Courtyard by Marriott Kansas City East/Blue Springs

We found one of the few hotels with a room for all five of us, two adults and three kids, without making us book two rooms. The price was great for a place this nice. Check-in went easily, and our room was clean and roomy. The beds were really comfortable, the water was hot with fantastic pressure, and the walls kept things quiet enough that nobody had to hear our baby crying at 3 a.m. I'd absolutely recommend it.

That bartender was wonderful. The room itself could use an update, though. The bed needs a new mattress, and the tub drained so slowly that shower water came up to my shins.

I wouldn't come back unless the price were low enough to make up for the headache. Our first room was very nice, but after a bathroom flooding problem we were moved to a worse room, which made no sense. I booked through Priceline, and the front desk couldn't explain anything clearly. They said the deposit had been charged twice because our room got mixed up with another, but neither deposit was ever returned, even though we didn't damage or leave anything behind. We stayed a further night at a supposedly discounted hotel rate, and that only brought more confusion. The staff were nice, so I gave two stars, but the whole thing was chaotic and frustrating. I considered asking Priceline for a full refund. Everyone was professional apart from the front desk.

At check-in around 5:38 p.m., I was told they'd put an incidental hold on my card, but the card was charged right then. At 4:45 the next morning, another charge appeared that I hadn't made, and it was for more than the original hold. The employee I asked couldn't tell me who made it or why. He guessed it might be something I'd bought or the hold, even after I pointed out the amounts didn't match. We spent half an hour without anyone able to show or explain the charge. A business needs to be truthful and transparent about extra charges, and customer service needs to improve.