Embassy Suites by Hilton Columbia Greystone

The good things were the breakfast, the convenient spot off 26, two free drinks at night, and front desk agents who really tried. But Embassy Suites is a shell of what it used to be and cheapens the name. Hilton should close it for a few months, redo the rooms, deal with the pipes, and deep clean everything. I stayed here in the 90s, when I lived in Columbia, and thought it was classy. Bringing my own family back years later was a huge mistake. Our first room smelled of mildew, burnt hair, and weed, and had fresh, still-wet stains on the couch. The furniture seemed to be the same old stuff from the 90s, falling apart. Room two smelled of mildew and pet urine. When we asked to move again, I got the sense the desk was used to that complaint. The third room still smelled musty, but we gave up and bought cleaning supplies and air freshener to scrub every surface. There was so much dirt on the ceiling around the air vent that we wouldn't eat at the table. The toilet wouldn't flush, so maintenance had to come. In the shower, water covered our feet because it drained so poorly, taking nearly 20 minutes. Your family may have to get up early and take turns. The beds hurt our backs, the pillows had no shape, and you'd need about 10 for a normal night's sleep. For the sofa bed, you have to get linens from the front desk. The pool was small and unheated, with no towels.

Hilton eventually had to put things right after a two-hour call on Sunday as we drove home. That's the only reason I gave service two stars. We checked in Friday after our baseball game and found a hole in the wall, a soiled washcloth hanging in the shower, hair all over the toilet, a thick layer of dust on the headboard that had to be wiped off, and an empty alcohol bottle. Our reservation said multiple beds and a foldout, but we had one bed and a sagging sofa bed with no sheets. I called for sheets and pillows, waited 20 minutes, then found a room attendant on our floor. When I gave her the room number, she was very rude and said we weren't on her list, but that another room's linens were at the bar and we could take them. We finally got the kids to sleep around 11 p.m., then stayed awake to loud music thumping from the first-floor bar, even though we were on the fifth floor. At breakfast the next morning, they wouldn't let both adults in because we needed two cards. I had only been given one at check-in, so I let my family go in while I waited in line at the desk for another and got questioned. Before leaving for the tournament, we asked them to clean the room, and I specifically requested fresh sheets because ours felt gritty. That night the same sheets were just pulled up on the bed, and there was only one towel. I'm a longtime Hilton guest, and this was by far my worst stay. Others in our group told me they had similar experiences.

This was my second stay at this Embassy Suites and it's been fair both times. I've relied on the chain for ages, and I like digital check-in, but they should explain better how breakfast works. The host at the entrance wasn't welcoming, and the front desk missed details. Nick, the order cook, was great.

We were in town for a soccer tournament and weren't in the room much, but the floors were so filthy my kids' feet got covered in dirt. It looked like nobody had vacuumed in months. Dust was caked on the A/C vents, which was terrible for my child with asthma, and one bedsheet had gross stains that made it seem like it hadn't been changed. Breakfast was probably the best part. One of the servers who checked us in was extremely rude, like she hated her job or life. We also left a suitcase behind, our mistake, and have called, left messages, and filled out the form they asked us to complete. We've heard nothing. My youngest child's inhalers and steroids were in the bag, so we had to replace them. I don't usually write bad reviews, but this whole experience was awful. Just return a call. Whatever happened to customer service? Save your money for somewhere else.