Homewood Suites by Hilton Cincinnati-Milford

This place has potential, but it needs modern upgrades and more consistency. The rooms are great overall, with a huge bathroom, plenty of space for two queens, and a very quiet top floor most nights. The breakfast was one of the most unique and well-presented I’ve seen at a Homewood, and I appreciated the real plates and silverware. The front desk staff were helpful and tried to find solutions when I raised issues. There’s a full kitchen setup in theory. In practice, the kitchen was missing dish soap and sponges. The can opener was rusted and didn’t work, and the pots and pans were so dirty I had to buy Scotch-Brite pads and scrub them before using them. Items were in odd places too: on our second stay, the kitchen towel and washcloth were stuffed behind the silverware drawer. Laundry is card-only and only on the second floor, which isn’t convenient for longer stays. The living room furniture was absolutely disgusting, too dirty to steam clean, and needs to be replaced with furniture that can be sanitized between guests. Smoking is allowed right at the main entrance, so non-smokers have to walk through it each time they come and go. There were other disruptions. One night, the room above us was extremely noisy. For two full days, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., workers cleaned carpets and furniture while guests were staying there instead of blocking off the hotel. They came and went for hours, leaving the door open, which was invasive and inconvenient. On 12/16, maintenance knocked and came straight in while announcing “maintenance,” without waiting for a response. I was about to get in the shower. They said they’d return the next day to finish the install, but nobody came back. The most serious concern was food safety. On 12/8, I saw a cook wipe his face or nose with a kitchen rag, put it on the counter, then handle a hot pan without washing his hands. He picked up bacon with bare hands, including pieces that had fallen, and put it straight onto the guest-serving pan. That was extremely concerning and unacceptable. Some of this might sound petty to occasional travelers, but these details matter when you live on the road. With upgrades, better hygiene, and more respect for guest privacy, this could be a great extended-stay hotel. As it is, it falls short of the Homewood Suites standard.

The pool was clean, the rooms were fabulous, and breakfast had lots of great options. Our housekeeper was lovely and sweet. I think her name was Shawna, though I’m not sure I’ve spelled it right. She was the sweetest, and when I book another trip, I’d love to have her as my housekeeper again. Five stars for her.

The breakfast felt underwhelming, with only paper plates and plastic cutlery, and there were some basic things missing from the room. The curtains couldn’t be drawn to block natural or artificial light, and a warm wool blanket and an electric kettle would have been useful. It seems like those details just weren’t considered. It’s an adequate enough place, but I didn’t get any real sense of place, purpose, or solidity from it. I think it could be a lot better with minimal investment and more attention to the human side of the experience.

Check-in and checkout were quick, and the hotel was clean and nice. It’s near Milford and Eastgate, with a nice fitness room. The highway nearby makes it kind of noisy, and the $5 parking fee is the one ding. The accessible room had plenty of space for my wife’s wheelchair.