Sleep Inn Sarasota North

We checked in for four days, but after the first night we were ready to leave and give up what we’d paid. Our room was on the third floor and the elevator didn’t work. The sink handle was broken, the toilet wasn’t fixed to the floor, and the stairway was filthy. I know it’s a value hotel, but I’m surprised Choice Hotels keeps it as a member. It felt like a private, low end place used for questionable activity at night. I rely on Choice Hotels standards for confidence, and this location let us down badly. I’d rather lose the $800 and try another chain than stay. We had to carry all our luggage down three filthy flights to get out. Edit: When we checked out, they credited the remaining nights. The young lady at the counter was gracious, and I feel for what she deals with every day. There appeared to be some updating underway, judging by workers outside, but I don’t know where.

The property was difficult to stay at during all the construction. Our room TV didn’t work, the coffee was hardly hot except first thing in the morning, and the sausage gravy was mostly water. The elevator was out on the first day, the washer and dryer were broken for half our stay, and when we did wash clothes, the washer leaked across the floor. There was a heavy sewer smell in the hallway, probably from the construction. Trash on the ground was never picked up, including a dirty diaper that stayed there basically the whole month. The pool was clean if YOU cleaned it, and on our last night there was no hot water, most likely because of construction during the day. I arrived April 30th and rented a room with a pet deposit of 25.00 dollars a night, refundable after the room was inspected at checkout. The total refundable deposit was 197.00. The manager I spoke to by phone now says it was a pet fee, but we stayed another two weeks and were never charged again for a "pet fee." The front desk rolled the deposit into the next week’s stay. Long story short, the manager says he won’t return the refundable pet deposit. I tried contacting management and was basically told, oh well. I’ll contact corporate headquarters this morning to see if they’re more understanding than the manager, who is the owner and onsite every other day. I’ll also raise the three day reservation that was charged at a crazy rate, double the normal, for one day. Shady things are happening here. The health department might need a call too.

The front desk was friendly, and being able to walk to the airport was very convenient. We stayed one night before our flight. The room was relatively clean, though there was a brown splatter of dried, unknown substance on the white curtains, and it was extremely damp. It didn’t smell as musty as the rest of the hotel, where a warm, musty odor hit us as soon as we walked in. The hallways weren’t clean, and basic things like vacuuming seemed to be neglected, though that would improve the guest experience a lot. The photos are very generous compared with the hotel’s actual condition. It works in a pinch because it’s walkable to the airport, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a vacation.

Most of the staff were helpful, but the owner and general manager showed little concern for what happened. There was a cat inside the bed in my room. It wasn't mine, and I couldn't tell how long it had been there. It urinated on my clothes and inside my suitcase. They moved me, but the only available room wasn't the one I'd booked. When I asked about a credit, staff said only the owner/GM could arrange one. He was never at the hotel while I was, so I asked to be contacted. He didn't get in touch. I eventually saw him in the parking lot the day before checkout. He said he was leaving and couldn't talk, claimed nobody had told him about the problem, and said he'd call if I left my details. Staff then showed me the notes they'd left for him. He brushed me off, and when I followed up again, I was told he wouldn't offer anything to make up for the problems with my stay.