I stayed here for a weekend getaway with my partner. First, the positives:
-location is convenient to Dulles airport, and close to a shopping center (Village Center at Dulles) with a grocery store and multiple cuisines (Hama sushi was good, plus Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, BBQ, Irish Pub, American, and other options). Also walking distance to a small park with a raised loop over a pond with some wildlife (fox, birds).
-Free shuttle service, free parking
-breakfast was reliably good. Saturday had biscuits, gravy, real bacon, real scrambled eggs. Fresh juicy blueberries. Almond danish. Usual waffles and oatmeal. Wide cereal selections. Fresh hand fruits. Tasty croissant. Nutella. Individual Chobani yogurts. Great OJ. I’m not a coffee drinker but the selection seemed fine there too. Sunday had sausage patties, fried eggs, and home fries. Delicious! Friendly staff.
-Indoor pool was warm, clean, and not busy or crowded
-there’s a gym, no spa, but I didn’t check it out
-lobby area has several conference rooms and a nicer than average decor
-my king bed one bedroom suite had a kitchenette including a two burner stove, microwave, refrigerator/full freezer with ice maker, dishwasher, and basic dishes/utensils (no corkscrew tho). Enough that I could cook a gourmet meal! Request from the front desk dish soap/sponges, dishwasher detergent, etc.
-affordable price
Now, the negatives, roughly in order of significance:
-NO HOUSEKEEPING (even on request)! Okay, so the policy is “we will service your room every other day.” I didn’t know this at first. We checked in on Friday but called and asked for service on Saturday morning. The front desk said no, they wouldn’t do it because we had checked in on Friday and weren’t due until Sunday (the day we were checking out, so that meant no service at all), even though we needed trash emptied and clean towels. We ended up just overflowing the trash can, which I felt bad about, dried myself with the hand towels, and later requested new towels, piling up the old ones wherever we could find a space. Not ideal by any means.
-the room was not very clean. Brownish stains in the shower (rust? Caulk?). A purplish metal stain on the shower ceiling. Carpet threadbare/ripped up next to the bed. Significant dust around the room, like not well vacuumed, and I found weird hairs (not ours) on the bed next to the headboard (which is fixed to the wall).
-the picture frame light around the main bathroom vanity could have been nice except it flickered like a seizure-inducing flash. The maintenance team came twice(!) and actually replaced at least one bulb at the second visit, but it still flickered! So we ended up using lights in other parts of the room when brushing etc.
-The sharp end of nails protruding upwards at the transition from the bed to the bathroom tile. My partner cut her foot on it twice because it’s not visible to the eye, only discovered by touch or stepping on it inadvertently.
-unusually, the bed itself was uncomfortable and likely very old, based on the fact that it was dish shaped with a significant soft depression in the middle, like I might expect at a roadside motel. The comforter was thin and raggedy, and the sheets were clearly low quality. The pillows varied in size and shape, even though they seemed to have started out the same.
-sometimes the front desk struggled with understanding and speaking in English. I tried adding a name to my reservation, slowly spelling one letter at a time, and it still took four tries to get it right. I’m usually pretty good with accents but even I struggled. Other times the front desk was great, helpful, and responsive.
-you call the hotel for the shuttle to pick you up from the airport. For me it came super quick within 15 minutes and I didn’t wait at all. For her she waited 45 minutes, which included waiting 20 minutes after the hotel said it was “3-4 minutes away.” One of the drivers was less friendly, mine was very friendly and personable.
-Saturday daytime they were doing a lot of heavy maintenance above, next door to, all around outside the room. Several hours of hammering, knocking, sawing, and drilling. Maybe they’re doing needed renovations?
-two TVs, neither of them smart TVs, so no Netflix or Hulu or apps etc.
-no EV charger or plugs at this hotel
Overall, the common areas/experience of the hotel are great! The room left a lot to be desired. The safety and comfort issues were the big ones. I think if the room were as nice as the other common areas, this would be a great place. I would consider staying here again for the location and the positives, but the bed and rooms themselves give me pause. I usually like Homewood Suites, but in this case I was disappointed.
