Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Columbia Airport, SC

Buyer beware. When my car broke down on the highway, I called to cancel my Country inn and Suites by Radisson reservation, which I had booked through booking.com and insured. They said that if I didn't arrive by check-in, I'd be marked as a no-show, charged cancellation fees, and wouldn't get either night canceled. I was stranded in a small town with no rental cars left and no Uber, Lyft, or taxis, so I ended up having to stay there overnight and couldn't reach my destination. The hotel didn't care and sent me back to booking.com. I went around in circles with both, and neither showed any empathy. They kept saying the details were in the fine print, even though I'd canceled. I lost my money while stranded, and all they seemed to care about was charging my card. That insurance was useless. All the friendly talk disappeared when I had an emergency. I'll never use either place again.

My daughter always wanted a pool and sleepover party, even though her birthday falls in winter, so this place worked out perfectly for everyone to celebrate her 17th. We booked her a suite, and it was really spacious and clean. The staff were so friendly, and for the price, everything was better than I expected. I'll be back!

Mrs. Julie was the reason we'd come back. When my sister and I arrived for the weekend, she kept our room number discreet after noticing it was just the two of us. Later, my sister slipped and fell, and when we went downstairs for Tylenol or ibuprofen, Mrs. Julie kindly gave us some so we didn't have to go back out. She was doing everything Saturday morning, too, and stayed amazing even when some people were rude to her. Knowing others were glad she was working made our stay better. We'll return, though maybe not if Mrs. Julie isn't there, lol.

The room itself was really nice, and the lobby was clean and smelled good. I had to cover a stain on the couch with towels before sitting down, though. Check-in took 45 minutes because there wasn't someone at the front desk, and the 24-hour coffee was cold while I waited. I work at a Choice hotel, and our GM would write us up for leaving the desk unattended. Still, my stay was good overall, and I'll definitely visit again if they can keep someone at the desk.