Extended Stay America - Philadelphia - Airport - B

We were traveling with family, including my one-year-old niece, and got stuck here after our flight was cancelled in the snowstorm. I'd stayed at Extended Stay locations in other cities and had good experiences, so this was a surprise. The room was supposed to be non-smoking, but it smelled of cigarettes and had cigarette burns. I was tired and it was late, so I complained but decided to wait it out. Then we pulled out the sofa bed and found bedbugs, dirt or crumbs on the sheets, and a terrible smell. The front desk woman first said there were no rooms because everything was booked. She gave us fresh sheets and blankets, and we agreed to change them ourselves. But underneath was a torn-up sofa mattress, filthy, badly stained, and smelling horrible. After we raised that, she again said there were no rooms. My family wouldn't budge, especially with a baby with us, so they called the manager a second time. Eventually she called to say two rooms had opened up after cancellations, and we could look. The new room was better, though it had mysterious red stains on the floor. Some families appear to live there for a while, and I understand people's circumstances. That made these conditions even more surprising. Management and the owners need to do a better job. I wouldn't recommend staying here unless you can afford somewhere else.

The room was noisy from every direction. I could hear people in the hallway and next door, along with every step from the guests above. There's no soundproofing, so it was hard to rest. Bugs were crawling around, and the furniture was in terrible shape. The whole place looked worn down and poorly maintained. They charge extra for parking and also take a $100 deposit for “damages,” which seems ironic given the condition of the hotel. Breakfast is advertised, but it was just a muffin and coffee, if you drink coffee. It wasn't worth the money. Save yourself the stress and stay somewhere else.

I needed a straightforward emergency room for my family during the big snowstorm, but getting one turned into a ridiculous ordeal. I booked online, called the hotel and got no answer, then drove there with a confirmed prepaid reservation. The front desk guy stayed on his personal call in the middle of an argument, barely looked at my phone, said there were no rooms, and went back to the call. I asked him to cancel the prepaid booking and left, thinking I'd avoided a problem. Later I learned they meant to charge me for the first night as a no-show for not cancelling before check-in. The supervisor said they “always have a plethora of rooms” comparable to mine, even though I had just been told none were available. She called me a no-show; I explained I'd come in person because nobody answered the phone. Then she said cameras showed I arrived after the cutoff. My Maps timestamp showed I was there before the time she gave. She accused me of verbal abuse and told me to stop yelling, although I wasn't yelling. I calmly returned and asked for her name and a written copy of the policy. She refused both. Then suddenly there was a room. She said I was “bigger than the room that was not available,” whatever that meant, but I'd still be charged. I asked her to give me the key. Now the room was unavailable again because of my supposed “behavior,” “verbal abuse,” and “calling her out her name,” none of which happened. I got no receipt, no acknowledgment that I'd arrived on time, and no alternatives. When I tried to photograph the screen showing the charges, they threatened to call the police. I paid for a room they said didn't exist, was blamed for not cancelling when I'd shown up, and was lied to about my arrival time. I nearly had the cops called on me for asking for a receipt. If you want to be called a no-show while standing in the lobby, this is your spot. Otherwise, this place is like a horror movie house, nice online, but somewhere you don't want to spend the night.

We had to stay until Monday because of the coming storm and couldn't catch a train home sooner. With a baby in our family, the room's sofa bed was a serious problem. The pullout had two dirty, nasty sheets on it. We asked the front desk for help, and they immediately said there were no rooms. I asked them for sheets, trash bags, and gloves so I could change them myself. One sheet had a dead bed bug on it, and the other smelled bad. Underneath, the mattress was ripped apart, falling to pieces, and had springs sticking out. We went back to the desk, but again they said every room was booked. My sister got upset that they weren't doing anything, and we refused to leave it there until they called the manager a second time. They finally gave us another room, but we had to clean it ourselves. I took photos of the sheets. This place is a dump, not clean at all, and the halls smell awful. I wouldn't recommend it for even one night. They aren't allowed to give out cleaning products.