Sonesta Simply Suites Columbus Airport Gahanna

We had a confirmed reservation for three people on April 25, booked directly with the hotel, but it was canceled without notice. When I arrived, I was told there was no room because they didn’t have a phone number on file, even though they had my email and booking contact information. I attached my Google Maps timeline showing I was at the property, along with the original reservation. We got no relocation help or equivalent accommodation. Staff told us to find our own way, possibly as far as two hours away, leaving us stranded at night. The hotel didn’t follow the standard “walk” policy. General Manager Patrick acknowledged the failure and gave me Corporate Case #177-xxx-xxx, promising a complimentary future stay. More than two weeks later, after I followed up, all I received was a generic, unhelpful email. I still have no direct explanation of what happened or what they plan to do about it. This is a serious failure of accountability, and I’d avoid this location because it didn’t honor our guaranteed booking. Even if third-party inventory management contributed to an oversold hotel, that wouldn’t explain the lack of advance notice or the absence of standard remedies, like being walked to a comparable property or offered appropriate compensation afterward. I’d appreciate a more substantive response.

I travel for work and have met plenty of hotel managers, but Patrick is one of the best. He’s always welcoming and accommodating, and makes sure everything is handled efficiently. I’d definitely recommend Sonesta because of him.

The maintenance staff gave me a warning about five minutes before coming in and explained what they were there to do. The front desk staff were kind and understanding when I accidentally used the wrong card. I’d also left my water bottle in the room after checkout, and they let me go back and get it. The hotel was super clean, and the fridge was amazing. I’ll book here again.

After a 12-hour drive, I arrived at 10 p.m. for a reservation I’d made directly through Sonesta more than a month earlier. They told me there were no rooms, blaming a “system error” that had “overbooked” the hotel. The receptionist first blamed a third-party booking site, then seemed caught off guard when I said I’d booked directly and came up with other excuses about why the room I reserved in early March wasn’t available. They offered no help, so I had to scramble to find a vacant hotel that night and pay much more for a last-minute room. Sonesta’s negligence cost me $250. The explanations also didn’t make sense: they said they’d turned away everyone with a reservation that day and couldn’t check anyone in, while also saying every room was occupied. They claimed the computer system wasn’t loading reservations, so they couldn’t access anyone’s contact information or notify us. I was also told there was no one I could speak to because the manager was in Chicago and driving over to figure things out. A week after I booked, prices in the area shot up for events that weekend. I strongly suspect the hotel deliberately overbooked earlier, lower-priced reservations to make more money from new bookings at higher rates. Its business practices and integrity seem highly questionable. It was an absolute nightmare, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here, especially for an important trip or after traveling a long way. EDIT: Their one-star reviews show what looks like a long history of double bookings and not honoring reservations, with “system errors” given as the reason. Avoid this shady, unethical place.