Baymont by Wyndham Bonita Springs Naples North

The pool area was lovely, breakfast was generous, and the staff were wonderful. Our two-day stay went smoothly from check-in to checkout with help from host John. The room had everything we needed and was easy to get to. The one snag was that the batteries in the door lock for room 310 died, so we couldn't get in. Help arrived quickly, and after another room nearby was cleaned, we were moved there. It was unexpected and cost us a few hours while we made the change.

The area is fairly quiet, and the location is good, just a few miles from the beach. The rooms were neat and clean, but the updates looked very cheap, with laminate floors everywhere and concrete ceilings that made sound bounce around loudly. The property was okay, though I imagine it was much nicer when it was new, perhaps 40 years ago. What made the stay forgettable for me was the lack of anyone at the front desk or on site managing things. Check-in was through a kiosk, and the place felt cold and impersonal. The entry doors were left open, which made it feel less safe. It struck me as an owner-focused hotel, with decisions made around what suited the owners and the bare edge of what guests might accept. Breakfast was also very limited. The website mentions eggs and even shows scrambled eggs with sausage, but all I found were cold hard-boiled eggs in the fridge, plus packaged pastries, toast, and waffles. I was told the property might be managed remotely from India, though I don't know if that's true. It's sad if local jobs were eliminated. Had I known about the kiosk, no front desk or on-site manager, impersonal atmosphere, and poor breakfast, I would have gladly paid $30 or $40 more a night for somewhere better.

I was nervous after reading the negative reviews, but I had a wonderful stay. The rooms are updated, the floors are laminate, and there's a huge pool. The beach is about a 20-minute drive away, and Naples and the coconut mall are nearby too. Check-in takes a little getting used to since there's no front desk attendant. You can use your phone or the kiosk, and a friendly man is available to help. Breakfast was really nice: Belgian waffles you make yourself, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, toast, muffins, pastries, oatmeal, plus hot chocolate, tea, and coffee. I'll be back.

The service is what ruined this stay. This Baymont doesn't have a front desk, which I found out when we arrived to check in at 8 pm and saw only a couple of kiosks in the lobby. Later I learned the whole chain had outsourced desk support to a call center in India. I have no issue with automation when it's useful, and self check-in and checkout can be convenient, but this went too far. The people on site who could help were jerks about it. Never again. I'd already known Baymont was somewhere between Motel 6 and Hampton Inn, so I wasn't expecting luxury. Still, at the height of spring break, we paid over $500 for 3 nights. The room was beat-up, the TV looked 20 years old, and the breakfast area was lame, but the location worked for us and the room was clean. I asked for extra towels at the front area, where there was an actual person. I don't know if he was the owner or manager. He asked what I needed, then asked the person on the video feed to get towels. We went out and came back to clean up for dinner, but there were no towels. The on-site guy was sitting there on his iPhone, and when I asked again, he went back to the video person. That didn't work either. I finally asked if he could get them himself. He huffed, went around the corner to the laundry room, knocked, and got a couple of towels from someone inside. I lost it and asked why he'd made it so hard when he could have done that earlier. When I booked, I knew this wasn't a luxury place, even though it cost more than $500 for 3 nights during spring break. We were trying to save a little money, but the way service worked made me wish we'd gone elsewhere.