Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Jacksonville West, FL

We ended up at Tru by Hilton five minutes down the road, which was brand new, clean, and cheaper. I can't speak to the rooms here, but the lobby was dated and shabby, with peeling wallpaper and an 80s look. I'm attaching a photo of our sweet senior pup who got sent away. Around midnight on 1/22, after a long drive, I arrived at Country Inn tired and hoping to sleep before getting back on the road. The front desk employee was very nice, and when I asked specifically whether they were pet friendly and had rooms, she assured me several times that they did. If she'd said no at the start, that would've been fine, and I'd have gone to the pet-friendly hotel five minutes away. I also talked with her about our senior dog struggling with the car ride and needing a break. My husband brought our crying, tired toddler over, unloaded the car, and got the dog situated. About 45 minutes later, just as we were about to go in and finally get to bed, the worker came outside and said they weren't pet friendly and couldn't let us stay. They took our $100 cash deposit, charged my card, got my signature and personal information, and put us through the whole process, wasting an hour of our lives at midnight, before telling us we couldn't stay. When I asked for my signed paperwork back or a receipt saying they'd refund what I paid, they said they didn't provide one and needed to keep all the paperwork for their records. We never made it out of the lobby/parking lot, yet they wanted to keep copies of all my personal information. Awful customer service, poor management, and badly trained employees are a terrible combination.

Breakfast was bland powdered eggs, sausage that tasted off, and flavorless biscuits. The juice and coffee were good, at least, though even the breakfast area had rules posted everywhere. This place was stressful, and we won't return. Walking in, we were surprised by a $200 deposit, as if they thought we were going to steal. We aren't thieves. Signs all along the way to the room laid out the rules, including no noise after 10, which seems fair, but we had kids and toddlers cry sometimes. In the room, another sign listed charges for everything, even dirty towels or washcloths and anything taken. Who wants an ironing board anyway? It was $75. We were so nervous about the charges that we bought our own towels and soap at the store and were afraid to shower.

There was clear water damage hidden under several layers of paint. The black air vents were dusty, and the room needed a thorough cleaning from ceiling to floor.

The rooms are nice, but management made things difficult. When I asked for towels for my girls, she basically said I had to bring the old ones back before I could get new ones. Why should I have to keep going back and forth for towels? I also had to leave to get cash for a deposit because card payments weren't allowed when booking through a third party. Nobody explained that when I called a day ahead. They really need to get organized and stop inconveniencing guests.