We checked in at the Front Desk with Brian and went to our room, where we discovered food…read moreunderneath the couch cushions. When I pulled out the sofa bed, I found tons of food underneath the mattress. It was disgusting.
I called the Front Desk and spoke with Brian. I explained what I found, and he said he would take half off our stay and send someone up to clean it. I was surprised he didn't offer to move us, but being from the hotel industry, I suspected they were sold out.
Minutes later, Chris came up. I showed him the mess underneath the sofa-bed mattress, and he was shocked at how much there was. He flicked a large piece of sticky gummy material off the mattress, then returned with a vacuum and cleaner. He cleaned and sprayed the mattress and asked me to inspect it. It was clean but very wet. We found a fan in the closet and, about 20 minutes later, the mattress was dry enough to put back on the bed. After a long day of traveling and visiting the Aquarium, we were exhausted.
10/2: After breakfast, I asked Stephanie at the Front Desk for a folio because of the room issues. I noticed the first night's room rate had been reduced by half, while the other nights were not. I explained that Brian had told me our stay would be reduced by half. I also noticed two long-distance calls listed on October 1 with no charges. We did not make any outside calls from our room, so I advised her that the hotel should be aware of them.
I asked to speak with a manager. Stephanie said no manager was on duty and offered to have one call me. More than an hour passed with no call, so I returned to the Front Desk. Marcus Spurlock, General Manager, came out. I showed him photos of the sofa bed and explained what Brian had promised. Marcus said they could not reduce the stay by 50% and that he would remove the first night's charge. He also confirmed they were sold out the night we checked in, which explained why we were not offered another room.
Having worked in the hotel industry for 25 years, I would have researched what the agent told the guest and honored the commitment if it was a mistake made by the hotel. Unfortunately, that did not happen here.
10/3: Around 8:00-8:30am, I called for housekeeping and left a voicemail requesting towels, trash removal, and amenities only. Around 9:00am, I called again and spoke with Stephanie at the Front Desk, who took the request. I placed all towels in the bathtub, removed the Do Not Disturb sign, and left for breakfast.
When we returned around 6:10pm, nothing had been touched. I called the Front Desk and was told our room was under a "refresh" status. I explained that I had specifically requested towels, trash, and amenities only. I was told there were towels at the Front Desk that I could come get, along with a trash bag. So apparently guests are expected to replace their own towels and empty their own trash. This was extremely frustrating and some of the poorest housekeeping service I have experienced at a Drury.
10/4: On checkout morning, we went to breakfast around 9:20am. A woman had two dogs with her that barked repeatedly throughout our approximately 30-minute breakfast. We moved away from them, but the barking continued. A breakfast employee joked about the dogs "yapping," and another guest commented that they scared her. I recorded the barking because management did nothing to address it. I love dogs, but guests should not have to listen to incessant barking while eating breakfast. Management should have addressed the situation after the first several minutes.
The building itself was well constructed. We could hear airport planes from the bedroom, but my daughter couldn't hear them from the living room. We never heard people stomping or walking above us and only occasionally heard neighboring guests in the hallway. The bedroom door slammed even when closed carefully, but I solved that by placing a pillowcase over the door.
The breakfast buffet was almost identical each morning. There was sausage every morning but no bacon. One morning they had Mediterranean eggs with tomatoes and spinach in addition to scrambled eggs, and they were delicious.
We skipped the Kickback most nights. At check-in, Brian explained that the hotel had a restaurant open late and also offered the Kickback, but he did not explain the drink coupon process. Chris later explained that the coupons were $1 each and each adult could receive three. Phil prepared my drinks and was very nice.
Unfortunately, the pool heater appeared to be broken. The water was absolutely freezing, even for someone who loves cold water and swimming.
The hotel provides body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in shower dispensers, but no lotion. There were also no liners in the trash cans.
Overall, the property itself has potential, but the housekeeping and guest-service issues during our stay were extremely disappointing. The lack of follow-through, communication, and management response made this a frustrating experience.