SpringHill Suites by Marriott Durham City View

The one thing going for this place was the short walk to see the Duham Bulls lose to Nashville. Otherwise, this was a really poor SpringHill stay, and I wouldn’t recommend it. We’d booked a king suite, but were given two queen beds and told Citi Travel, our third-party booking service, had changed it. Citi said that couldn’t have happened, looked into it, and later referred the claim for further investigation. Losing the king suite put a damper on a special weekend for us. Breakfast was another mess. The coffee, eggs, and sausage were empty, there were no utensils, and the waffles were just okay. One man was working; when he eventually refilled the coffee, it was lukewarm. We watched him move from handling food to emptying overflowing trash without washing his hands or putting on sanitary gloves. McDonald’s would have been a better breakfast. The queen room itself was clean, but very dark, and the lights needed a keycard that shut them off again after about two or three minutes. There was a lot of trash around the area and homeless people were visible from our room. Overnight parking cost $15, plus more than $2 in fees.

After driving six hours to Durham, Mia L took great care of me and my party. She was attentive, pleasant, and welcoming. Joanna J was just as pleasant when I ran into her outside while taking a phone call, before her shift had even started. The hotel smelled lovely as soon as I walked in, and I notice these little things through my work. Both women are great examples of how to look after customers. Thank you, ladies.

The staff were courteous and professional throughout our stay, but I have a serious concern about the reservation. We had a confirmed booking at a lower rate, then needed to add a night because of bad weather. When that change was made, the price for the original booking went up without warning, even though my wife had specifically asked beforehand if the rate would change and was told it wouldn’t. We’ve tried several times to resolve the higher charge with SpringHill Suites by Marriott Durham City View, but the experience has been disappointing.

For what you get, this place costs way too much, especially with paid parking. It’s Motel 6 quality at a Marriott price, and I won’t be back. Everything seems fine from a distance, then you look closer and find something wrong: the sink fixture looks nice but isn’t really attached, the hard bed looks nice, and the lights switch off randomly. The TV quits working after five minutes, and breakfast looks nice but tastes off.