Comfort Inn & Suites Chesapeake - Portsmouth

After more than 12 hours of driving, we were exhausted, so I was glad the check-in itself went well. The woman at the desk was personable and courteous and checked us in for three nights. Then we saw the elevator, which was filthy, and blood smeared on the wall beside our room door. There was more blood on the walls by the nightstand, along the way into the bathroom, and on the bathroom doorjamb. These were large smears. I wish I’d read the reviews first. We only slept there and tried not to touch anything unless we covered it first. The bed seemed okay. When we checked out the next morning, the young man at the desk was more concerned with why I hadn’t asked for another room than with the possibility of infectious blood being around. He said he’d see what he could do about crediting the other two nights since I hadn’t given proper notice. Can you believe that? Never again. The owners’ response to negative reviews seems to amount to saying they hear the complaints but won’t do anything about them.

We picked this hotel for its location, and the snowstorm made it harder to go elsewhere, but the stay was awful from check-in on. The employee checking me in acted as if I were a bother, kept his hands-free earpiece in while focused on a personal call, and didn’t volunteer basic details. I had to ask about breakfast and checkout times. You can’t get a bottle of water here, not even buy one. Our room and the rest of the property felt worn out. The bed sagged badly in the middle, so my husband and I laid pillows down between us to keep from rolling together. There was rust in the bathroom and inside the fridge, and things were broken or missing. Cleanliness was poor too: something sticky with a hair on the nightstand, and grime caked around the elevator floor edges. The elevator broke before checkout, and we were on the third floor. Breakfast was a joke: waffle mix, two cereals, seven slices of bread, one muffin, a few sausages and two servings of eggs. The only things in the fridge were a pitcher of milk and butter. We also heard two other people complain on separate occasions. We’re not difficult, but I do expect a few basics. It looks like the managers or owners aren’t reinvesting in the property. I wouldn’t return and absolutely don’t recommend staying here.

I’d avoid the breakfast unless powdered eggs and watered-down coffee are your thing. The hotel had an old, stale smell, and the room furniture looked like it dated from the 1970s. The chair was so stained and dirty that I didn’t want to sit in it. The shower rod wasn’t level, so the curtain wouldn’t close all the way and water got onto the floor. It looked like the bathroom fixtures had been installed by someone trying to save money rather than doing professional work.

I left within an hour of arriving because the room was in unacceptable shape. The bedding was stained, the switches were grimy, the bathroom faucet was loose and barely attached, and the ceiling had several badly patched holes. Even though I was there for less than 60 minutes, the front desk agent flatly refused a refund. Charging for a room that fails basic hygiene and maintenance standards is incredibly unprofessional. There’s no accountability here. Avoid this place.