Home2 Suites by Hilton Fredericksburg South

The location is great, with shopping and food close by, and it's a newer hotel. But after staying here several times since it opened, I've watched housekeeping get worse over the past two years. The bed wasn't made right or cleaned properly, and I had to wipe sticky spots off the table counter and floor. The beds aren't very comfortable for a newer place, the shower door wouldn't stay closed unless we wedged a washcloth into it, and the walls are incredibly thin. Other reviews are right about that. The main reason I'll never stay here again is how the general manager, Jamie, handled my request to extend by one night. A nice front desk woman arranged the extra night and said I could stay in the same room. That evening I noticed the Hilton app hadn't updated, so I checked with Jamie the next morning. She said her coworker had noted that she couldn't extend me because the hotel was sold out. That's not what I was told the day before. Jamie was rude, dismissive, and unapologetic when I tried to explain. She called me by the wrong name while interrupting me to repeat what she'd already said twice. If it was overbooked, she could have just explained that. Instead, she blamed her employee and claimed the employee had told me something she hadn't. When I asked for the manager, Jamie turned around, held out her hand, and said she was the general manager. She also told me I couldn't contact corporate because the hotel was a franchise. Yet less than five minutes later, the Hilton app showed the same room type I needed was available, and it stayed available all day. It was still available the next morning. After that interaction I wasn't spending another dime there. I had to ask for towels and got the same nasty attitude from my favorite person, Jamie, at the front desk. She smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, enough that I could smell it from the breakfast area and the whole lobby smelled of cigarettes. She was even smoking right outside the hotel's front entrance, which is illegal in Virginia, and unprofessional for a manager. The owner won't give out his name or number, and I suspect he's already had quite a few calls about the terrible management. It's especially disappointing because we liked the location.

The room was fine for an overnight stop while we were traveling to see family, but we won't be coming back. At check-in, the woman was dismissive and unhelpful, arguing with us over the free bottled water we were supposed to get. The next morning we went to breakfast at 8:30, half an hour before closing, and the guest ahead of us took all the hot food. The breakfast worker said we should have come earlier and insisted there were “plenty of options.” That meant two hardboiled eggs, a stale bagel, and yogurt. Those were the only two people we dealt with, and both were impatient, rude, and dismissive.

We were here for a nearby wedding and would definitely stay again. Our king suite had lots of space, plus a full fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. The rooms, hallways, and lobby were clean and modern, and someone staffs the lobby all night. Free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are available anytime. The outdoor lighting was good, and the area seemed safe.

Years ago, when this place first opened, I stayed for over a week and loved the whole visit. I came back hoping Kay and Toni were still at the front desk. They were so sweet and treated me like a person, and they made the experience hard to forget. This visit was a letdown. The woman at the desk was extremely rude, never greeted me, and didn't offer a bottle of water or even say “enjoy your stay.” This place has gone downhill!