Springhill Suites Grand Rapids West

For the price, the rooms and location were fine. But because of the service, I’ll look elsewhere for future work trips. My coworker and I arrived around 9:30 PM after a long day and found nobody at the desk. I waited about 90 seconds before ringing the bell, then waited another two minutes for the associate to appear. There was no acknowledgment of the delay. The interaction felt anxious, standoffish, and rude. I asked whether a higher floor was available because it’s in my preferences and I’m a Titanium member. I was told the hotel was full. I also requested water, which is standard for my status, and got a long explanation about how it would take a few minutes instead of a simple offer to get it. In the room, I heard a toilet running and found it wouldn’t flush because the handle seemed locked. My first call went unanswered. On the second, the associate picked up after six rings and asked, “What would you like me to do?” I requested another room; she said “okay,” then the call ended without telling me what to do next. I went back to the lobby, and suddenly a top-floor room was available, contrary to what I’d just been told. There were also concerns about room consistency and cleanliness. And while we waited, an off-duty employee sat in uniform in the lobby with his feet up, loudly watching videos on his phone without acknowledging us. That made a poor impression. Staff need proper hospitality training, and employees who are off duty shouldn’t be in uniform in guest-facing areas. The whole check-in was unnecessarily frustrating and far below expectations.

The front desk service was excellent, and the location made it easy to get to events on the Southside and downtown Grand Rapids. Breakfast had pretty good homemade blueberry waffles and scones. Our room was nice, the bed comfortable, and we were on the main floor. The people upstairs sounded like a herd of elephants, though. Maybe most three-star hotels need better soundproof ceilings.

The room itself was fine, but I was disappointed by the surprise $100 dog fee. I booked through Expedia because the hotel was marked pet-friendly, and the fee never appeared anywhere in the booking process. Being told about it after paying felt like a bait-and-switch. I understand hotels charging for pets, but guests should see the cost upfront so they can decide with the full information. If you're bringing a dog, call first to confirm, because “pet-friendly” here came with an unexpected price tag.

Everything else was great: the staff were nice, the rooms clean, and breakfast had plenty of choices, including waffles. The rooms were a little dark, though, and it took several switches to get enough light.