Candlewood Suites Sayre by IHG

The room felt more like a home than a standard hotel stay. I had two comfortable queen beds, a good workspace, a nightstand, and a window looking out at trees instead of the highway. The kitchenette was especially useful, with a full-size fridge, two-burner electric stove, microwave, and plenty of cabinets and cooking items. There was also an HDTV and DVD player. One frustrating thing: I checked out at 8:30 a.m. on what should have been my final night, and the bill was right at first. Later they added another night's charge. Calling the hotel and IGH didn't resolve it.

The room itself was beautiful, roomy, and had more than I expected: a fridge, dishwasher, pots and pans, a two-burner hotplate, and comfortable beds. The location worked well for us too. But the way we were treated by the staff has put us off coming back, even though my sister just moved nearby and we had planned future visits. We called the day before to ask about arriving at 1 p.m. so we could change after a seven-hour drive for her wedding. After finally reaching someone, we were told it would be no problem. At check-in, Tabitha laughed before even checking our reservation and said in a condescending way that check-in was at 3. When I explained we'd called, she rolled her eyes and stayed rude. We saw a board saying she was the desk manager. She had the same nasty attitude at checkout. The hotel often doesn't answer the phone either. I can't see returning after that, and I don't think she should be in customer service, much less managing others.

Update: less than 24 hours after I posted this, the hotel called and refunded the money right away. Thank you, Tabitha, for the professional and prompt response. Social media seems to get things moving. Before that, I was still stuck trying to resolve charges for two nights, September 5-6 and 7-8, that I had paid for with IHG points. The night of September 6-7 was my free anniversary night. I gave my card for incidentals at check-in as usual, but the hotel charged it for the two points nights and then refused to refund me, saying it was an IHG issue even though the hotel made the charges. The manager wouldn't help when I stopped by, and emails and calls to IHG, including a report, got nowhere. My card company wanted a copy of the hotel bill to prove the nights were paid in points. IHG's statement wasn't enough, and the hotel wouldn't give me the bill. I had proof the points were taken from my account as well as the card charges, but as of November 2, 2025, neither the hotel, IHG, nor the card company had helped. The dispute would only stay open for 30 days, and without that bill I risked losing both the points and the money. Check your bills closely. After years as an IHG member staying at their hotels around the world with points, and spending thousands with the brand, this made me question that loyalty.

We were traveling over a long weekend, and on the morning we were due to check in, the hotel canceled our one-night reservation because it was overbooked. That evening, they still charged my credit card for the full amount. When I called, the hotel sent me to IHG customer service, saying they couldn't do anything. IHG then said the rate was nonrefundable, so I might not get my money back, even though the hotel had canceled the stay that day. A hard lesson for next time with IHG.