Residence Inn by Marriott Columbia Northeast/Fort Jackson Area

I was in town for one night with my family of ten, all squeezed into a two-bedroom suite with a pullout couch. The tub had someone else's hair in it, and what looked fine at first got much worse once we opened the couch. The underside of the cushions had hair stains, and there were fingernail clippings, hair, and hair ties along with a crunchy, filthy blanket so stiff it wouldn't move. The front desk staff came to see it and were just as disbelieving. That pullout hasn't been cleaned in months. I've never had this happen at a Marriott. Then, when we asked about checkout, the front desk staff got an attitude and said we didn't have a reservation anyway. That's true for that room, since the one we'd reserved was disgusting. I'm severely disgusted.

We had a wonderful couple of days here as a family. My room was spotless and comfortable, and the staff were warm and accommodating. Jennifer was especially helpful and friendly. Breakfast was way better than I expected. Jade made the best hotel grits I've ever had, lol, and the bacon was crisp while the sausage was cooked just right. I'll definitely come back when I'm in Columbia.

After a long day of travel, we had a wonderful quick overnight stay. The front desk staff were great, and our king room had a living room and kitchen, so there was lots of space. Breakfast was decent for a free one. Highly recommend!

The back parking lot is pretty dark. Check-in also took quite a while and wasn't smooth, and a few small, inexpensive things in the room could use replacing: the rusty shower head, which isn't the standard Residence Inn type, the old desk outlets, and the odd towel holder in front of the bathroom sink. Still, it was a good stay with a good breakfast. I just barely give it four stars. I've stayed at more than 20 Residence Inns, and this one would be around number 18 for me.