Best Western Premier Richmond City Gateway

Nita and the whole team made our Richmond trip better, and we're incredibly grateful. We had 14 families staying here for a volleyball tournament at the convention center, and from the start we felt welcomed and cared for. Nita arranged late check-ins, brought in kitchen staff so the girls could have breakfast before their early Saturday matches, and reserved Salon C for our team to gather and relax. On checkout day, when one mom's car wouldn't start, Nita and someone from maintenance helped her out, which meant a lot during a stressful moment. We knew several teams were at the hotel that weekend, so the staff had plenty to handle, but every interaction was patient, professional, and caring. Nita and her team never made us feel like just another group. Please pass along our sincere thanks. They did an exceptionally good job.

The breakfast, dining staff, and front desk were all 10/10, and the bed was comfortable. The staff were super nice and helpful. The rest of the place looked clean and nice, and I'd give it another try, but I'd check the bathroom before settling in. The floor looked stained, but in the morning I found the streaks came up with a damp towel, so it was just dirt. My feet got filthy from the floors in the room and bathroom. The tub had rust stains and a slippery layer of conditioner left by the last guest. Shower temperature was hard to manage: the cool setting was hot, and the hot setting was boiling lava hot. The AC mostly worked well, but its zapping noises woke me several times overnight. The pool information in the room said it opened at 8, but it didn't open until 10. I also struggled to find the way there from inside the hotel. I wound up at a locked side gate with wasps nesting there. Don't pull the knob, go around to the main front gate for the pool. The wasps got mad. I didn't swim, though the pool looked nice. Maybe someone on the cleaning team doesn't like cleaning, I don't know.

Breakfast was very decent, and the restaurant was surprisingly good for dinner, in a separate review. The room itself was a little worse than a $50 skid-row motel. The in-room coffee maker and microwave didn't work, and the toilet handle was broken, so I had to reach into the tank to flush. The shower water was only hot, nothing else. The front desk couldn't add my spouse's name to the room in case I lost my key. I don't know what Best Western means by “premier,” but this was a disabled-access room, too.

It was close enough to where we needed to be while still offering better value. The elevator noise was really annoying, especially for a light sleeper. The shower was another problem: the head was twisted awkwardly and hard to straighten, and the curtain let water all over the floor.