Candlewood Suites Harlingen by IHG

I like having a kitchenette, but the utensils are all coated in nasty residue and the cleaning is poor. There’s been no hot water for the past week. The dishwasher left pooled water on my floor, and the front desk didn’t care. My nightstand is covered in rust too. Being here has been a bad experience.

The room had a damp, musty odor as soon as we walked in. My mom’s allergies got worse as time went on, with coughing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes. The next day I noticed the AC making a strange noise. I nudged the cover and it fell off. What was inside was filthy and full of mold, and I’m surprised it worked at all. I showed the front desk a picture and asked to move, but they said there were no other rooms. For an extended-stay hotel, it was missing utensils, pots, pans, and even a coffee maker. Whenever I asked the desk for something that should’ve been in the room, they said they couldn’t find any and told me to come back in the morning. We’d planned to stay a week, but found another hotel after two nights. I’ve traveled extensively for 30 years and never stayed somewhere worse. If you can’t call this place a dump, you will after staying here. Do yourself a favor and skip it.

We’d stayed here several times over the years and had always been treated well. This time, we were there almost two weeks. The hotel feels old and badly needs an upgrade. The carpets smelled musty, and there was mold on the walls by the air conditioner. Lysol and Febreeze came to the rescue! The room was large, but the living room AC wasn’t working well. They fixed it right away. The kitchen was short on utensils. I loved that the washers and dryers were free, and the free coffee was great. I hope they make upgrades so we can keep enjoying this hotel.

I travel a lot for work and stay in plenty of hotels. If my company weren’t placing me here, I’d be somewhere else, and I’m going to ask to switch. The staff are generally helpful, though they seem limited in what they can do. That’s about the only positive. The whole hotel smells weird. There’s no breakfast, room utensils are missing or not offered, the TVs don’t work, and the internet is poor. Room service is by request, but they don’t seem to do much. Shower pressure is weak and cuts out randomly, and none of the electronic gym equipment works. I’m probably forgetting some frustrations, but that’s what comes to mind. Avoid this place, it really sucks.