Home2 Suites by Hilton Brantford

The rooms are huge, with a full kitchen, which is especially handy if you have little kids. The place was clean, and the staff were extremely friendly. Breakfast is complimentary and won't disappoint. It's also near the major highways. Prices are a little inflated, but what isn't these days? I'd recommend staying here.

We'd driven a long way to get here, and I regret staying. The signs we saw in both rooms made us worried about bed bugs. In the first room, our check turned up large blood stains on the mattress and sheets, faded from cleaning, with most of the physical evidence on the pull-out bed. Reception kindly offered another room, but it also had faded blood on the mattress, sheets, and pull-out. Most of that pull-out mattress was stained with pee or something. We thought we saw larvae, fecal matter, shed bed bug material, and more blood spots on the walls and lampshades. There was a spilled drink on the back of the mattress and wall, food behind the couch, dog hair, and even larvae in the towels. I'm not sure why they'd cleaned the blood from the mattresses but left the pee and other debris. The staff seemed rehearsed in handling guests who find them, and no one denied it. What hotel doesn't have bed bugs? I can't say for sure, but my kids and I all have tiny bites around our mouths, chins, and legs, and our belongings look like they may have bed bug particles. The whole thing ruined our family mini vacation. My kids and I barely slept because we were anxious. I got an apology, but now I have to throw out things I can't wash or dry, wash what I can, buy bed bug traps, put DE powder around my home, and worry about bringing them back. I've been keeping my purse in the freezer. I feel paranoid and keep checking myself and our things. I don't want these bugs, and I'll always be afraid to stay overnight somewhere now. A $200 night that was meant to be fun has left me feeling like I've got PTSD. Call me crazy, I don't care. The room smelled like dog and the elevator like urine. Breakfast was just okay, especially the eggs and sausage. We didn't get to try the pool after what happened, so I can't comment on it.

I've stayed here many times, but it seems worse each visit. This week I had to leave my room because of a ceiling leak. It took them an hour to give me another one. While I waited, they concentrated on checking in new arrivals instead of helping a guest already staying there.

I had a wonderful night and then spent a relaxing afternoon in the lobby. The hotel was fully booked, so a late checkout wasn't possible. I went to get a snack and realized I had no wallet, and Apple Pay wouldn't work because tap wasn't accepted. Ethan at the front desk insisted I take the snack for free. Such a small gesture meant a lot. Thanks to Hilton, and especially Ethan, for service that felt worthy of Hilton Platinum-level. A really pleasant way to end my visit to Brantford.