Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Appleton North, WI

We booked three rooms for several days over Christmas, and the stay went smoothly. For what we got, the total cost was a great deal, and we've talked about staying here again when we're in the area. The pool is a fun extra for smaller kids, even though it's not a full water park; ours would have a blast there between other activities. The rooms are half the price of a water park hotel. Our updated room had two clean, reasonably comfortable beds with unstained bedding, handy switches and USB-A plugs by the bed, a working newer mini fridge, a small microwave, and a single-cup coffee maker with regular and decaf packets. The furniture and decor seemed recently redone. A family member's suite had a sitting area with a small loveseat plus plenty of chairs, stools, and benches. It was very cozy, and we really appreciated all the flexible seating. The large bathroom was clean, with standard soaps, clean towels, a grab bar in the shower, and no sign of mold. The tub drained fine once I figured out how to twist the stopper. The bath gel, shampoo, and conditioner seemed good quality and worked well with my hair. The mirror lit up around the edges when touched, which made getting ready easier. I skipped breakfast, but noticed coffee was available throughout the day with different creamers, and the vending machine had decent choices. Libby was cute and clean. We had no trouble with key cards or checking in or out. One extra perk: guests can use the washer and dryer. They were surprisingly efficient and affordable, and the dryer did a great job.

The pool has a little water park area for kids, but our room was on the opposite side and stayed quiet all night and into the morning. We had a hot tub suite while visiting a nearby haunted house, and it was clean, above average for the area in cleanliness and service, with plenty of hot water and good jets. The soft cookies at check-in were delicious, and breakfast was hot and fresh, with an average selection but plenty of clean food. We'd definitely stay again, whether for a family trip or a quick night away as a couple.

We asked the manager for a partial or full refund for the stay because we'd come for the kids' pool and water park, which wasn't working. We were only halfway through our visit, but he offered just 20% off. We said we'd leave a night early to find another hotel, and thankfully got refunded for the second night we didn't stay. That still left us scrambling before checkout. He pointed out that we'd seen a sign saying the red slide was down. Yes, we saw it, but it said nothing about the water pressure being down across the entire kids' water park, with none of the activities working. We wouldn't have checked in if we'd known. He said the issue was one pool part, and that the company had ordered the wrong part two weeks earlier. That might have sounded believable if reviews hadn't described pool and water park problems for months. It feels like this management team needs to take responsibility. I'll be contacting corporate. If they'd owned the problem and fixed it months ago, we might have returned, but the limited, bland breakfast added to an experience that was zero out of five for us. Please look into the hotel in Neenah for kids, or go to the Dells. This place is no longer an option. We'd read all the reviews, including recent ones, and nearly skipped the stay. Our child and our friends' children loved this water park, and we've been coming here since our college-age kids were little. It's nothing like it used to be. On the last few visits something had been broken, including the hot tub or slide.

The service and customer care went above and beyond, and the accommodations are why we'll return. The water park was great and felt safe for my toddler. We give the hotel five stars across the board. We'll be traveling to Appleton, Wisconsin regularly because the hotels in Appleton don't accommodate us the way this place, country inn suites in little chute, does.