Hells Canyon Grand Hotel, an Ascend Collection Hotel

I won’t go back. I was there with my granddaughters on Valentine’s Day, expecting a night of fun in an indoor pool. It turned out the pool was at a public fitness center in the strip mall, not at the hotel. We waited almost an hour to learn how guests could use it, then were told it was only open on Tuesdays. I went back and spoke with the manager. She said they weren’t supposed to do that, but when I asked about advertising an indoor pool, she said they owned the property and felt it was good enough. This isn’t a cheap hotel. I never raised my voice, but the manager, who wasn’t on site, told me on the phone that it was Saturday and I was ruining her Valentine’s Day. She also complained that I wouldn’t listen to her explanation about their ownership and the advertising. Then she hung up on me. The front desk staff called her, and I think they were shocked she’d hung up. If you expect the hotel’s facilities to be at the hotel and not across the way in a strip mall, don’t stay here.

Parents, skip this place. The rooms smelled horrible, and several people in our group had to move. We asked for spray, and the cleaning lady was wonderful. Management still wouldn’t honor the advertised breakfast. There’s no continental breakfast and no pool on site. You have to go across the street for the pool, and it’s seasonal. It wasn’t worth the headache or having the kids upset about no pool.

Merriweathers is usually a great place to eat, with outstanding wait staff, decent portions, and reasonable prices for most things. We had a group lunch there this time. The food was good once you got past the brown lettuce and cold soup, and the wait staff were excellent. We didn’t stay in the motel this time, though it was a great place to stay last fall.

We were in town for the weekend with my wife and kids, and I wouldn’t stay here again. After check-in, I found what looked like dog hair all over one bed and beer cans left in the room. The man at the front desk offered to move us, but we chose to get clean sheets instead. I regret that now, because my son has developed some kind of rash.