Candlewood Suites Portland - Scarborough by IHG

The beds were comfortable enough, and having a laundry room at no extra charge was nice, though our clothes still weren’t dry after 3 rounds. The hotel is run down and needs attention. Furniture is scuffed or worn, paint is chipped, and there was a red stain beside the trash, hopefully ketchup. A toilet paper roll was stuck in the bathroom light/fan, and the door handle barely worked unless you lifted it upward. It was a bit cheaper than other choices, and IHG is usually a brand I trust, but I’d look elsewhere if you can. It wasn’t the worst hotel I’ve been to, just far from the best.

When I arrived, they said my reservation was wrong and there were no rooms, but after I showed my confirmation they suddenly found one. The room wasn’t clean, so I changed the sheets myself. The metal shower rod was barely attached and fell onto my wife; the plug was broken and left on the tub edge. There was only a bracket on the back of the door, no hook. The floor had a sticky patch, and a reddish brown substance was on the bedroom blackout curtain. I had to buy supplies to scrub burnt-on stuff off the pans, since they provided only soap and a wash cloth. Staff offered no solution beyond saying they’d pass the problems to maintenance. I also got charged for an extra night beyond my reservation. The general manager Mike Sand never returned my call, and my number sat at the front desk for 4 days. They said nobody else could resolve it, but a week later Michelle, who introduced herself as the director of sales, called and said she’d handled the refund. I’m still waiting. I contacted IHG, the owners group, and they only replied by text, offering rewards roughly equal to one night if I signed up. I don’t want rewards after being treated this way. Nobody was pleasant while I tried to resolve anything. They repeatedly asked me to rate how well they handled it, but also said they couldn’t give me a check or any money back for the room’s condition due to security reasons. I’m trying to sum it up, but there was so much said and nothing was done to make it right.

The room was adequate and the location was good, but this place does the minimum. There were only two tiny bath towels for two people. The member welcome gift was one small Sam's club water and a tiny chocolate, not even a bottle each. I called the desk to ask about ice, and was told the fridge makes it. I know, but I didn’t have 6 hours to wait for 8 cubes, so they gave me a trash bag to collect ice by the lobby coffee maker. Around 6:30 am I went down for coffee and found the machine out of order and needing a clean, something the desk didn’t seem to know until I told them. They said there was a coffee maker in my room. I wanted stronger, real coffee. 40 minutes later they were still flushing the machine with strong blue disinfectant dye, and I wasn’t about to be the first of several costumers drinking fresh coffee from a freshly disinfected machine. Be careful what you consume while traveling. I wouldn’t come back.

The rooms, management, and employees all deserve 5 stars. Everyone was helpful and accommodating when we needed something. Great location and prices, and I’d recommend it to anyone I know looking to stay in the area.