Not A 4.5 Star Hotel To start, for most, this will not be the worst hotel you'll ever stay in, BUT, by no means should it have a 4.5 star rating. I have been using Trip Advisor for nearly a decade and this is probably the most misrated hotel I've ever stayed in through my personal experience and I don't quite understand it.
Short story: I'm going to provide a lot/lengthy examples to communicate why I feel this way. It's a solid 3 star rating at best, great location and free parking, but inconsistent staff and many easy-to-fix issues and general maintenance that's been overlooked is probably due to poor management. Most importantly, the main door that's supposed to lock does not and not only does the front desk staff not greet everyone, but at night, they're often not even there. That's a major safety concern.
First, I want to say the cleaning staff were great. They were super helpful and always friendly.
Second, I want to note this was not a single overnight for me. I was here for 6 nights.
Front desk staff: I'm used to walking into a hotel and someone saying "Hello. Are you checking in?". When I arrived, I was the only person in the lobby and I stood directly in front of the person at the front desk for at least 30 seconds of silence before I began the convo with "Hi. I'm checking in." Some staff were great, some wore University Inn shirts, some did not. Some never spoke to me when I entered or exited the whole week. One night I came in just after midnight and I had a question. When I entered the unlocked door, the front desk was empty. I stood there waiting for about 5 minutes. Then I took a seat. 15 minutes later I got up and approached the desk again, I couldn't believe no staff had arrived nearly 20 mins later. I saw a sign on the front desk counter that said they'd be right back and left a number to call if you needed something. So I called the number. It rang the front desk phone that was 2 feet in front of me at an empty desk that went unanswered. I waited for another minute then went back to my room.
Front Door Lock: When I checked in I was told that the front door would lock after 5pm and that I would have to use my key card. The lock was clearly broken, it had tape over it. And old tape too. I assume staff were just told to tell guests that to give the illusion of safety. In a week's time, that front door did not lock once, not at 5pm, not at 10pm, not at 2am. Anyone could walk in that building at any time, which is particularly concerning as several times late at night, the front desk went unstaffed.
Smoking: People smoking in general is not typically an issue for me. I smoked for 20 years. I get it. Walking towards my room, the hallway smelled of cigarettes, I figured some college kid was cheekily smoking in their room. Whatever. When I walked into my room after check in, I thought for sure it had been a smoking room. It was so strong, it seeped into the wooden cabinets and they even they smelled. I went down to ask for a room change, which they gave me, and they explained that that rooms a/c was right next to where everyone smokes outside the front entrance. So the smoke literally gets sucked into the rooms, hence, into the hallways. This, to me, seemed like a large issue with an easy solution...have people smoke 15 feet away on the other side of the building that doesn't have a/c vents or even just a few feet into the parking lot, away from the building.
Which leads me to, the little things that add up. Smaller issues with seemingly simple fixes that have gone overlooked for some time speak volumes. It communicates to me that management is aiming for the minimum. I've included a bunch of pictures to illustrate this.They include: a broken curtain rod, mold on the ceiling, writing on the door frame dated a year ago, tourism magazine from 2017 in 2019, fraying bath mats, sparse and thrown around silverware, jacked up a/c unit vents, a cracked sink.
Ok, so a cracked sink isn't an easy fix, but for nearly a year, no one took some cleaner to the 2018 graffiti, tourism books are free and at all the truck stops/gas stations, one squeeze of super glue would reconnect the curtain to the rod, a little white paint with Kilz would cover the spot of mold...etc.
The cleaning crew seemed quite competent, which leads me to believe not doing above the standard linens and flat surfaces is a specific order. I'm quite sure the front desk staff was well aware the front door didn't lock, but were told to say it does anyways.If I understand this correctly, this all falls under poor management, not the employees.
So it may not be your worst stay, but it will not be a Trip Advisor 4.5 star stay.