Hotel Carolina

We needed somewhere for two nights at the last minute while work was being done at our house, and what a nice surprise. Everything was new and clean. Suzanne, the on-site manager, was truly wonderful, I think that was her name. When we ran into a small tech issue, she jumped right on it. Thanks, and highly recommend!

The location is the one standout. The building and rooms need major remodeling: there was a strong mold and mildew smell, water leaking in every hallway, and noise came right through the walls and floors. Kids ran back and forth above us early in the morning. The so-called breakfast was a granola bar, a banana, and bottled water. I checked out a month ago and was still waiting for my deposit. When I called a week after leaving to ask when the credit would show up, the young Black female employee was rude. She cut me off mid-sentence and loudly said I had to wait 7 to 10 business days, not 7 days, and to give it a few more days. I waited another week and called again. Suzanne, the manager, said I had already received the deposit. Why would I waste both our time trying to sort this out if I had? I called Wyndam Corporate next. The supervisor there, who clearly lives in Cambodia or some other foreign land, said the dispute had to be handled by the hotel. I explained that the hotel just kept saying the deposit had already been returned. I felt ripped off and lied to, and wouldn’t recommend staying here if you don’t want to risk not getting your deposit back. I was so upset it came to trying to file a claim with my bank a month later. I figured they’d probably lie to my bank too. Update: I finally got my deposit back 76 days after checkout and 52 days after opening a dispute with my bank. It shouldn’t have taken that much work, but I’m glad I got the money. No thanks to the Hotel Carolina!

The location was amazing and close to everything we wanted to see, but the hotel had a lot of problems. The online photos are extremely deceitful, so people should know what they’re getting. My kids were disappointed that there were no pool toys, even though the website says there are; I’d told them we didn’t need to bring any. The picnic area had two rundown tables we didn’t feel safe sitting on. The elevator and halls were so hot and humid that walking down to get ice made you sweat. Rooms are only cleaned every three days, so if you want fresh towels or trash bags, you have to bag up your towels and trash and leave them outside the door. Our room had a huge hole in the wall and a TV that didn’t work. Front desk staff weren’t very friendly, especially when we left. Breakfast was mostly sweets like honey buns and donuts, with very little fruit. I’d give it 2/10 just for the location. Absolutely do not recommend.

The room was clean, the AC worked well, and housekeeping were very helpful. Most of our stay was fine, and a second receptionist left us with a better impression by kindly letting me take an extra bottle of water after I pointed out I’d paid $4 for two drinks the day before. My husband had paid $3 for three bottles that day. She was thoughtful and accommodating, so we ended on a happy note. The first receptionist, a blonde woman probably in her 60s, was unpleasant when we were waiting for an early check-in. My friend started eating a small dessert we’d brought back from a restaurant. We probably should have asked first, but after a long trip we weren’t thinking much about it. The woman waved her hands dismissively and told us she’d rather we eat somewhere else, like outside by the pool or in another area. I get that the reception desk isn’t an eating area, but the rudeness was unnecessary. I was waiting for check-in because the rest of my group had to leave for work. Once early check-in was ready, I paid her $4 for the two drinks, which she happily accepted.