Ramada by Wyndham Statesville — Hotel in Statesville

Nikki needs to be removed from a customer facing role immediately.

At breakfast time I brought my dog with me to grab food. She told me he wasn't allowed in the dining hall. I complied without hesitation or issue. I couldn't leave my dog in the room as others were sleeping and he is a puppy that would wake them. I went to get someone else to switch off holding him while we each got plates. We sat down in the lobby, away from the dining room, as requested, and were told we couldn't sit there with him either and that he was only allowed to walk through the lobby. We inquired about other places we might be able to eat with him and was told that we couldn't go outside either and our room was the only option. This was frustrating not only because our roommates was sleeping but also because hotel policy is not to bring food back to the rooms. Despite the confusing and challenging situation, we complied without issue. After checkout, a member of our group was sitting in the lobby and I walked toward him with the dog, with the intention of telling him that we would need to move if I was going to sit with him. While I was still taking steps, I was again accosted by her unnecessarily curt directive saying I couldn't have the dog in the lobby. Considering I had easily complied with her requests before and I was still following the hotel's policy, as described, by walking through the lobby, it was quite unreasonable for her to treat me like that. I, also, did not respond kindly.

Those interactions were annoying but not worthy of such a scathing review. The reason I am writing this is based on what happened next. I returned a few minutes later to apologize for being combative. She accepted my apology and proceeded to tell me about being an animal lover. I asked if I could provide her feedback to make such interactions between her and guests better in the future and she accepted. My intention was to tell her rather than leaving it at "you can't do x" to provide helpful solutions and some context, like "will you please take the dog outside instead of in the lobby, it's our policy to not have dogs in the common areas for the safety of everyone". Especially for those of us whose brains are fried from 3 hours of sleep and not great at shifting plans on the fly. Before I could even get the words out, she launched in with "I didn't tell you you couldn't, I said you aren't allowed". She did eventually let me get the whole suggestion out but not without wading through the depths of rudeness, egotistical self justification, and raised voices that should NEVER be seen in customer service. I left...

Some would think saying a Hilton brand hotel is preferred over, say, a Ramada, because of cleanliness, newness, and overall just better quality of furniture and amenities. Having experienced many hundreds of hotel stays, I would not disagree with that sentiment, but this stay accented some other factors that made me think, "This company may want to learn this." In a few ways, this Ramada caused me to take note that it seemed to be led by a, how should I say, more high-class team than most of the brand. From a great experience with the kind and professional front desk associate upon check-in this morning to the better quality desk/ dresser unit and more comfortable bed and pillows than usual in the room, I was "this close" to sing to myself, "Ya know, I wouldn't mind saving a few bucks next time I'm in town and staying here again, rather than spending the extra for the Hilton. It's pretty nice here." AND THEN it hit me. Another VERY nice difference that I've come to appreciate more than I realized...is the respect for those guests that have a different schedule than most. It is pretty human to think sleeping at night is what we all do. We tend to assume that, because we do that, it is the way life is. Apparently that is what housekeeping does here. But at a Hilton, I never seem to notice the housekeepers when I'm sleeping through the day because I was traveling all night. It's as though they may be trained to consider that, in a hotel, there may be those who need to sleep in the day and we should be quiet in order to respect that need. So that's the reason - the only reason - I would choose to sleep a day somewhere else,... because you can't get sleep while some housekeepers, who are apparently really good friends too, keep speaking loudly and laughing and carrying on in the hallway after sweeping... and sweeping... and sweeping... in intervals, rather than getting it all done at once and getting it over with.

They do a good job - it's clean. But they do it too loudly. It has been said, a good cleaning staff is not noticed, but the fact that they had to have been there always is. And...

Checked in around 8:45 pm. Front desk person very friendly. Asked about pool, said it was closed because of technical difficulties. Gave us room card and went up to room. Room 348 had an older musty smell. Checked the bed, found a bug (ant like) under the mattress. Sheets had something black on them, looked like eyeliner and also what appeared to be rust/reddish colored stains in certain parts. Went to check other mattress and the was chewed up gun on the floor(not smashed in the carpet but just sitting there on top with perfect teeth impressions), and trash. While I was calling down to the front my husband looked in the bathroom and there was urine all over the toilet rim. Went down to get new key and switch rooms. There was a line in front of me so it took a bit. Got new room number, 242, checked beds and they appeared to be fine, bathroom had leftover/used wash cloths hanging from the shower curtain. Sink area had spots where you could tell it had been wiped down but not exactly clean. The baseboard carpet was coming off of the wall, I let them know so I didn't get dinged for that. It looks like they have tried to remodel but it was done in a huge hurry. Paint marks on ceiling, not finished painted areas under desk. Not gluing the fabric baseboard stuff to the wall very well. Breakfast was eggs, sausage patties, grits, yogurt, assorted breads/cereals, and waffles. We went down around 9:10 (closes at 9:30) and the waffle batter was out. The person attending the food area looked super annoyed she had to refill it when myself and another person asked. After she filled it I said thank you and she didn't acknowledge I said anything at all.

Overall: I wouldn't stay here again. Especially for $100. This is more of at$50 a night place. Evening attendant was friendly but had a lot of "I don't knows" when being asked questions by guests. Breakfast attendant wasn't very friendly. No elevator which wasn't a big deal, but could be a big deal if you have lots of luggage. Rooms were dated but appears they tried to paint to fix it up a little. Hallways smelled like cigarettes and were at...