Sleep Inn & Suites University/Shands

I’ve stayed here before and came back when I was in town because that first experience was good. The rooms are always clean, and the humidity feels just right, unlike at some other places. I also like the little extras, like cookies at check-in. During my last visit, my shower had an issue, so I went to the front desk and met a woman whose name starts with J. She jumped right in to sort it out, and the customer service was great. I’d absolutely stay again. With my kid in college, I’ll be back.

There’s plenty to do near the hotel, with stores and restaurants around. The rooms were clean, and everyone from the front desk to housekeeping and the kitchen staff was really nice and hospitable. They made it a great stay. The bed was so hard, though, that the floor might have been more comfortable. I’m pretty sore today! Breakfast seemed like it was probably from the day before. It wasn’t terrible.

The staff are the reason I’ve kept coming here for six years, at least once or twice a month, and sometimes for a few days each week. They’re kind, caring, funny, friendly and helpful, and they go out of their way to make you feel like family. Mrs. Anne, Mrs. Joy, Mr. Mark and Mr. Holmes are at the front desk. Mrs. Dora attends the buffet, and Mrs. Sherly and another kind housekeeper whose name I can’t spell take care of the rooms. Mr. Dallas, Mr. Zack and a third maintenance worker whose name I can’t remember are also wonderful. I feel safe, cared for and at home here because of all of them. The hotel itself earns my five stars for cleanliness, room comfort, location and safety. The buffet has a nice range of food and it’s fresh and flavorful. The carpets are old, outdated and ugly in a “1970's” way, but they’re extremely clean and well maintained. The room climate controls work perfectly. The bathroom paint and wallpaper are old too, but the bathrooms are very clean, well stocked, nicely lit and roomy. Wifi works very well with no connection trouble. The TVs have big, beautiful screens and excellent sound, but the hotel has downgraded to bare basic cable, with absolutely no channel guide. You have to scroll endlessly just to see what’s on a channel at that moment. If it’s commercial time, you can miss the first 15 minutes of the show or movie you choose while scrolling. There are a decent number of channels, but not being able to see what’s on or coming up is extremely frustrating. It may seem like a trivial complaint, but my health limits what I can do. When I’m in town for doctors appointments, therapy, imaging, X-rays and lab work, the TV is all I have to keep me sane. The hotel hasn’t had the updating and touch-up care it needs to match the quality of its staff. The owner has paid more attention to his other hotels and done the bare minimum here. Costs per night keep rising, especially for homegame weekends, and the hotel itself is not worth those rates. The staff are, but the rooms aren’t. An Air B&B or similar would probably cost less on homegame weekends. I have a few issues with the owner. He absolutely refuses to honor the “Medical &/or Veterans” discounts during homegame weekends. Not everyone is here for a freaking football game. Some of us are here for surgeries, medically necessary procedures and doctors appointments. If we can show proof, with a letter giving our medical reason or admit / discharge papers, he should honor the discounts. I truly hate to say it, but without the staff, I wouldn’t stay here anymore. They’ve never let me down, and I hope the owner recognizes their value and makes the small improvements the hotel needs. I really don’t want to stay anywhere else in Gainesville.

We left two voicemail messages for the manager and sent an email right after checking out, but heard nothing back. We won’t spend our money here again. In our downstairs room, both the hallway and room smelled musty. The bathroom fan didn’t work, and there were pictures of mold growing. There were two double beds. I chose the softer one, but it sagged in the middle, and I got multiple bites from something on that bed for two days in a row. The other bed didn’t seem to have the same problem.