Homewood Suites by Hilton North Dallas-Plano

The suites had enough space, and the hotel was nice, though its exterior looked more country-style than other Homewood Suites I’ve stayed at. The side entrance has steps, which made it impossible for me to get my suitcase up by myself. A man who was outside helped me. A ramp beside the steps would make more sense.

The lobby looked and smelled good, so it seems to have been renovated since people mentioned work months ago. Past the lobby, though, the hotel was old, dingy, and smelly. The elevators were slow and old, and the hallway carpets were stained. During our three days there, they weren’t vacuumed. Our two-bedroom suite was convenient for the family, but I had to use my kids’ bathroom to shower because our shower had no water pressure unless I wanted a cold shower. Other parts of the room were in bad shape too: missing or broken trim, a broken cupboard, and a door that only shut firmly if the deadbolt was locked. The kids didn’t complain about breakfast, which was a plus. But around 11:15 a.m. on checkout day, housekeeping ignored our “do not disturb” sign, unlocked the deadbolt, and came in, even though checkout was at noon. We were packing and started loading the car a few minutes later, only to find our keys had been deactivated. When I asked the desk, they said, “that happens sometimes.” The location and extra room to spread out weren’t worth the price, especially when I had to hold my breath in different parts of the hotel.

The only thing I’d change is the bathroom vanity and lighting. With more than one person sharing the room, it wasn’t great for doing makeup or hair. It wasn’t a major problem and we made it work, but an extra vanity with an outlet or a full-length mirror somewhere in the room would’ve been nice. The lobby, dining area, and rooms were clean, the beds and pillows were comfortable, and I’d stay here again.

The staff were wonderful, but the building and rooms were the complete opposite. Everything felt old and damaged, with a musty smell. The linens and carpet were old and bad, and there were holes in the walls, dents in the doors, missing paint, and stains everywhere. Our whole floor smelled like marijuana and Indian food. This didn’t live up to what I expect from a Homewood.