Best Western Allentown Bethlehem Lehigh Valley Inn & Suites

When I mentioned the ants, Lucy at the front desk wasn’t apologetic or concerned. She asked why I hadn’t told anyone the night before, even after I explained my two kids under 2 were asleep and I didn’t want to wake them. I’d only asked whether another room was available. She said one on the second floor was, and I accepted it. Since my husband was working, I had to make several trips up and down the stairs with both children and all our things. A few hours after we’d settled in, the kids and I went for a walk. When we got back, I was making coffee in the lobby and overheard Lucy talking about me to another person at the front desk. She said they hadn’t found ants and suggested I wouldn’t have them if I didn’t give my kids lollipops. I went to ask why she was discussing me. She got defensive, asking how I knew she meant me. She then admitted she’d told the other person they hadn’t found ants in our room. I explained that I don’t give my kids candy, though I had packed snacks and yogurt, and that I cleaned up after us. I said I had pictures, and she told me to email them. Talking about a guest like that was unprofessional, and the whole interaction made the stay awful and unwelcoming. We stayed Monday through Friday. Check-in had gone well, and because the elevator wasn’t working, they put us on the first floor. After midnight on Tuesday, while my husband and kids were asleep, I found ants in the bathroom when I went to shower. Stay away.

The hotel and rooms were clean, the beds were comfortable, and both the kitchen and front desk staff were wonderful. My main issue was housekeeping. I requested full service each day, including making the beds, changing towels, replacing toiletries, vacuuming, and emptying trash. Only fresh towels happened consistently. One day they changed them and emptied the trash but skipped the bed and toiletries. Another day they made the bed, left the trash, and only replaced the lotion, not the shampoo, conditioner, or soap. We put our things neatly in one corner so they wouldn’t be in the way, but over our six-night stay, proper housekeeping happened just once. Our room was next to the freeway, which was pretty loud. Keep that in mind if you’re assigned a room there.

The staff at the front desk were kind and knowledgeable, and the pillows were amazingly soft. My room was clean, and the maid service was good. But breakfast starting at 6:30 was a letdown at an overpriced hotel. I start my day earlier, and I’d bet plenty of other guests do too, so I couldn’t make use of it. At least there’s a Dunkin nearby. There was a youth hockey tournament in town during my stay. Some of the kids were on my floor and made an incredible amount of noise, with no respect for others. It was disappointing that the adults with them let it continue.

The night before checkout, a stranger came into our room at about 11 p.m. We woke up scared. The next morning I called around 9:30 to ask for a late checkout, and a very sweet front desk employee gave us until noon. About a minute later, Lucy, the front desk manager, called to say they were trying to charge us for the second night because housekeeping had thought the room was empty the day before and refunded it. We stayed both nights and had never received housekeeping. I told her we’d been in room 1.2.3, but she said their record showed 1.0.5 and that it had been changed. I was clear that we’d never been in 1.0.5 or received a key for it. She said they still had to charge us because they had refunded the night without checking whether we’d left, and that the charge kept declining. I use a dummy card when I travel, and told her the refund wasn’t there. She had an attitude when I refused to pay again. I said the mistake was theirs and they should have contacted me. After the call, I went to get coffee in the lobby, then found my keys wouldn’t open the room. I know this tactic from working at a hotel. My guess was they wanted us to come to the desk and pay the extra night to get our belongings, even though their mistake caused the problem. Luckily, my partner was still in the room. This was a two-night stay, from the 31st to the 2nd. Check-in had been pleasant and smooth, but the night before checkout and checkout morning were not.