Baymont by Wyndham Sandusky

After a 2.5-hour drive, I got to the hotel around 11 a.m. on September 26th hoping to check in early. A woman met me under the awning and said right away that they don't do early check-ins. I explained I had a reservation, but she repeated that check-in was at 3 p.m. I asked to use the restroom and said I was a guest when she told me it was for customers only, but she still refused. I left and came back around 5 p.m. A man at the counter checked me in, explained everything, and handed me two key cards. Neither worked. He made two more, and those didn't work either. After another try, he walked with me to the room and made another set, but those failed too. When I asked for another room, he said he couldn't assign one. He said that whenever I left, I'd have to come back to the desk and ask him to unlock the door. Around 8 p.m., a maintenance worker inspected it for about 20 minutes, then confirmed the reader was broken and I'd need the front desk clerk to let me in every time. He mentioned a possible discount for the trouble. In the morning I went to check out, but no one was there. I waited nearly 15 minutes and called out “Hello” several times before the same woman appeared and gave me a death stare. When I said I wanted to check out, she pointed to a basket for the key cards. I asked for a receipt to see whether the discount had been applied. She reluctantly printed one, but there was no discount, and I didn't bother arguing. The treatment was rude, the equipment was broken, the room smelled musty, and there was visible mold in the bathroom. I'll never stay at this location again. Management clearly doesn't understand customer service, and the property shouldn't be operating until it can provide safe, working accommodations.

The room seemed clean and was okay, and the hotel is convenient for the amusement park. Breakfast was a problem: all the juice was gone, almost all the water was too, and there was nobody at the front desk or elsewhere to ask for more. We had to spend money at the McDonald's down the road instead. The TV guide in the room listed lots of channels, but we didn't get them, and half the time I couldn't get the TV to work.

The front desk auditor was very nice, but the room was outdated and dirty. The kids wouldn't sleep under the covers. Since we were traveling, they used their own blanket and pillow and sealed them in plastic bags until we could get home to wash them. The bathroom had mold and mildew, and there were holes in the wall. There was no cable TV signal, and even after we reset the cable, the hotel didn't subscribe to any channels.

The location is very close to Cedar Point, so I gave it two stars for that. Our room was another matter, with no stars for the room or service, and a cleanliness score would be zero. The Super 8 up the street was even closer and 1000% cleaner, more secure, and better maintained. Even for a few dollars more, it's worth it. Our room door opened onto an outside balcony, which is usually fine, but it was standing open when we arrived. One bed had no bedding, and there was a pile of bedding on the floor that looked like it came from a previous bed. The door wouldn't close and stay shut properly. In the non-smoking room, the cigarette smoke smell was overwhelming. The employee at the front desk said they felt bad and understood, but couldn't or wouldn't do anything. I checked out very quickly because I was concerned about safety and security with the room left open and used that way before we arrived, and the smoke was awful. I'd avoid this place entirely.