Garner Hotel Doswell Southeast by IHG

Our family of five and two German Shepherds stayed for two nights, and we found the staff friendly and kind. We were happy to find all-day complimentary coffee, juice, and water, and the guy at the desk even found us a laundry cart when the only small, triangular luggage cart had gone missing. Breakfast was a little underwhelming for me, though the kids were pleased. There were scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, English muffins, bagels, pancakes, toast, oatmeal packets, and cereal. The room, 227, was very clean, spacious, and well stocked. The beds were larger than the ad suggested, and it had a mini fridge, microwave, and two good-quality TVs, each with its own remote. The heaters seemed to blow cool air, but the room stayed at a comfortable temperature. Dove hand soap, lotion, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner were a nice surprise. I was disappointed that there was no longer a pool, since it's still shown on the website and advertised. Booking and communication with the front desk and through Priceline were excellent, and the area felt very safe. We'll definitely come again.

The breakfast was mediocre, plates had run out before 8 a.m., and the toaster and microwaves in one side of the pantry didn't work because of electrical issues. The room was spacious and the bathroom clean, but the stay had several problems. At 3 p.m. check-in, there was no hot water on one of the coldest days of the year, with freezing wind and temperatures in the teens. We hadn't gotten the two-bed room we wanted, and were told our teenage son could use the sofa bed. When we returned late that evening, it had no mattress, just springs and metal poles, and pet hair was all over it. They gave us only a sheet and comforter, with no extra pillows. The front desk said sofa beds at the hotel don't come with mattresses. I asked them to vacuum the pet hair, and they said they were backed up and would send someone soon. We waited an hour, called again, and went to the desk, but couldn't find anyone. We didn't use the sofa bed. My wife, who's shorter than our son, managed to crawl onto the regular sofa and sleep there. We're not coming back.

After spending the day at Kings Dominion and driving more than four hours, my family got to the hotel just after midnight and was told there were no rooms left. Beforehand, I'd called that morning because of our late arrival. The manager said he'd put my name down so they wouldn't cancel the room, and I confirmed twice that we'd arrive shortly after midnight. He said that was fine. But apparently nobody added my name. After midnight, booking somewhere online wouldn't have helped since other hotels generally didn't check people in until after 11, and many nearby places had bad reviews and roaches. We didn't want to drive from hotel to hotel looking for an affordable room, so we faced the five-hour drive home instead. I called the hotel again afterward to explain how upset I was, but the man I spoke with showed no concern or apology and kept making indifferent “uh huh” comments. He sounded like the person I'd spoken with before, but said he wasn't the manager. The customer service and care for guests were horrible. We won't book here again or recommend it.

Everyone was courteous and professional, and the staff really went out of their way to make us comfortable. Mr. Mirza Ali deserves special mention. His warm manner, attention to detail, and readiness to help with anything we needed made our stay much smoother and more enjoyable. I had a wonderful time here and highly recommend the hotel for its hospitality and service. I'm especially grateful to Mr. Mirza Ali.