Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Woodbury, MN

The room and the hallways felt badly maintained, with poor lighting, low ceilings, peeling paint, and stains on the walls, ceiling, and bathtub. There was no parking, so we had to use a nearby public lot and walk. The heat didn’t work, most outlets were dead, the fridge was barely cold, and the worn beds were uncomfortable. The blankets were paper thin and the pillows seemed child sized. There were loud parties through the night, with adults and kids running in the halls, and a terrible smell from something burning. In the pool, both my son and I stepped on something sharp. He got a full cut. While we were swimming, police rushed into the hotel. We heard there may have been an assault or murder, and there was blood in one room and into the hallway. One of my son's friends said he saw a man covered in blood running through the hall. Nobody gave us information or confirmed that guests were safe. I was afraid for my family. This was by far my worst hotel experience. I’ll never return, and I strongly recommend nobody stay here, especially with children.

We’d thought this looked like a decent, reasonably priced modest hotel, but I won’t return. The smell in the halls and the desk clerk’s heavy cologne were both overpowering, which was awful for someone like me with severe asthma. Our bathtub tap also kept running because it wouldn’t shut off fully. I reported it in the morning, but nobody fixed it, so we listened to water all night for two nights. The pool and hot tub area had trash both evenings, and there weren’t any towels when we went back the second time. The desk said they’d bring some, but 45 minutes later we were still waiting. Fresh towels for our room never arrived either. One of the pool exit doors took excessive force to open. I kept thinking about what that would mean in a fire. Laundry was another mess. I tried to buy detergent and pop at the desk and asked to charge it to the room. The clerk asked, in an irritated tone, whether I didn’t have cash or a card. Then they had no quarters to exchange for our singles, so we had to go out to find some. The washer only soaked our clothes and did nothing else, so we spent another $7- at a laundromat. The breakfast was an ordinary continental one. And at check-in, the desk clerk should know where the rooms are instead of sending exhausted guests on a wild goose chase.

I booked this by mistake because I thought it was a different hotel. This was my second stay, and there won’t be a third. We couldn’t leave the car without worrying we’d lose our parking spot, and there was no parking anyway. Kids ran through the halls until 11:30pm, then started again at 5am. There are no window screens to stop children from falling out. Worse, the pool floor has something sharp in it. Two of my kids got gashes on a knee or ankle from something in the pool or hot tub.

The one bright spot was having the Green Mill restaurant in the same building. In the room, the refrigerator didn’t work, and there was no office chair until I asked. The chair they brought was stuck reclined and uncomfortable. Then the power went out in the whole room. The front desk agent had to flip the circuit breaker because maintenance wasn’t available that day. Not a good stay.