Gabe N.
Yelp
The many reasons to avoid this hotel...
Before I start, allow me to establish some credibility. I average about 14 nights a month in a hotel so I am no stranger to what is common and I often choose Springhill Suites for personal travel. That being said, the Huntsville Springhill Suites is a blemish on Marriott's reputation, and terribly below average in a multitude of ways.
Let's begin the first impression of my room. Upon entering the room there was the indisputable smell of someone having smoked in the room recently. Absent from that odor was any attempt utilize an air freshener or at the very least air out the room. This led me directly to the window where upon opening for some fresh air I noticed the unsanitary mold and filth all over the AC vents. From there, I noticed the rooms dividing frosted glass partition looked as if it has had a hand full of grease smeared across it a few times. How, I ask myself, can anyone charged with cleaning this room not see this obvious mess and clean that glass? Now, having my curiosity peaked, I began to look some more. It only takes me a moment to quickly find those discussing hairs on the mattress covers. Along with more of the same on the shower walls and in the tub. The bathroom mirror is also adorned with greasy hand prints on display. The carpet has clearly not been vacuumed. There are large fuzzies all over the room, colorful strings from clothing, and when I sat on the bed and placed my feet on the white comforter, I immediately saw all the nastiness my socks had been picking up from the carpet. In fact, the two mornings I spent there I literally never heard a single vacuum cleaner running. A sound which is typically the first thing to wake you up in a hotel. The sofa itself was so dusty and dirty, that I had to ask for bed sheets to cover it before I would let my kid even sit on it.
So now let's discuss the staff... I immediately brought the state of our room to the front desk's attention. I described all of these concerns to the staff on duty. Their initial response was that they would bring it to the manager's attention and get back to me. When they did call back, it wasn't the manager that called, but the front desk clerk and they informed me that the manager had placed points on my account and that they would clean my room correctly first thing in the morning. As if that's somehow them going out of their way to make it right by cleaning the room as they should have had done correctly in the first place. Sure enough, no one ever came to address the room the next day. Eventually, I tracked down the maid on my floor and politely asked that she service our room. When we returned 20 minutes later, she had finished and was on to another room. No vacuuming, no glass cleaning, basically she threw out the trash and made the bed. Not a thing more! Later that day, I called the front desk again and informed them that my safe was locked and I wanted to utilize it to secure my belongings before I left the building. They said they would have someone come and unlock it for me immediately. An hour later I informed them that no one had arrived, and in 30 minutes I would be leaving my room and still needed the safe unlocked. That time came and went and no one ever arrived. The following day I attempted to speak with the front desk about the complimentary breakfast. I provided some feedback and asked for the manager's contact information to leave it in writing. The front desk clerk summoned the breakfast staff where she began to argue with me about my feedback at the front desk. She told me that all of my concerns were the fault of all the greedy guests eating too much and her manager who failed to inform her that the hotel was at full capacity.
What were my breakfast concerns you ask. Well first, let's start with the FEMA like frenzy that results from an understaffed breakfast bar placing inadequate amounts of food out in spaced out intervals that results in short moments where you can choose from a few of the items that are supposed to be available, to waiting 5-10 minutes for the next food drop. As for the coffee, timing is everything, when the coffee does get refilled, you will have to fall in line behind the maids who continuously arrive to drain the carafes filling their 32oz coffee tumblers throughout the morning. Don't sleep in! Despite the hotel stating breakfast is between 6:30-9:30, what they really mean is 6:30 until the day's allotment runs out. As I was "informed" by the breakfast staff, a specified amount is thawed and available each day, and when that amount runs out, they close it down, doesn't matter the time.
All that being said, stay somewhere else if you can. Avoid the Huntsville Springhill Suites
