Syracuse Grand

The room was dirty, especially the bathroom, where there was pubic hair on the toilet seat and in the shower. The hot tub was the main reason we booked, and although we were told in the morning it was working, the water was green and smelled awful. It wasn’t hot, and the jets stopped after a few minutes and never started again. I called the desk to ask what we could do, but no one answered for over an hour, so I gave up and used the lobby bathroom instead. Getting help was difficult from the start. There was no one at the desk for quite a while when we arrived, and the building still says Best Western, which made it confusing to find. The night before, I called three times to check on the hot tub and got hung up on each time. I also emailed and never got a reply, even after the stay. I got up early for breakfast, but it had been closed at 9 even though we’d been told 10, and the coffee was cold. They wouldn’t accept cash for the room, though they took it for snacks, and said they didn’t take cash for anything. We had to pay the room fees at checkout, which felt strange and left us with no leverage to complain about the problems. It seems like nobody read my email or cared about the guest experience. This place may need to close until it can offer better service and quality.

We booked at the last minute and were pleasantly surprised by the free hot breakfast. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Our room was clean, and so were the pool and hot tub area. The fitness center was nice too, with eight different machines and free weights.

The hot tub was the best one I’ve seen in a hotel, with amazing jets. The bathroom was very clean apart from a few stray hairs, and the new shower nozzle was nice. The tub was deep, good if you like taking baths. I got a good look at the lobby because my room didn’t have a microwave and I had to use the one there. The entrance looks clean and inviting, though it’s annoying to have to go to the desk yourself when you need extra towels. Staff said I had to pick them up, so room service wasn’t great. There was hair scattered in the shower, and when I lifted the mattress, I found more hair, possibly pubic, all over the box spring near the head of the bed. The outlets need updating soon too. There were no USB plugs, and the one built into the lamp didn’t work, so I had to move the nightstand and plug my phone straight into the wall. Bring a 4-6 foot charger cord. Late checkout is offered, and the staff were very friendly.

The pool was unusable for our whole stay because a large group had taken it over. I overheard the manager arranging exclusive access with someone from the group, which effectively kept the other paying guests out. That felt very unprofessional and inconsiderate. Noise was a problem all night too. People yelled and slammed doors, and after we moved upstairs to get away from the stomping above us, cars in the parking lot were blasting bass-heavy music. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel and won’t be coming back.