Regency Inn & Suites

The room smelled strongly of something, and I checked for bedbugs right away. I didn’t see any, but the mattress had no encasement and the bedspread was stained. The toilet ran all night, then wouldn’t work when I tried it in the morning. The bathroom sink drain had someone’s hair stuck to it and had to be pulled out for water to drain. There was mildew throughout the bathroom. Definitely overpriced. The neighborhood felt sketchy when I arrived, and I had a bad feeling about my reservation. At check-in, the guy was unfriendly and asked twice whether I had pets or smoked after I’d already said no. I told him I didn’t have pets and hadn’t taken up smoking yet, and by then I was annoyed.

My brother was told his refund would come through in a couple of days, but nothing was ever issued. Expedia couldn’t help and said the property refused to refund the rooms. That left us out $800 for rooms that weren’t inhabitable. Disgusting and unethical. I booked two separate rooms for family members driving down from Ohio, relying on the “good” Expedia reviews. After a full day on the road, they found bedbugs at the corner of a mattress, and both rooms smelled of mildew. One room also had an exposed bare light switch in the bathroom and a toilet that wouldn’t flush. The front desk told my family they’d be refunded because they weren’t comfortable staying and had to move to another hotel up the street. They weren’t.

My stay at Regency Inn lasted less than 24 hours, and there was no damage to the property, but they kept my deposit. I called the property manager, who was reluctant to give his name. He asked my name but never asked for my room number, then told me on the phone that the deposit had been returned. I checked out on 12/26, but the deposit charge was posted on 12/25, and I have proof it was never returned. Is the economy so bad that businesses have to commit fraud? It’s not about the money, it’s the principle. People work too hard to be cheated and lied to.

I met a friend who was staying here before we headed to the Mote SEA aquarium. The rooms are adequate, and the hotel is close to the airport. US 41 is down to one lane in each direction because of construction.