Sonesta Select Chattanooga Hamilton Place

We stayed here last year when the building was owned by “Olivia,” and the service was immaculate. There was complimentary breakfast, and when you paid for breakfast it was hot. Customer service was out of this world. Sabina, a young woman at reception, was wonderful. Now the breakfast is white bread with cheese that won’t melt and edges too hard to bite. The building apparently has been taken over by an Indian couple, who were the rudest people I’ve ever met. The Black young woman at the front desk was extremely rude too. I’m only describing her by race because I couldn’t get their names. We booked for seven days and gave them no issues. We thought we had booked one night, but it turned out to be the next two nights. They told us to use Priceline to extend, but by the time we tried, everything was booked. When I went to the front desk, she saw my face and immediately said we had to leave because there were no rooms available. A few hours after we left, they called at 8:08 PM and said they were overbooked and would have to cancel our reservation, even though we’d booked a week earlier. In reality, I think she was upset that we weren’t paying full price and were using Priceline. I would not recommend this place.

The facility is a little aged, but very well maintained. Our room had a nice amount of space and included amenities, with a small couch, ottoman, and a loveseat that hid a fold-out bed, though it didn’t look like it pulled out. There are sliding glass patio doors, plus a cute lit pavilion and pool.

The location is great, right off 75, with plenty of places to eat nearby. The room was clean enough, but an ozone machine ran constantly in the hall, and there were giant piles of dog feces everywhere, making it hard to walk my dog. As someone who works in hospitality, I think the owners and management should be ashamed that keys can be handed out without checking ID. The exterior door locks near the end of the 100-130 building, and probably elsewhere too, don’t work reliably, so guests repeatedly ask the front desk to remake keys. Staff then get worn down and stop following procedures. The owner is creating an unsafe environment by not upgrading to a more secure, reliable door lock system. You get what you pay for.

I’ve stayed at other Sonestas and had good experiences, but this one was awful. The room smelled so bad. I couldn’t place it, then my family member said it was like the inside of an old, overfull vacuum cleaner bag, and that was exactly it. I don’t know if the air filters were old and needed cleaning or what, but the odor was awful. There’s no elevator, so you have to haul your suitcases up to the second floor. I’d never have booked if I’d known. I’m able-bodied and still found it a hassle and a hardship after a tiring travel day, and I feel immensely sorry for anyone with physical limitations. The fitness center had a station for towels, wipes, earbuds, and hand sanitizer, but every item was completely out. What’s the point if you can’t wipe down the equipment or clean your hands? At checkout I asked for a receipt showing I hadn’t bought incidentals or charged anything to the room, something I request every time to protect myself from charges I didn’t make. The manager said they don’t give receipts. No hotel should have a policy against issuing a receipt showing incidental charges or none. I’ve been burned before by later charges for things I didn’t buy, and a written receipt is all I have to avoid that banking hassle again. After I insisted, he finally wrote something by hand as proof I hadn’t charged anything against my incidentals deposit, but only after being extremely rude and patronizing. His customer service was appalling. Highly recommend not booking here.