you want to get in some or a mere few steps from some of the best boutique shopping and dining the city has to...

Our reservation was booked under Princeton University travel system as we were relocating from California to Princeton NJ and needed to stay in a hotel for a short time while until our new home was available. This hotel was specifically chosen because they allow pets and we were traveling with a cat.||After spending the entire day traveling to NJ we arrived at the hotel at 8pm and were told by the front desk agent the hotel does not allow cats. She was quite rude about it and insisted it was on their website. When I pulled up the website it did not say the hotel did not allow cats and she was unable to point out where on the website this policy was stated. ||After telling her the reservation was booked through Princeton because we were relocating to the area and had nowhere else to go, she begrudgingly called the General Manager. ||The General Manage made it seem that she was doing us a great favor and this was a terrible inconvenience to her and the rest of the staff. I again asked exactly where on the website the no cat policy was and she was also not able to tell me where it was. ||She was very concerned that the cat was going to tear up the room and particularly the couch. She mentioned several times during the call that she was very concerned that the cat was going to tear the couch apart. ||We then had to put down a 250$ deposit on top of the 75$ nonrefundable deposit and she told us that we would have to pay for a new couch if the cat tears it up. ||We then drive to the back of the hotel and realize along the way that the entire property is under construction. This is also not listed on the website. If you are having the whole place renovated at the same time it seems like this is something you would want potential guests to know about ahead of time.||The construction was starting as early as 730 in the morning and would go all day every day including on the weekends. ||Our room was on the second floor (Room 821) and it was right next to a hole where a stair well should be but was no longer there. Why would you put a guest in this location? There were also no lights on outside on the second floor. So on top of being next to a taped off hole there is not enough light to see. ||We get into the room and notice immediately the room smells like it has not been aired out in quite some time and that the carpet is already torn up and that the couch is already stained up and looks like it needs to be replaced. At this point I felt compelled to email the GM regarding the state of the room because I felt like she would have tried to blame the damage on our cat and make us pay for replacing carpeting and the couch. The GM never bothered to reply to my email. ||After staying in the hotel for a few days we noticed the tub did not drain properly at all. You would be standing in 2 inches of water by the time you finish taking a shower, the can opener in the drawer was so rusted it was not sanitary to use and the ironing board was only held together by the cloth covering the board. When I went to open it to iron clothes for work the entire thing fell apart. ||The Sonesta was chosen because it was marketed as an extended stay property that is as close to home as you could get but it was a massive disappointment and we felt uncomfortable staying in this property for the entire week and a half we were there. ||We did not even get maid service because I was concerned the maid would have seen the cat that it would have started the entire fiasco over again regarding the pet policy. ||This was our first time staying at Sonesta and I don’t believe we would ever stay with this brand again. It was the most unwelcoming hotel we have...

If I could give this zero stars I would - Extremely Disappointing Stay — Poor Customer Service and Room Downgrade Without Notice

We are deeply disappointed with our recent experience at Sonesta ES Suites Princeton. Upon arrival, the front desk staff particularly the young woman who checked us in was incredibly rude, dismissive, and showed no willingness to help. As a family of six (two adults and four children aged 17, 17, 14, and 12), we had specifically booked accommodations suitable for our group. One with which has. However, when we arrived, we were given a downgraded room with only two beds and a pull-out sofa entirely inadequate and uncomfortable for our family.

When we approached the front desk to explain the issue, the same staff member treated us with blatant disrespect. She curtly informed us there were “no other rooms” available and that we had been downgraded yesterday without any prior notice, email, or phone call. No apology was offered. No alternative solutions. Just an unacceptable “deal with it” attitude.

This has completely disrupted our trip. We’ve had to rearrange sleeping arrangements in a cramped space, which has been stressful and exhausting with an 14 year old with autism who has a lot of difficulties especially after a long day of travel. The lack of communication, professionalism, and basic hospitality shown by staff is simply unacceptable for a brand that claims to be family-friendly and service-focused.

We expected better from Sonesta and would strongly caution other families against booking here unless they’re prepared for last-minute changes and rude customer service. This stay has put a real damper on what should have been a relaxing part of our holiday.

We request that this complaint be escalated and that a manager contact us directly to address this serious issue. We have also been told in checkout we could get refund fed the difference which they would not do and told us to contact who we booked through.

Place was dirty and sheets were...