Home2 Suites by Hilton Rochester Henrietta, NY

The staff were really nice and helpful on both of my stays, and the breakfast was solid, better than I expected though nothing fancy. The hotel allows pets, and the first time I noticed a smell, but it didn't go past the room door. The rooms are nice, but the AC can be loud and the walls are thin enough that you hear crying babies. In my first room the shower pressure was poor; on my second stay it was great. Decent place, and I'd stay again if I'm in the area.

The staff were great, the lobby looks nice, and check-in was easy, but my room on the second floor felt worn. There was scraped paint on the doors, missing grout on the bathroom floor, and cracks around the already poor shower. The spray was weak, and there was no hand wand, so as a larger person I couldn't rinse my lower half properly. The bed was okay, with only three pillows and little choice. I don't like feather pillows, and unlike Marriott there wasn't a foam option or a range of pillows. I remembered Home2 being built and promoted as an upscale hotel with kitchenettes, and when I compared rates in Henrietta, it was a little above average, so I expected better. Before the second night, I'd have rated it 2.5 out of 5. Then Friday night the hotel filled up with what I guessed was a hockey team and a big family with maybe nine kids. There was running and yelling in the halls until 2:30 a.m. Teenagers or young adults roamed around and banged on doors until 4:30, then a relationship fight in a room and the hall spilled into the parking lot at 5 and lasted until 6:30. I got no sleep and checked out at 9. I told the desk, and they did discount my night, to their credit. I wish they'd warned me about the groups or offered a room away from the commotion. I doubt I'll return to the Henrietta location. They seemed willing to let big groups stay without requiring supervision to keep things quiet. I'll probably stick with Courtyard Marriott. I've never had trouble there.

The room had a god-awful wet dog smell, and I won't forget it. There was hair everywhere, and I don't think they clean the place properly. Street noise nearby made it hard to rest too. I asked to switch rooms, and the woman said she'd call me in 30 minutes. After waiting two hours, I went to the desk and checked out. There's nothing appealing about this place, and some of the people staying here didn't help the impression. I travel all over the country and stay in many places, and this was the worst stay I've had. Depending which way you're coming from, you also have to make a U-turn every time you return to the hotel.

The rooms are nice and clean, and the beds are comfortable. But there's no soundproofing in the floors at all. Whoever's in the room above us seems to be hosting the pirate Olympics: wooden-leg jumping jacks started at 5:30 a.m. and were still going 90 minutes later as I wrote this. Sure, the guests are clueless, but I expected at least some of the noise to be muffled. It isn't.