WoodSpring Suites Asheville - Biltmore West

At 5 am, after barely sleeping, an economy red-eye sounds peaceful and refreshing by comparison. The car alarms have stopped for now, and the drunks setting off fireworks seem to have called it a night. Upstairs, someone is still pacing back and forth, and the whole building sounds so flimsy that it feels like they're in my room. The shared areas smell strongly of smoke and aren't clean.

For what it costs, and given that this is only a 2 or 2.5 star hotel, I thought it beat the other options overall. The rooms are clean and quite good, and having a kitchen is handy for a longer stay. Even if the room costs a little more, being able to buy groceries instead of eating every meal at restaurants can save money. The service was uneven. One staff member was friendly, another wasn't at all. I waited 15 minutes to exchange linens and got pulled into a confusing conversation about how long I was staying and whether I'd paid a $10 fee. There was also no one at the desk at night, so getting help with a key or another problem can take a long time. Five of the six dryers were out of order, though only three had signs. I lost $6 in the dryers and was told I'd get it back when the repair person came, but no refund ever arrived.

For a month-long stay, the room was clean and decent for the price, and the bed was comfortable. The keys, though, were a huge nuisance. I had to replace them almost every day I was there. They really need to invest in a new key system.

The staff are really friendly, and I feel safer knowing you can't enter the building without a key card.