Comfort Suites North Charleston - Ashley Phosphate

During a three-day weekend with our kids, March 20-23, 2024, my husband told the front desk at check-in that he had a service dog. He saw the clerk write down the room number and a note for the next day's crew, and nobody raised the issue during the stay. We checked out on March 23 and paid the $397 room charge. Then, on March 26, the hotel added another $250 to my card. When I called, a front desk employee first called it a pet fee. I explained it was a service animal and that charging a fee was illegal. She then said it was for excessive cleaning and claimed they hadn't been told it was a service dog. The person who said she was the manager also claimed to remember my husband checking in and said he hadn't identified it as a service dog. My husband was told the manager's name was Adam, but the hotel refuses to refund the charge. CHOICE HOTELS corporate won't get involved because this is a franchise and they say it's not their problem. There was no cleaning service, towel replacement, or trash removal during our visit either. Other guests left loose trash in the hall, so people had to walk through it all day. The manager doesn't return or answer calls, and the voicemail is full. This franchise is a scam run by liars and thieves. Don't stay there.

We arrived around 9 p.m. on Friday, March 29, after prepaying for what I thought was a good rate. Comfort Suites had usually been a safe choice for me, but this time the hotel couldn't check us in. Just as we walked in, there was a brief power outage. The young front desk clerk was overwhelmed and couldn't get the computers back online. I called tech support myself and tried to help; they could see the hotel was offline and said it wouldn't come back online. The clerk then told us she couldn't check anyone in. We went to a neighboring hotel instead, which had problems too but managed to give us a room. Even though Comfort Suites didn't honor my reservation, they refuse to cancel it or return my $164.74 because I prepaid. I've spoken to nine people, all of whom said no refund. Michelle at the desk said the rate was nonrefundable and the outage wasn't their fault. Taking a senior customer's money when we couldn't stay is outrageous. Buyer beware.

After a five-hour drive, I arrived around 11 p.m. The first woman at the desk, who I think had pink hair, was nice. But when I checked the room, I found hairs on the bed and pillow. I showed another employee a video, and she handed me sheets so I could change the bed myself. Then I noticed a strong urine smell and a large stain on the sofa bed. I went back down to report that too, but the woman said nothing. The bathroom light above the shower was flickering, and I had a video of that as well. I contacted the booking agency because of these problems and left for another hotel about an hour later. I returned the keys to a different employee who was coming in from outside, and she told me to contact the agency. I asked for a refund since I hadn't stayed there. The agency later said the property claimed nothing was wrong and that I could have reported it downstairs, which I had done. I'll be contacting the Better Business Bureau along with posting this. People pay for these rooms, so they should be ready for the next guest.

Candice and Mika at the front desk were so helpful when my travel plans changed and I'd made a mistake with a reservation through a travel site. They both worked with me to sort it out, and I really appreciated that. The rooms were spacious, clean, and a great value, and the staff were friendly. Highly recommend.