Sonesta Essential Ames

The beds were clean and comfortable, and the towels were probably the cleanest, whitest ones I’ve ever seen. This place was recently renovated and has plenty of parking, a decent breakfast, a clean exercise room, laundry on site, and a pool area that was clean and well kept. I’ve stayed several times, and the staff are always super friendly and do what they can to make it pleasant. I’ll definitely stay again.

The breakfast attendant kept everything stocked, and I felt fine eating the food. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful too. The room itself was very dirty, though. The bedding seemed mostly okay apart from a stray hair, but the overall state of the room made me check for bedbugs. I didn’t find any bugs, and I didn’t feel comfortable taking my socks off.

Easy parking, a convenient location, friendly staff, free Wi-Fi, and a working TV were the good parts. There didn’t seem to be many other guests. The room had a loose drawer handle, four appliances unplugged, burned-out lamp bulbs, a toilet that ran every five minutes, cracked and uneven bathroom flooring, no towel rack, and slow drains in the sink and shower. The shower pressure was weak. Bedspreads and the ironing board were stained, towels were dingy, pillowcases were yellowed, and the bathroom vents were dirty. The bathroom door squeaked loudly, there was dirt on the lamp bases and clock radio, and the radio showed the wrong time. Lamps were missing finials, and both deadbolts, one on the connecting room door and one on the hall door, didn’t work. There were two PCs in the hallway by the elevator, but I couldn’t tell if that was meant to be the business center. The metal bed frame and springs made a lot of noise with any movement. Door frames had been overpainted, the shampoo was partly empty, possibly from previous use or a leak, and bugs got in through a window that wasn’t latched properly. Breakfast had very little food, if you were lucky. This used to be a Red Roof Inn, and it still had the same bedspreads and logoed door number tags.

I needed a room for two weeks while my place was being worked on. The staff were great and always accommodating when I had an issue. I wasn’t sure how long I’d need to stay, but they made sure I had a room the whole time. Really great people.