Candlewood Suites Boston North Shore Danvers by IHG

Worried after reading a few reviews Location was very hard to find in the dark the first night as we pulled into town after a long travel day. I did not read reviews until a few days before our stay and that is something I usually do not miss so I was a little nervous about some of the recent reviews. However for what we needed it did the trick. Close to Salem without having to pay Salem in October prices. Every time we needed something housekeeping was always on our floor and available even though they do not clean daily (which seems to be the norm these days). We did not need the room made up daily either and usually opt out at other resorts anyway. There were late evening arrivals back where we had to park on the sides of the building because the lot filled up quick but I never felt my vehicle was not safe or secure. The parking lot even on the sides were well lit The sofa sleeper was very uncomfortable and we needed extra comforters and blankets to try and make it more bearable. For the price and what we needed it worked however.

Do not recommend We had a party of 4 adults and 2 children going to Salem the next to last weekend in September. We made reservations for the Candlewood Suites North Danvers through Hotels.com. I called after the reservation was made to verify, we had a 2 bedroom suite with a fold out couch. Everything was good at that point. We got on the road and there were detours with traffic and accidents. We did not get to the hotel until 1215 am on Friday morning. We called from the road around 9p to make sure it was ok to check in that late. The person on the phone said it was not a problem. We arrive and go to the door where the front desk is. Here is where the night took a turn. The door locks for safety at 11p. You ring the front desk, and the rep will buzz you in. The problem was there WAS no one at the front desk. We rang it for ten solid minutes. We could hear the front desk phone ringing, we could see the unmanned front desk and were stuck in the vestibule. The VERY nice lady on the live chat told us to look for a lock box. There are supposed to be keys there. We looked everywhere and tried the doors to all the buildings. She also tried calling the front desk. Again, we heard the phone ring and watched the unmanned desk. After this went on for about another 15 minutes, a very nice person staying at the hotel used his key to let us in. We called customer service for IHG Hotels. My husband used the live chat again and I called on the phone. The people on the phone were not able to help. It literally was not in their power to help. All they could do was call the front desk. The lady on live chat kept insisting that there are lock boxes with keys. The gentleman staying at the hotel said to knock on all the office doors. We had not ventured behind the front desk up to this point. With her insistence and the suggestion, we went behind the desk. There were 2 doors marked Office. We found a drawer full of money that was not locked, a door with multiple computers behind it not locked and then…finally…after 35 minutes of calling and yelling out “hello” we found a door with a guy asleep behind it. We have been told 3 times at this point if we could not find a person or a key, then we would need to find a different place to stay. We had driven for 6 hours to get to the hotel. We found CASH and COMPUTERS open for anyone to take. The front desk rep was asleep in the General Manager’s office. He was then very confused when we were less than hospitable. He checked us in with no apologizing, no addressing him being asleep, etc. I worked at a Courtyard by Marriott and did night audit. You get tired, but you stay awake and protect the property. The fact that the place could have been on fire, and he would be asleep is appalling. To add to the audacity, he never asked for my driver’s license. I gave him a name and he checked me in. No verification of who I was or anything. Just here is my credit card and have a room. We go to the room. There was a weird smell where someone recently cooked in there. Upon opening the refrigerator, there was food from the previous tenants. We folded out the couch and there were no sheets to put on it. I went back to the front desk within 10 min of checking in for the sheets. He was ALREADY back in the room going to sleep. He gave me a top sheet, fitted sheet and comforter. I asked for 2 pillows so each person could have one. There was only one extra in the hotel. The pillows were not an issue since a few of us brought our own. The oven did not close. We could not have cooked there if we wanted to. Then there was the bathroom. The exhaust vent did not work so the entire place smelled of mold and this weird smell. The shower curtain was open when we got there. When you closed it, the smell was even stronger. I really don’t know what it was, but it was not pleasant. I would not recommend anyone stay in this hotel until the management addresses the issues and does some basic retraining of the staff. Food left in the refrigerator, not having linens for a fold out couch in any of the closets and a sleeping front desk staff is all subpar and appalling.

Resonable but hard to find First, make sure your GPS is fully up-to-date. There is only one, small sign on Andover road and that entrance is only accessible to traffic going east. My GPS sent me all they way around the cloverleaf interchange before declaring I was at my destination while I was still in the middle of the clover leaf! Finally, I gained access by weaving through the neighboring shopping center. Check-in was typically easy. The desk personnel seemed to be new so not much information was in the offing without numerous questions. But I finally got all the information I needed. The site is divided into two buildings separated by a parking lot. I was in Building B room 429. On entering building B I was nearly knocked over by the smell of fish. The smell lingered all the way into my room and didn't dissipate until the next morning. The room was small but functional. I had a 1 bedroom suite. The kitchen, again, small but functional. To date, this is the first candlewood I've stayed where there was a oven! Definetly a welcome surprise. Unfortunately, that's where the welcome part of the kitchen ended. The refrigerator doors were placed to open, swinging to the left, directly into the narrow walkway. I stubbed my toe many times attempting to open the door and walk past to access the fridge. Speaking of the fridge, it was a small, RV size fridge. Not quite a mini, but definetly not a full size. The stove top had seen better days and had cracked, sagging trim. But it was functional... as functional as the glass top stoves can be. Side note, I understand the dangers of gas stoves for people who don't know how to use them. But the glass-top stoves are nearly useless for good, hot cooking temperatures. Just my 2 cents. Anyway, the bed was comfortable, the building felt secure, and the recliner was adequate. Over all, a reasonable stay for the price. I may attempt to find another extended stay location, even if it is a little further to drive if ever my travel brings me back to this area.

DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!! I'm not sure who's writing these reviews, but this is the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. I travel for business frequently and have never been required to wash my own comforter, take my own trash out or hang my own shower curtain. The staff has no concept of what a customer/business relationship looks like. I was yelled at by the head of the cleaning, who banged on my door like a lunatic, for leaving my trash outside my door, when I had a "Do Not Disturb" sign out. And the manager is a moron. Talking to her was like talking to a wall. She never had any explanation for what was going on and why- I was constantly told she'd look into it (which obviously she never did). And corporate is no better, I filed a complaint with them and they never got back to me-big surprise. DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

Good quality, convenient The only disappointment was that they advertise free guest laundry, but the washing machines were out of order. I had planned to do the laundry from our trip that night, oh well. Also, our toilet was running until we opened the lid to try to fix it and discovered it had been repaired with duct tape inside (we reported to front desk and they sent maintenance immediately). Everything else was great. Convenient location near Hwy 1 and I-95, but quiet and park-like campus. Would stay there again if they fixed the washing machines.