Towneplace Suites By Marriott® Grovetown

We’ve used this hotel twice as a stop to split up a long drive, and will keep coming back on future trips. It's newer, so the rooms feel more modern and nicer than many hotels. The front desk staff have always been kind, and they welcome dogs, even bigger ones like ours.

I've been staying here on and off for work over the last few months because it's so clean. The beds and pillows are great, the decor is nice, the kitchen is well stocked, and housekeeping and the breakfast ladies are nice. The hotel is new, and the breakfast is good, though the bananas are always green. When I asked if they ever had ripe ones, the breakfast lady seemed annoyed, so I bought my own. The biggest problem for me is the A/C. It's motion activated, and when I get back after being out all day, the room is stuffy and 73 or warmer. The fan isn't constant and shuts off in the middle of the night. I called Maintenance to disable the energy saving and keep the fan running, but whatever he did didn't work. I heard several people complain about this, although staff said nobody ever says anything. Apparently it's a Marriott trend. The lowest setting is 64, but it doesn't feel like 64, more like 72. The water is warm, not hot. They said it has to stay that way so people don't get burned. I've stayed in plenty of hotels where it feels properly hot. Maintenance said he could adjust it and did something to my tub, but I couldn't tell any difference. Some staff at the desk are nice, but others don't acknowledge you or smile and look miserable. I ended up buying a fan at Walmart across the street and boiling water in a pot on the stove to pour into the tub. My co-worker, who gets cold easily, stayed here and wasn't bothered by the A/C or water, so I guess it depends on the person. I like a cold room, steady airflow, and hot water.

My wife took our two children on a solo trip to visit her brother for his Military graduation, and I'm following up about how badly she was treated. This was a gift from her brother and colleague, so she felt bad about complaining. Since then we've stayed at several other places, including Tru by Hilton and Avid, and they've all been far better than what we experienced here. We haven't run into anything like this at any of them. The manager singled her out and called our kids “chaotic,” sarcastically. Other staff even told her to photograph the room in case that manager unfairly charged her at checkout, since the manager inspected rooms and added charges. At one point our son was locked inside when the pool door closed as my wife went to tell her brother he had to leave. The manager was standing at the desk about 100 feet away and didn't help. Another guest opened the door while she watched beside the front staff. This happened after she had told my wife that her brother, who booked the room, and his two children couldn't swim with ours, even though the room was for two queens and nobody else was in the pool. After more holiday travel, we've learned this treatment isn't normal. Our children were respectful and likable, and they can have fun while traveling. Our four-year-old still calls it “the one place with the mean lady.” Alecia made it clear from their arrival that she didn't like my wife or the kids. There are very nice hotels in the same parking lot. I'd suggest trying one of those to avoid the stress and disappointment.

*Military Family* We won't be back. Instead of adding another night, we're moving next door tomorrow to one of the other nice hotels because of the poor handling of the conflict and the way Alecia and Management referred to and treated my kids. This was my first trip to see my military brother graduate as a warrant officer, my first hotel booking, and my first solo road trip with my kids. My brother and his military colleague booked the room. After a nine-hour drive with my two small children, I found there was an issue with credit card authorization. Nobody told me until they said I needed that card on file or would have to pay. Alecia was very callous and didn't seem interested in fixing it. I called my brother, who said he'd work it out and call his friend Eric. Only then did she mention the credit card authorization form. When I asked why she hadn't told me sooner, she said, “I didn't have a chance.” That wasn't true, and I reminded her she'd already given me the options. She replied, “Well I'm telling you now and I need form of payment or you need to leave.” The rest of the staff have been wonderful, but Alecia kept singling us out. She ignored us when we came in while greeting other guests. I felt uncomfortable speaking with her in person, so I called the desk from both my cell and room phone six times over half an hour to ask for extra towels, which are on file. The lobby was empty when we came and went. Another receptionist was there, and I asked if the phone was having trouble. We tried it there and it worked fine, so I strongly suspect Alicia was ignoring my calls. I asked that receptionist for extra towels because my brother was coming to swim with his kids. She offered more room towels and said she'd check whether pool towels were still there. While she was getting them, we wanted to buy a few things from the lobby freezer. Alecia offered no help and continued ignoring us, so I told my son we'd ask the other person when she got back. He asked why, and I said it was because she wasn't being very nice. When someone else came in, Alecia quickly greeted them with “welcome back!” I asked her name and requested management. The manager came out, nodded, gave a short apology, then immediately said the lobby couldn't be chaotic and my brother and his two kids had to leave because the pool was for guests only. They had just arrived. Before I asked to speak to her, the only thing that had happened was that the kids knocked some pillows off the lobby couch. I asked my brother to take them to the room. They'd been in the lobby less than three minutes, stayed on the couches until they went to the room, and my son had left his shoes near me. I said they were being managed, we'd clean up, and nobody had told us they couldn't be there. She just repeated herself. When I asked why my kids were being singled out, she said they weren't, that we were having a conversation, then repeated herself and told me to enjoy the rest of our stay. Nothing was resolved with Alecia, and the responsibility was turned back on us. When I went to tell my brother he had to leave by the pool, he had my key card. The door shut and locked my two-year-old inside with me outside. He screamed and cried and was scared. Management and the desk staff sat there until another guest passing by opened the door and helped him get back to me. It was about two minutes, and the desk is only around 100 feet away.