Candlewood Suites Charlotte - Arrowood by IHG

The lobby smelled nice and looked beautiful at check-in, but I wasn’t greeted as an elite member. The hotel isn’t listed on the main highway signs, though Hyatt Place, Holiday Inn Express, and Sonesta are. My GPS sent me to Hyatt Place, diagonally across from the hotel, and a bush covers the Candlewood lawn sign. This is supposed to be a 100% smoke-free hotel, yet the hallway smelled strongly of marijuana. The signs led to an elevator after a long walk, and there’s only one. It had no AC and was hot as hell. We stayed on the second floor, where the room had a weird smell. I checked the bathroom, living room, and kitchen. There was a dead roach in the bathroom, which I picked up and threw away. About an hour later, Mom went in and saw a baby roach walking on the floor. She killed it. If there’s a live roach, there are more somewhere. I checked the bedroom and living room, which were fine. When I opened the fridge, I moved it away from the wall. The paper towel roll came off the under-cabinet dispenser, so I pulled the fridge out further to get the towels off the floor. There was a dead roach and a live one there. I killed the live one. I shouldn’t have to inspect for dead or live roaches. I told the front desk at checkout, and the employee didn’t seem to care. The hotel prides itself on cleanliness and excellence, but this was anything but excellent. I have all photos date and time stamped.

The elevator sounded like it might not make it to the third floor. Our one-bedroom suite was nice overall, with comfortable beds, but it needs general maintenance and upkeep. The furniture was dirty and stained, and the walls and door trim had dirt marks. I think it needs paint or a thorough cleaning. The pool was closed and drained, though we weren’t there to swim anyway. The lobby was nice, and the woman at the front desk was kind and helpful. Maybe I got a bad room because I checked in late, around 10:30 p.m. As a platinum elite member, I was disappointed. We were only there for one night.

The staff were really kind and helpful, and having coffee available around the clock was a nice perk. The room itself was cramped, though. There was only air conditioning in the living room, which got freezing, while the bedrooms stayed around 75-78 degrees.

We had a roomy place with a kitchen, and the room itself was really nice. But it needed a better clean: dusty floors, hair and dust bunnies, plus dirty walls. It looked like the cleaner hadn't given it a thorough pass. The closet door also wouldn't close all the way. It wasn't the worst stay, but there's room for improvement.