Extended Stay America Suites - Charlotte - Matthews

The only good thing I can say is that we definitely won't be back when we need to travel there in two weeks. We booked because the hotel was near an eye surgery center and the reviews looked good, but it was very noisy. The rooms have no carpet and the walls are paper thin, so we could hear everything happening in neighboring units. The hall carpets were dirty when we arrived and still hadn't been vacuumed two days later when we checked out. I reported that the room phone and shower fan didn't work, and that the bathroom door was misaligned and wouldn't latch. These didn't seem like new problems, and nothing was fixed during our stay.

The staff were unbelievably pleasant and courteous, and the location was nearly perfect for our needs. The suite floors and carpet were clean, with no dust or debris, though the hallway carpet was stained. The bed was comfortable enough, but still seemed to have traces of previous occupants. The room chair was damaged, the whole unit was outdated, and the towels were rough and also seemed to have traces of previous guests. The bathroom appeared clean. The place had an eerie feel, and smelled as if air freshener was covering another odor. The air unit was very noisy and took time to get used to. My son's first impression was so bad he kept saying he was uncomfortable, cried himself to sleep the first night, and later called it “home, creepy, home”. We were told there'd be breakfast, but apparently that meant only sugar and creamer for coffee. We were up early to check, and there was no food or fruit. Once our reason for traveling was finished, we left three days early. I couldn't get out fast enough. I hate leaving such a negative review because the staff really were sweet and accommodating, and seemed to try their best to maintain the property. Still, I think travelers should know. Maybe this will push the facility to update some things, starting with the damaged furniture and air systems.

I don't usually leave bad reviews because businesses can have off days, but this was more than that. We had four rooms in four nights. The first had a strong mold smell, the second had little roaches that looked like an infestation, the third had shower faucets taken apart on the counter, and the fourth smelled strongly of an ashtray, with black spill stains all over the floor and food splattered and running down the walls. Each time I asked, the staff were kind, apologized, and moved us. By the fourth room I brought my own supplies and cleaned it. I tried opening the window for air, but the screen was broken and I didn't want bugs coming in. I ran a diffuser all night and still woke with a sore throat and congestion from the smoke smell. I went to the front desk to talk to the manager. He said, “well I’m not going to extend your stay (which I didn’t ask for), and I don’t think extended stay is for you”. I explained politely that I only wanted to let them know so they could fix things, and that I didn't want to stay longer. My apartment was paying for the stay during repairs, so I couldn't switch hotels. He repeated, “I don’t think extended stay is for you.” All I wanted was a clean room where my son and I could sleep. We weren't there much of the day, and weren't asking for anything fancy, just the bare minimum, which we didn't get. We left after that, and our apartment rushed to finish repairs to get us out. On the way out, we overheard the housekeeper telling the front desk lady that several fourth-floor rooms had bed bugs and management should quarantine the whole floor. Thank God we weren't on the fourth floor, where the room with the shower taken apart was. If you like mold, roaches, cigarette smoke, and bed bugs, this hotel is for you.

My vehicle keys were stolen from my room by a hotel staff member while I was out getting food. I had a second set in another bag, and later noticed someone had been searching through my vehicle. When I reported the missing keys to police the next morning, the manager got angry. The staff were rude and unprofessional. Managers also tried to bill me three times even though I had receipts showing I'd prepaid for my stay, and my payments were deleted to make it look as if I hadn't paid. The place seemed full of illegal non-English-speaking members. I reported the hotel to the BBB. Avoid it if you can, as they will try to rip you off.