Radiance Inn and Suites — Hotel in Town of Gates

My wife and daughter and I recently stayed at the Radiance Inn for two nights. I had a chat with one of the staffers to get the backstory on this hotel, and learned why it was the way it was.||||If the story is correct, then the Radiance Inn is a former La Quinta property that was removed from the chain and purchased by a local businessman. This purchase happened very recently, in August 2019, and the new owner is just beginning an extensive renovation process over the entire building. When we were there, the entire top floor was off-limits as the rooms were being modernized and spruced up. The staffer had no idea how long the entire process would take, but confessed that she was excited to see the changes. |||| OK, so that’s the backstory. Now for the review.||||The Radiance Inn is incredibly well located for such an affordable property, right near an intersection of I 390 and I 490, with easy access to the entire Rochester area. Literally nothing in the city is more than 15 minutes’ drive away. It’s right next to the Diplomat, a large banquet hall and event center for local events like wedding receptions and such. It offers a free continental breakfast in the lobby, which is decent but not exceptional. For guests who require really good Internet, the building’s network has obviously been entirely renovated already, as the net is fast, secure, and free. The rooms are typical “hotel chain” style, with desk, refrigerator, microwave oven, ironing board and iron, and plentiful plugs but no USB charging. ||||Those are the good points. Pretty much everything else about this building can be summed up as I stated in the title. It has a lot of potential, assuming the management doesn’t cheap out on the renovations, but right now it is what it is: An abandoned hotel whose sellers made no effort to clean it up before dumping it, and whose new owner has no choice but to keep it open to make money while renovating it along the way. The carpets are all stained, the bathrooms are clean but not very well appointed, some of the appliances don’t work, and the fitness center is currently closed and not very well-equipped even when it was open. |||| Perhaps the most important thing for travelers with children to note is that this hotel is located in an urban neighborhood with a “colorful“ clientele. Groups of young people reeking of marijuana and carrying cases of beer were not uncommon sights while we were there. Our daughter is 18 and not particularly shy, but even she was a bit creeped out by the overall vibe, which the locals took out of “run down” and into “sleazy”.|||| I am pretty hard to shock, and given the affordable rooms, I would certainly stay here again with few qualms. The location really is amazing, and I’ve paid good money per day at fancier hotels for much worse Internet than what they offer. But again, before I stay here, I’m going to find out how the renovations went. |||| One final note, if you do stay here. The staff are young, working hard, and a bit discouraged by their situation, so please try to be kind to them as they do their jobs. I was not terribly impressed by the manager, but I’ll cut him some slack knowing what he’s trying to accomplish with probably few resources. I’m not joking when I say I do plan to come back here again in a year or so… We’ll see what the Radiance Inn...

We used this location for a room block for our wedding. The only reason we even used this hotel is because it literally shares a parking lot with our reception venue which for a New Year’s Eve wedding seemed like the safest option for our guests. We started trying to book the room block in April and didn't have a confirmed and signed contract until the end of October. The hotel had changed names during this process. After the hotel had switched names (same owner and manager from before) it took multiple calls and in person trips just to get a copy of the contract. It also took multiple calls and in person trips to get the final version on the contract settled. The first version of the contract still had the former hotel brand’s information on it. Not to mention a simple online search for hotel rates would show that they charged us more for our room block than some of the 3rd party sites were charging for the same rooms on the same days. The GM appears to work part time and is very unresponsive to emails and phone messages. Some of the staff, although friendly, is poorly trained. One of my wedding guests had to explain what a room block was while trying to book their room! The entire hotel smelled of marijuana during our multiple day stay. The first night we had to switch rooms because bed bugs were found in both beds in the room (Room 302). The next room they gave us was the room adjacent to the room with the bed bugs, as if they couldn't crawl under a door. However, the new room did not have bugs nor did the other rooms our family members were staying in. The next day we got a call about when we would be out of the room so they could have an exterminator come to the room. They didn't even call us about the correct room number. They called about room 307 which was being used by a different family member. We never did see evidence or receive confirmation that a pest control company came out. The next issue was they advertised continental breakfast. Only to find out by a sign taped to the wall (folded up and backwards) that breakfast is now only served on weekends. Come Saturday morning there was no breakfast at the designated start time. The Manager stated that the breakfast staff person did not come in for their shift. After some strong arming, the family member looking for breakfast convinced the Manager that he either needed to find someone or to set it up himself. The Manager of this establishment is purely clueless. As a Manager in the Hospitality Industry myself, I could not believe how much we had to seemingly pull him through his own job. This place just does not care about their guests or the experience...

Place was not what i had hoped for. It starts with 2 drunks loitering in the halls and elevator. Don't know if they were guests or not. Wallpaper was ripped and missing on part of the 2nd floor I was told by another person the same issue with the wallpaper was also on the 3rd floor. Lack of wallpaper revealed mold on the walls, great to see that. My bathroom was not cleaned. Garbage still in the can, pubic hair on the toilet lid, seat and tub ledge. Some black grainy substance was in the tub. Sink still filmy. I cleaned the bathroom with hot water and soap before I let my family use it.

I Complained to the night clerk and he apologized but said there was nothing he could do. He did not have to permission to credit the room or discount the room. Only the GM could do that. ( I have been informed this is not the case. He could have done something for us but he chose not too.)

Seeing I could not cancel my reservation because Expedia would not be able to give me back my money we stayed. I was actually afraid to fall asleep not knowing what was going to crawl on me.

I spoke with the GM and what a great guy he is... He was very concerned and very sorry. He reimbursed my night without me even asking him too. He is going to do some retraining with his staff and will make sure all rooms and common areas are clean and comfortable.

Thanks...