Country Inn & Suites By Radisson Convention Center

At $150 a night, this place feels like a budget hotel. I might have felt differently at $80, but I won't stay here again. I come to Altoona twice a year for several days of fishing, and this was a dump. I booked four nights and had plenty of gear and bags to carry in every day. There were no luggage carts available. The staff said they had some but didn't know where, and the two people at the front desk ended up helping me bring my things to the room. I felt bad for them. The room smelled like an Indian restaurant. I like Indian food, just not that smell in my hotel room. The furniture was really beat up, and the walls were so thin I could hear every word from next door. The TV was the worst I've had in years. Its remote buttons were worn down and didn't work. When I asked after the first night if someone could fix it, I was told the "maintenance man" wouldn't be in until the weekend. It gave me the impression that problems in guest rooms weren't a priority. Stay away if you expect a reasonable hotel for the money.

The pool wasn't operational, which we wish we'd known before arriving since we were looking forward to using it. We also stayed four days, and housekeeping never came. We can usually tidy up ourselves, but after three days the bins were overflowing. We asked for the garbage to be taken out and for toilet paper. Housekeeping said they were working their way down the hall, but when we got back around 10 p.m., the room was still untouched. We really needed that toilet paper. Even with that, I'd come back. The staff were generally great, hardworking, and seemed proud of the place. We appreciated being put at the end of the hall while a couple of children's sports teams were in town. We understand what traveling teams are like, having been at that stage ourselves. Breakfast was great, too.

The air conditioning in the room was really noisy, as was the refrigerator, and it seems the main AC wasn't working at all. The lobby was 78 degrees, and the hallway outside the room felt like a sauna. The door lock was annoying because it had to be reset every time the handle was used. Breakfast was very basic, like any other hotel breakfast, and the orange juice was mostly water. The pool was under construction as well.

The staff were good, the room was clean, and breakfast was fairly good, but I left unimpressed and would give the hotel two stars. I booked a king bed with a Whirlpool, and the jets didn't work, which was disappointing for what I paid. The TV also had no channels at first. I called the front desk, and they promptly sent maintenance, who got the channels back. This was my third stay. My first was when it was still a Courtyard by Marriott, and my second was shortly after it became a Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, when it was supposedly being renovated. About a year after that last visit, I'm not sure whether the renovation was complete, but much of what I saw didn't impress me. The carpet was still the old one, stained though clean, and the nightstands and desk looked old and worn. There were no USB ports for charging devices, so I was glad I'd brought an AC adapter. The TV stand seemed to be the only newer item.