Homewood Suites Richmond West End

“Not an auspicious beginning”

We didn't get off to the best start at this property. The Hilton app pushes you to "check in" electronically, and when I tried to do so, I could tell something was off. We had used 154,000 points to pay for a 2 night stay in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit at this hotel west of Richmond. The layout was… more

We didn't get off to the best start at this property. The Hilton app pushes you to "check in" electronically, and when I tried to do so, I could tell something was off. We had used 154,000 points to pay for a 2 night stay in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit at this hotel west of Richmond. The layout was a priority since we were traveling with our two young grandchildren. Unfortunately, when I tried the online check-in, the app was assigning us a 1 bedroom, 1 bath unit nowhere near the specifications of the room we had booked and paid for. When I called the hotel to inquire what was going on, I was told that the original unit was not available due to an A/C issue. Instead of putting us in another 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit, the first response was to place us in a far smaller unit that would not have met our needs. I was in the process of rebooking elsewhere when I called once more, and the hotel employee I had spoken with earlier had arranged for us to occupy another 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit. Crisis averted thanks to a proactive employee. Overall, this property is just okay. It's dated and the first floor unit we were assigned reeked of "motel smell." The digital key didn't work, nor did one of the first two card keys we were given. The oversized chairs in the bedrooms don't fit well under the desk so it's easy to trip over them navigating the room. The bathroom towel storage rack was coming off the wall. As with other Homewood Suites, housekeeping only comes in every other day. For our two night stay, we wouldn't have any service at all. Some paper towels would have been nice in the kitchen, and some extra paper products. That said, the layout was what we needed, albeit a bit worn and dated. The towels were of a good quality and plentiful, as were the full sized shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower. And the shower was strong and drained well. Since it was a first floor unit, I was a bit concerned about pests, but there were none, so kudos on that.

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