Comfort Suites

The hot breakfast was very good, though I was disappointed the pool was out of order. It's handy that the ice machine and restrooms are just off the lobby. My room was clean, although the carpet had stains. The bed was low and the mattress too small for its frame, but the mattress itself was comfortable and I slept well. The location was perfect, right off the interstate north of Birmingham. I got a friendly welcome at check-in, and the morning staff were helpful.

The room layout was odd. There was a big empty foyer, yet barely enough space to walk around one of the beds. The pool was small, had only a few windows facing outside, and wasn't heated, so it felt cold even on a warm day. Breakfast offered more choices than most continental breakfasts, though the food was average. For the price, it's a solid hotel with no major flaws, and it's right by the highway, within walking distance of some restaurants and a Target. It won't win awards, but it was good value.

In the second room, the heater wouldn't stay on for more than 45 seconds, even set to 90 degrees. The shower floor was rusty, and the hot water never got hot, even after I left it running for five minutes. When I came back, there was a roach in the shower, having the time of its life. We had to go back downstairs for a different room because the door to the first one was ajar.

The location was fine, though too close to choice inn and suites. My first room was bad because I found a roach crawling in it, but the attendant was great and moved me. The second room was great. I asked the manager to call me the next day, but they never did, so the service started out good and then went bad.