Homewood Suites by Hilton Ithaca

Michael at the front desk was good to talk with, and I had a good experience with the staff overall, including the people serving evening snacks and drinks and breakfast in the morning. I arrived in the afternoon and got into my room right away. It’s tucked away from the busy roads, which meant there wasn’t much loud traffic. I had dinner across the street at a local pizza place. It was decent, nothing special. The rooms are older and have the basics. The shower was odd, and it seemed to take a few minutes for hot water to come through. I’m not much of a breakfast person, but I had a bagel and oatmeal. I also met some nice people who were traveling. Wishing everyone there the best.

The pool and exercise room were really clean, and the guest rooms were clean too, with a fairly new or updated feel. Breakfast was easily the worst I’ve had at a hotel. At first I thought the large crowd might explain it, but it was just as bad the next day when things were quieter. The scrambled eggs were burnt, the oatmeal was one big dried-out lump, and there were bits of food on the silverware. I also told the front desk staff directly about it when I left. I’m trying to get better at sharing both likes and dislikes with the people who need to hear them.

The staff were very helpful, and the free breakfast and Wednesday dinner were decent and saved me some money. My room was clean and spacious. The hotel is off Route 13, but getting there from Cornell Campus was a roundabout drive involving a single-lane bridge. The ice machine was a long walk away.

After more than six years as a loyal Hilton customer, this stay has made me switch hotel brands. We had booked and paid for a two-bedroom suite with three actual beds, but the hotel had overbooked and downgraded us to one bed, a pullout sofa, and a rollaway. The room also hadn’t been cleaned well. There was food and wrappers under the couch, which we had to move to fit the rollaway. The TV remote didn’t work, so we couldn’t lower the volume or change channels. Hilton only offered to refund the price difference between the rooms. That wasn’t enough, since we’d planned for proper beds and some privacy as a family, and the replacement setup gave us neither. We won’t stay with the brand again.