Sonesta Essential Van Buren Fort Smith

The owners are really nice, and the rooms are very nice as well. You get a huge TV, a very comfortable bed, and high-quality sheets and blankets. It's the most affordable hotel in the area. I'll definitely refer people to stay here.

Krish was very friendly and informative, but the hotel was a letdown. I don't expect much in the middle of Arkansas, yet this stay had a lot of problems. I booked specifically for the EV chargers, but staff had their own cars in three of them. I was left with the slowest, 6 kW charger. Better than nothing, but I would've liked to fully charge overnight on one of the 11 kW chargers the staff were hogging. I had to start day two of a 2,000-mile trip without a full battery. Breakfast was meant to start at 6 a.m. I waited specifically for it, but nothing was set out and there was no staff around. My shower had no hot water even though the sink did. I was exhausted and went to bed hoping it was just low, so I could shower in the morning, but there still wasn't hot water. The hotel is right by the highway like many others, but exceptionally loud, and the walls between rooms are very thin. Thankfully, I had earplugs. The Wi-Fi was broken, and a low-battery smoke alarm in the hallway chirped all night. Classic.

I was only passing through and needed a bed for the night. After looking at other places, I chose this one, and the stay wasn't terrible. It was quiet, the beds were fine, and the room overall was okay, though the floors were a little dirty and there was a bunch of hair on the bathroom floor, so I'm not sure it had been cleaned. I always bring my own pillows, so I can't comment on those. The pet-friendly option was useful, but the website doesn't mention the extra $25 pet fee. There seemed to be renovations going on, with boxes, doors, and random items in the hallways. The room had an odd empty cubby that might eventually be a closet, but there was nowhere to hang clothes. The latch was missing from the door, and I didn't like that the hotel's back entrance doesn't lock at night. Breakfast was kind of lame: toast, brownie bites, cereal, yogurt, waffles, and a small amount of sausage and egg patties. I only used the waffle maker. My husband said the coffee was good, but the orange juice tasted terrible, like Hi-C or something from the machine, not orange juice. The location was a little weird to get to. I wouldn't choose to stay again, but it could've been worse.

If you need a stop in Van Buren or Fort Smith, this is a comfortable place to stay. It's clean and quiet, conveniently close to the interstate, and reasonably priced.