La Quinta Inn & Suites Pittsburgh North - McKnight

There was a local fair right beside the hotel, with plenty of other shops nearby, and the hilltop location has an unobstructed view of the valley. The hotel was wonderful for a great price, and the services and amenities were good. The whole property is smoke-free, but our room smelled a bit smoky when we arrived. We told the staff, they checked our complaint, and gave us another room. The Wi-Fi was too slow to use most of the time. I’d definitely stay again, though I heard it might become an assisted living facility sometime in the future.

The breakfast was our biggest mistake. The eggs were cold, the sausage was overcooked in the microwave and tasted like cardboard, the bagels were stale, and the mini blueberry muffins crumbled when you tried to eat them. The water dispenser sprayed my daughter, an employee beside her, and the floor. She apologized, but the employee just gave her a dirty look, said, “It does that all the time,” and walked off without offering a towel or napkin. He left the water on the floor too. My family stayed in one room until the second was ready, and our first night was hardly restful because little dogs barked at every sound in the hallway most of the night. We arrived after 3 p.m. and asked about a senior citizen discount for one room. They said that because the hotel was booked, the computer wouldn’t let them enter it. One of our two rooms was ready, supposedly, but it hadn’t been cleaned: dirty towels were on the bathroom floor and the bed wasn’t made. When we reported it, the manager at the desk said, “It’s not? It should be.” They told us it would only take a few minutes. Fifteen minutes later, they gave me a gift certificate for a free night, apologized, and said it would be a few more minutes. After another 15, I asked again, and they said the original room was ready. The cleaner was still inside finishing up when we went back, so we waited in the hall before we could get into it. The room had an overpowering smell of Febreeze or something, and the floor clearly hadn’t been swept. Another 30 minutes passed before the second room was done. When someone brought its keys up, I was told to go back down and check in for it, because the desk hadn’t checked us into both rooms at once. I took both gift certificates down and asked if I could use one for one of the rooms, since we’d waited an hour and I wasn’t going to be back in town, having come only for my children’s college graduation. They said, “No, they are for your next stay with us.” Then they asked if they could use the same card I’d checked in with for the first room. It was different from the card I’d reserved with, since I’d used my debit card for that, but I said yes, the credit card I’d given them for the first room. Back upstairs, the second room smelled so strongly of Pine Sol that I started choking. We had to turn the air up high, leave the door open a crack, and wait in the hall to air it out. Its floors hadn’t been vacuumed either. I’d stayed here a year or two earlier when it was the Hilton Garden Inn, and that visit was the complete opposite of this weekend. La Quinta has turned what was a very nice hotel into a dump. I’ve stayed in nicer cheap motels. Don’t stay here!

The hotel itself is good, but our stays have had some awful moments. On an earlier visit, my daughter found a used condom in the bed sheets. The manager blamed my husband and me for not letting housekeeping bring fresh bedding, though a room should be clean when guests arrive. Housekeeping was rude, too. We had to come back because our company booked the hotel. After a three-hour drive, we checked in at midnight and asked to switch from a double bed to a king, as we have done on past stays. Jessica, who was training a new staff member, argued with my husband, yelled at him, and refused to help. A woman beside her, who was off the clock, said she would help but couldn't. I'm still in disbelief at how we were treated. Guests should come first, and Jessica shouldn't be working with customers. I won't stay here again.

Our room was filthy, from the hairy, dirty sheets to the unswept carpet, grimy sink, splattered mirror, and nasty shower. They only changed the sheets and did nothing else for us. We deserved a refund. I'd avoid this place, and all La Quintas.