Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Port Clinton, OH

At breakfast they started packing things away half an hour early, and kept walking in and out of the kitchen waiting for us to leave so they could close. The washing machine smelled so strongly of mildew that it seemed like it would make clothes dirtier. The fridge didn’t work and warmed up our food. The Wi-Fi has apparently been a known problem for years. We had no heat, or it would switch off randomly in the middle of the night. And if you want hot water, expect to wait ten minutes.

Our first room hadn’t been cleaned after the previous guests. The replacement was better, but still not clean to the standard I’m comfortable with, and the rooms and pool fell short of what we expected. We contacted the hotel chain after the stay, and they listened carefully to our concerns. We’re willing to try the chain again, but not this location until we see confirmation that things have improved. We hope the Port Clinton property gets cleaner so we can feel comfortable staying here again.

This was the worst hotel stay I’ve ever had. We’d planned it ahead for our anniversary. The hallways had trash all over the floor, and the room was just as filthy: dirty curtains, black marks on the door, a disgusting shower, a terrible smell, and toiletries tossed on the counter as if someone had left in a rush. I called corporate and will keep pushing for a refund. We went to the desk and asked for our money back because I couldn’t stay in a dirty room. We were polite, but the woman’s attitude changed as soon as we told her the room was dirty. She offered to move us, then went to make a call and came back saying they couldn’t give us another room or a refund because cancellations had to be made within 24 hours. I was upset and said it was ridiculous to expect us to stay in a dirty room, but I didn’t yell or swear. She said she’d come look, then left and said she’d get back to us. Meanwhile, I was on the phone with corporate because the hotel wasn’t helping. A few minutes later the housekeeping manager came to our door with a bad attitude. He said if he’d been called in, things must be really bad. He came in, saw the dirt, and told us there’d be no refund and no other room. When he noticed I was talking to corporate, he lost it. He told us to get out immediately and threatened to call the police. We hadn’t yelled or done anything wrong. It was absurd that they were so angry just because we said the room was dirty. We left on our own, figuring corporate would get us a refund. Staff watched us leave, and about 15 minutes later the sheriff called. He was very nice and said the hotel had told him we weren’t welcome on the property anymore, which made both of us laugh. He said we’d left a bag of shoes behind, then kindly met us to return them and helped us find another hotel. We went down the road to holiday inn, and it turned out to be a blessing. The rooms there were very clean, and the front desk staff were gracious. When we told them what had happened, they laughed and couldn’t believe the police had been called on us. Don’t stay at this location if you want a nice hotel.

After our weekend stay in late September, I checked my credit card and found a $45 charge, even though I’d paid entirely with Choice rewards points. I called the hotel three times asking to speak with a manager, but never got a reply, so I filed a fraud claim with my bank. The hotel sent my bank paperwork claiming I’d tried to commit theft of an innkeeper. My bank showed me screenshots of the documents. I shouldn’t have owed anything, and the hotel’s own invoice showed a balance of $0.00. The stay itself was fine, nothing special or terrible. The way they handled the charge was the worst hotel experience I’ve had, and a bad mark on Choice Hotels. If you want an easy stay, I’d avoid this place. They’ll charge you money you don’t owe, then lie about it and make the manager impossible to reach.