I stayed here on a work trip, and my work booked this for me so I can't take credit for choosing it. I wasn't expecting the Ritz Carlton or even Kimpton (I do work for a non-profit, so I'd be a little bothered if they did put me up somewhere fancy). That said, I was very happy with my stay. The Comfort Suites is ... well, comfortable.
My room had a comfortable (clearly, someone needs to give this non-profit employee with a thesaurus) king sized bed, mini fridge, mini microwave, coffee pot, loveseat (I think it folded out), coffee table, desk, tv, and bathroom (okay, this I did expect). Free internet with password, which I definitely like (I'm finding the more I travel that this is rare and to be appreciated! Not uncommon that I pay $12-20/day, sometimes even public areas of the hotel are pay only. Often, public areas will be free, but when I'm done with work I'm not too keen to kick up my feet on a couch next to some dude gabbing REALLY LOUD). There was also a small tv in the bathroom, but one remote for the whole hotel room (well, one that worked) so you could change the channel in bathroom or main room at a time. I only used the tv one morning while getting ready and it worked fine, nothing major as a plus or minus.
Free breakfast is a plus (saving my work money for my breakfast). Sure, it's nothing super fancy. I went for a waffle (regular or blueberry - blueberry tasted okay but was really thick and weird) and eggs, plus coffee and banana for the road. They also had some pastries, yogurt, cereal, a few other pieces of fruit, and maybe oatmeal. The lobby and room were both clean. I'm a lot like Goldilocks with my beds - they have to be just right. I was married for a bit to a guy who liked a bed about as hard as your average floor. No, seriously, he SLEPT on the floor sometimes because it was comfier than my bed. So, the bed should NEVER be that hard or I will divorce you. This bed was soft enough for me, but had enough give that most people would be comfy (most of my friends think my bed is a bit too squishy).
Now that I've waxed poetic on the mattress.... room totally served it's function. Nice enough for stay a few nights, but not so nice that I want to spend a ton of time in the room. Each evening I was done with work, I still wasn't "done" - had some things to do from my computer, so I enjoyed being able to relax a little in my room and get some work done. Most of the food establishments I went to weren't in Monroeville, so it didn't matter how close I was to a few places nearby (lots of chains, but some other places that looked promising - you are very close to a mall).
Only a few minus points, and none major. The first was upon entering the room there was a wet/damp washcloth hanging out on the bathroom vanity. Ew. Now, I'm sure it's possible that housekeeping used it to clean and left it there. But I don't know. It lived on the bathroom floor for the rest of my stay. Next, the air and heat unit is kind of noisy. Staff was very nice when I asked if all the rooms are that way (yes), and explained that when the heat is not currently blowing, the fan is. It wasn't extremely loud, but a little annoying at first and weird if you're not used to it. I guess it's better than the weird thud/rattle some rooms do when the hit kicks on suddenly in the middle of the night (it is a continuous sound). I do sometimes like it when my hotel has a restaurant or bar, but there are plenty of places nearby so I was just fine (and let's face it, when you're doing work things, sometimes being stumbling distance from a bar is a BAD IDEA - from past experience, more from seeing co-workers get a little um... well, we'll stop there, okay? Related: I was here solo and go most places solo now, purely by chance). read more
