MainStay Suites St. Louis - Galleria

I waited more than a week for my deposit after the front desk told me it would take 3-5 days. When I called corporate, they said it could take as long as 15 days. That seems ridiculous when charging my card didn't take 15 days. I wasn't satisfied, so I reported them to the BBB and contacted my card company to handle it. The required deposit at check-in was already a red flag. This was my worst hotel experience, and I wouldn't recommend the place to anyone.

We'd liked this place and had stayed about six nights over the past month and a half. We even referred another couple, who unfortunately chose the night of the bash to try it. We stay in hotels at least weekly and keep returning when we like one. We can overlook some things since these aren't high-priced four-star-plus rooms, but getting only two hours of sleep because management either doesn't care or is friends with the party hosts, at everyone else's expense, is unacceptable. They wouldn't even comp a night when our complaint was completely warranted. Not cool.

The bed was the one acceptable thing, after I checked for roaches and bed bugs. The tub, sink, and very hot water were clean, so maybe I lucked out with a project unit. Otherwise, this was the worst LOFT I've ever booked. The curtains were stained, the dishwasher leaned out of its frame, the carpet had a thousand burn holes despite the no-smoking rule, and none of the three TVs worked. The room swung between freezing and extremely hot. After a five-hour drive, I paid $400 for a dirty room. The second-shift weekend staff member with black locs, blue tips, and glasses was a terrible representation of the hotel. I let the clerks know my concerns the next morning, and they offered to help, but we were already leaving. On waking, I tiptoed past a man sitting on the stairs in a wife beater, smoking a loose cigarette in a snowstorm. That helped explain why the rooms are filthy. The housekeeper was pushing a weak cleaning cart while on the phone, looking like “ALL MY LIFE I HAD TO FIGHT!” Never again.

I've stayed here three times, and each visit had a problem. The first time, the latch didn't work properly and I got locked out of my room. They have since replaced all the key systems. On my second stay, the carpet was disgusting, but it was late and I'd already moved everything in. Most recently, my key cards stopped working, so I had to walk to the office in a snowstorm to get replacements. I never got an apology. The property has major maintenance problems and feels run down, with people living there long term. I won't stay again.