Sleep Inn Columbia Gateway

I’m tired of being treated like a first-time guest when I’m a loyal Diamond Member. This level of unprofessionalism is hurting the brand’s reputation, and upper management needs to step in. To me, it points to a serious failure in training and oversight. I’ve had to fight the same battle with the front desk manager every night over a credit card authorization form. I use the same card saved in the official app, and it’s already been verified and processed multiple times. Still, the manager creates a new problem each evening, as if he doesn’t understand how the system works. This isn’t a one-off misunderstanding; it’s become a pattern. Communication is also extremely difficult because his English is very poor. Instead of handling a routine process efficiently, he turns it into a stressful, time-consuming argument. A manager at an international hotel brand needs to communicate clearly and handle basic procedures. This person fails at both.

The rooms were clean enough, but the walls are really thin for a SLEEP inn. You can hear people next door and guests walking around in the halls. I found lint in the sheets and what I assume was leftover makeup on the pillows. The carpet was dirty, with some stuff caked into it. Very disappointing, though at least I didn’t see any bugs.

I’m only able to write this now, but I want future guests to know what happened when my elderly mother and I checked in after booking a week in August through Priceline. We left the same day because both rooms we were given felt unsafe and unclean. I don’t recommend this property. The first room had mold and water damage on the walls and ceiling, broken and unstable furniture, stained dirty carpet, poor air quality that made it hard to breathe, and damaged fixtures that looked unsafe. After I reported it, we were moved to a second room that was worse. It smelled strongly of mold, felt damp, and had several broken or poorly maintained fixtures. It didn’t seem safe for anyone, especially my mother, who has medical issues. We had to leave immediately and find another hotel the next day at our own expense. The hotel and Priceline both refused a refund, despite the condition of the rooms. I escalated it to Choice Hotels corporate, and they eventually offered some compensation in points, but still no refund for a stay we couldn’t use.

The staff were friendly, except for one man at the front desk, and I’d stay here again. It was conveniently located for Ft. Mead, Baltimore, and Annapolis. The hotel was clean and nice, nothing fancy, which was what I expected. I’d seen a couple of bad reviews but didn’t run into those problems. I was pleased with the room. Breakfast was a little lacking.