Staybridge Suites Auburn Hills by IHG

Alvin made check-in the best I've experienced. He smiled, joked easily without being offensive, and clearly explained the important property information. When I called, he answered, "....how can I provide you exceptional service today!" As a hotel General Manager, I liked that line so much I need to teach it to my own team. I'd hire Alvin for my property in a heartbeat. Stay here if you're in the area, and ask for Alvin if you need help.

We ended up in another hotel and were much happier, but getting there was a stressful ordeal. We travel for weeks at a time for my husband's job, so finding a new place that could accommodate our son and dog late in the afternoon was difficult. We had to pack repeatedly, manage our toddler, and move our elderly dog. The hotel eventually reimbursed most of the stay after multiple calls, but an update: they DID NOT refund the one night we spent suffering in the cold. At check-in they didn't have the room we booked. After arguing and being told they only had studios, not suites, they eventually gave us our booked room, minus the tub, and we made do. Neither remote worked. Someone came up, confirmed it was broken, and said they'd send someone else, who never came. The kitchen lady was very sweet and found a high chair after the front desk said there weren't any. They claim to be high quality, but only had paper plates and forks. That night the room dropped to 55-60 degrees. We thought it might be the energy saving keycard system, but the temperature didn't change after we returned and waited following breakfast. We called multiple times before anyone came up, hours later. They agreed it was cold and said they'd call the GM. We heard nothing for three hours or maybe longer, while the room was around 60 degrees, their temperature gauge seemed wrong, and we had a child under two. They offered to move us but initially said we'd have to wait until 4 for a room to be cleaned. I said it was too cold, and thankfully they got one ready much sooner. While checking for my clothes, I found the mattress topper dirty. We packed everything and switched rooms. The remotes failed again, and the microwave didn't work. After I put my son down for a nap and unpacked, my husband complained. Staff showed no sympathy, were rude, and said we were just trying to get free nights. A woman called our room and told us to get out. I tried to explain, but she kept yelling over me, so I asked her to let me finish and she hung up. I'll admit I was yelling too. My husband also saw the GM park in a handicap spot. When we finally left, I fell and twisted my ankle in the unplowed, unsalted parking lot. There was also a sign saying no more than three people per room or there'd be a $300 charge for each extra person. Another sign said not to leave garbage outside the door or pile towels or clothes in the room, but they didn't provide laundry bags or baskets in all rooms, so you had to carry everything downstairs to the front desk.

The location worked well for our high school teams' state tournament, but the stay left us hesitant to book here again. On our first night, my oldest daughter thought the sofa bed looked dirty and chose to sleep on the couch instead. As we pushed the bed back, a used condom fell onto the floor. It was awful to deal with in front of my 12-year-old, while my 15-year-old looked on disgusted. Since it was late and we had an early start, we waited until the next day to report it. At breakfast early that morning, my youngest spotted mold on several bagels and pieces of bread, which added to our concerns about cleanliness and quality control. When we told the front desk associate, he seemed genuinely mortified, especially about what was in the room. He said he'd speak to housekeeping and arrange a deeper clean, but that only seemed to help future guests. There was no follow-up or attempt to make things right for our family, beyond his initial reaction. The pool was awkward to use too. Room keys don't open its area, so after walking there we had to go back to the desk. A staff member has to unlock it in person. If someone steps out, even to use the restroom outside the locked pool area, they'd have to return to the main desk to get back in. That made a supposedly relaxing amenity unnecessarily complicated.

I've been an IHG rewards member since late 2017, and an earlier poor experience in November 2017 didn't make me give up on the whole chain. But after what happened on 10/30/2025, I'll never stay at another IHG property or recommend this one to family and friends. My best friend was getting married on Halloween 2025, and we agreed Staybridge Suites was convenient near the venue. I booked two nights, 10/30-11/1/2025. That morning, while I was on the phone with the bride discussing final details at the wedding venue, management called her. I could hear Amy telling the bride to hurry up and saying she wouldn't wait for her to unlock her credit card after it had declined because the bride kept her cards locked. The bride asked Amy to hold. This so-called General manager sounded nasty and annoyed about the card. The bride told her, “ for some reason you called already annoyed and you are taking your frustrations out on me.” Amy yelled back, “ I am canceling your entire wedding block,” and hung up. I called corporate right away. They saw my reservation had been canceled but found no note explaining why. They said they'd contact Amy on a three-way call, then put me on hold. Amy wouldn't allow the call and told corporate she was over it. Corporate came back and said the GM had decided to cancel, and we could book at the other IHG property directly in front of Staybridge Suites. They later told me it wasn't the bride's card that declined, but another person in the block whose card couldn't be processed that morning. I asked why they were charging a card before check-in, since guests might have something happen before arrival or want to use a different payment method. Corporate said this was sometimes standard procedure. Everyone was displaced with the wedding just 24 hours away, but corporate said it was in the GM's hands. I hung up and called Amy myself. She was loud and degrading, saying we'd already talked. I said this was my first conversation with her, and that I was affected by the block cancellation, even though I wasn't the bride. She said it was out of her hands and corporate's decision, and we needed to book elsewhere. I told her corporate had said she canceled the block over the wrong card number being run. She didn't want to discuss it and told me to book another suite. Amy forgot to hang up, and I heard her say the other hotel had more space for us. If they couldn't accommodate us, why accept the reservation in the first place? We'd planned for months. I've never encountered such unprofessionalism.