Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Washington, D.C. East - Capitol Heights, MD

The mattress was great, and I slept well on it. The floors in the room looked pretty dated, though, and something in there beeped now and then. The third-floor hallway had a really rank smell both last night and this morning. I don’t know if there’d been a plumbing issue or if it was temporary, but thankfully the odor didn’t get into the room.

The worst part for me was the breakfast and the pillows. I slept poorly for two nights because all seven pillows between the two beds were either too small to use, flattened down to nothing, or both. Breakfast made me feel ill on both mornings too. Once could have been a fluke, but twice felt like a pattern. The waffles were doughy and the eggs crusty. I also found filthy carpets, stained sheets, and rusty or broken bathroom fixtures. Not worth the price.

I only stayed because the booking couldn’t be refunded and I’d been traveling all day. The mattresses were broken, mold was visible in multiple places, and caulk seemed to be covering mold in the shower. The AC and heat unit was covered in mold spores. In one room, duct tape had been used to stop a sink leak; in another, I had to use a trash can to catch the water. The shower handle was coming off and held on with an aftermarket screw, and it took some fiddling to operate. The location was horrible and there seemed to be no maintenance. Stay here if life safety or hygiene mean nothing to you. Corporate or the health department should visit.

The front desk staff were polite and helpful, which was the one good part of my stay. The property itself was in poor condition, and I won’t return or recommend it unless major improvements are made. There was an unpleasant odor in the lobby and room, so I bought air freshener. My first room had a broken toilet door. In the replacement, the light lamp didn’t work and the bed lamp had no switch, so I had to loosen the bulb by hand to turn it off. None of the USB ports worked, and the room lacked a remote, hair dryer, and iron box. I had to ask the desk for each, which shouldn’t be necessary even at a 1-star hotel. Breakfast was badly prepared; I saw other guests discard undercooked eggs. I also noticed small bugs in the room and near the coffee station, raising serious cleanliness concerns. The hotel felt empty, and I can understand why. This was one of my worst hotel stays and doesn’t deserve even a 1-star rating.