University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center Springfield

I spent nearly a month here for work, from Feb 28 to March 25, so these are impressions from a long stay. The staff were genuinely nice, respectful and tried to help whenever something came up. The lobby looks good, but the rooms are another story, worn and outdated, with tired carpet and furniture. The sofa looked dirty, and a noticeable smell never really went away. Maintenance was the biggest problem. The hot water was often not actually hot, and I had to call maintenance FIVE times about the heating and AC. It felt like an old, unreliable system, not a one-off problem. These issues piled up during long workdays and made it harder to rest. I didn’t ask to switch rooms because I doubted it would make much difference. There aren’t any real business-stay perks, points or benefits, which makes a long stay harder to justify. The staff are the only reason I’d give it 2 stars instead of less. They do their jobs well, but the property needs serious updates. No pictures, cuz don’t need to.

The interior looked excellent, the view was nice and breakfast was good. The bathroom was in top condition and smelled good. There was no microwave or refrigerator in the room, and no USB connections unless you bring your own. Some carpet spots looked like they could have been unstained, the chair needs reupholstering, and the hand soap was awkwardly placed.

The atrium design makes noise travel up to the rooms, and the central area stays noisy even though the hotel says it has quiet hours. They even play music after quiet hours. I’ve stayed a couple of times, and got sick each time. The central AC system seems very old, dirty and filthy, and there’s no way to air the rooms out. To top it off, they apparently don’t pay the cleaning staff enough, and a sign on the wall asks guests to supplement their pay beyond the room rate.

I came to see my daughter because the hotel was close to the university, but I won’t choose the cheap option next time. The place has potential and looks nice when you first walk in, but my room was outdated and the temperature was all over the place, around 65 or 78ish. There was no hot water, so I had to take a cold shower. I tried the water again in the morning and it was still cold. I checked out at 6am, cancelled the next night and slept in my truck. Awful experience!