Completely underwhelming experience.
Older property, somewhat renovated. My room happened to be the handicapped room on the first floor. Paint peeling in the tub and a cigarette burn on the edge of the tub. A 2 x 4 under the air conditioner and what appeared to be a hole caused by someone kicking the wall out right next to it. Bed blanket for a queen on a king...barely stretched from side to side. Holes in the walls visible where artwork had been removed. Two office chairs, a tiny table, a desk, a low table for luggage, a dresser, two end tables and two chairs to sit in, one with a footstool all crammed into the bedroom area. Why it needed two office chairs and two sitting chairs I do not know.
Sounded like elephants tromping the upper floors until 2 or 3am. Called the front desk twice...nothing improved.
However, this is the more important issue. Tried to get breakfast the following morning. Toaster, broken. Roll-top chafing dish with a four rubbery looking eggs and two sausages, COLD, not turned on for god knows how long! I mentioned it to the front desk person who, apparently, does food service as well. I told him the food was cold, not at 140* serving temp and I had no idea how long it had been that way. I asked if he had a food service certificate, required for people who handle and serve food eaten by the public. He said he did. I said if that is true, then you should know this is unsafe. He turned the dish ON, kudos for that and said he would take care of it. I told him the food in the chafing dish was unsafe to serve and needed to be dumped. I said I would be back to see if things had improved in a few minutes.
Came back 15 min. later, FOOD NOW SLIGHTLY WARM, NO FOOD HAD BEEN REMOVED AND NEW FOOD HAS BEEN PLACED ON TOP! I warned the other hotel guests present in the breakfast area that the food they were eating was potentially contaminated and to stop eating.
Contacted the front desk guy who asked me again what the safe food service temperature is, told me a story about how someone broke the chafing dish, said they had a new one on order but it wasn't here yet...and on and on, in an excited attempt to explain why this hotel couldn't keep food safe for their guests! I told him to remove the mishandled food before he, his manager and owner sickened someone! As I was leaving for the second time, he was scraping the food out of the dish. No idea if he just recycled it again after I left, he probably did.
I've traveled extensively, seen simple breakfast buffets run quite well and safely. Plenty of food, hot and attractively presented. Quality Inn of Winder, GA was none of these things and could have ruined someone's vacation by their stupidity and negligence. read more