SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western St. Louis Westport

The suite was filthy. The floors were sticky, the sofa was stained and torn, and wiping the floor with my cloth brought up a disgusting amount of dirt. I was glad I’d brought my Norwex cloth to clean the surfaces. We were exhausted from a long drive through hours of construction, so we stayed, but we won’t be back. There also wasn’t a freezer to refreeze our cold packs. Staff were kind and helpful, and the sheets looked clean after I checked them carefully for stains, hairs, and bedbugs. I found no sign of bedbugs. The pool looked clean and had a chair for people with physical limitations, though I don’t know whether it worked. It was closed for the season, even though Memorial Day had been the day before. Breakfast was just okay, but the restaurant next door was within walking distance and had delicious BBQ.

The AC never cooled our room, and after I got heat sickness at the convention, coming back to a hot room made things worse. We had to keep the fan on high for any relief. Our smart TV turned on, but neither satellite nor WiFi channels worked, and we couldn’t mirror streaming from a phone. Two ceiling leaks occurred on the first floor during our four days there, and we had to report one. The outlets were loose in several places, which seemed like a fire hazard. Our office chair was broken, and the door needed a push to shut. Friends on the same floor had the opposite problem, with doors that slammed shut. I was feeling unwell and asked about getting saltines, or salted crackers. Staff had to look up an image before telling me they didn’t have any. They weren’t fluent in English, so communication was limited. They were kind, though, and our room seemed clean. Breakfast had decent options, including a yogurt machine I’d never seen before. A friend invited us to a convention, and we chose this hotel because it was a short drive from the shuttle parking. We had a fun trip, but I don’t think we’d stay here again.

The location is great, but the hotel really isn’t. Both rooms smelled bad, and there were dead bugs in the lobby and dining area. A large ceiling leak in the lobby had soaked towels spread across the floor. One room had a missing thermostat, leaving a hole with wires hanging out; the other had a broken smoke detector. The rooms felt stuffy, and after a shower everything was damp. The beds were very uncomfortable and the pillows flat. There were no safety grips in the shower, and we nearly slipped. Most front desk staff were decent, but showed little compassion when I brought up the problems. One employee seemed not to notice people waiting for help, so we eventually left. The phone system for calling the desk had also been down throughout our three days there. Save your money.

I’ve stayed here four times over about a year, and the service has slipped each time since my first visit. Back then, the staff were very attentive to my specific floor request and other needs. I’m a rewards member and expected special treatment, but I didn’t see that on my last two stays. Most recently, employees walked around while I had to chase them down for service. Best Western used to be much better at this location.