Comfort Inn & Suites Coralville - Iowa City near Iowa River Landing

We were there for less than 30 minutes, but they're charging us for one night anyway, on the grounds that we checked in. We were told we could have moved rooms, but when we took our complaints to the desk, the employee didn't remember us even though we'd spoken to him just minutes earlier. He then gave us a cancellation number and said we'd need it to call corporate for a refund. We were told our second night wouldn't be charged, yet we're still being charged. I don't see how we're responsible for the hotel's lack of cleanliness and poor management when we couldn't know the room was in bad shape until we checked in. We left as soon as we got to the room. There were bugs on the floor, sticky floors, a cracked ceiling, a beeping smoke detector, stained curtains, and a strong cigarette smell despite it being a non-smoking room. The hallways smelled so strongly of chlorine that our eyes burned. The door had no secondary security lock, though the mounting holes showed there had once been one. A dog in the junkyard right behind the hotel barked the whole time. The front desk was no help, and the hotel phone never rings when we try to call. Choice hotels gave us no manager contact number or email, and Expedia couldn't get through either. We have cases open with both Expedia and Choice hotels. Expedia has been good so far; Choice hotels and comfort suites have been anything but. It's been a horrible experience. Please find somewhere else and save yourself the hassle. We sent the manager photo proof of the bugs, but she still insisted we hadn't seen any. She said she had checked the room before we arrived, which I highly doubt she does for every room each night. Even if she did, she clearly missed the beeping detector, cigarette smell, sticky floor, cracked ceiling, and missing safety latch. I truly hope nobody else has to deal with this. It could have been handled much more easily and professionally.

My key cards didn't work from the moment I arrived, and the problem kept happening throughout my stay. The room also had a bedbug, stains on the curtains and chair, and mold on the bathroom ceiling. The window had no lock, the coffee maker was missing the holder for the pod, and the water wouldn't drain properly. I skipped breakfast, so I can't say what they serve. The location behind Maverick gas station is nice.

The room smelled, and the breakfast area was nasty every morning. Desk staff were on their phones, so guests had to wait for them to finish before getting help. This was the rudest, most unprofessional place we've stayed. We called before booking through the rewards app because we were driving up for Thanksgiving. They told us to book Wednesday, November 26, since we would arrive early Thursday. When we got there at 6:45 a.m. to check in, the woman at the front desk canceled our reservation and charged a different amount. We questioned it, and she said the price would go back to the app rate, but it didn't. We were charged a no-show fee and a completely different price for the stay. We needed one extra night. The African American man at the desk argued with us about the rate and said we couldn't book again in the app. Snow kept us there, so I used points to book a free night. I've tried calling since Tuesday this week, but nobody answers. It's truly disappointing.

We left right away after a horrible experience. The lobby and the area near our room smelled like pot, and there were large dogs off leash. We were told we wouldn't be charged for the second night, but they charged us anyway and fraudulently claimed I hadn't checked out for two days.