Comfort Suites of Castle Rock- Not worth the price
Written: Mar 18 '03 (Updated Mar 19 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Free continental breakfast, allows pets, indoor pool, workout room
Cons: Room was dark and dreary, whirlpool was tiny, weird stains on the floor
The Bottom Line: Overpriced rooms that weren't even cleaned decently. Semi-polite staff. Bad continental breakfast. I would steer clear of Comfort Suites in Castle Rock.
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| xxskagirlxx's Full Review: Comfort Inns and Suites |
My husband and I recently made our way out to Colorado to visit his parents and my sister. We decided to stay for an entire week since we hadn't been on a vacation in quite some time and we knew that this would be our last vacation for awhile. We made plans to stay in my in-law's guest bedroom, just like we always have. Except there was one problem: They were expecting additional houseguests the same week we were out there. Jason and I graciously forfeited our room and decided to set up camp on my sister's futon in her one bedroom apartment. I also made the decision to get a hotel room for the last two nights we were out in Colorado just so we didn't grate on anyone's nerves (my sister has very peculiar living habits).
Since Jason and I were traveling with our 5lb Yorkshire Terrier, we had to find a hotel that was pet friendly. Surprisingly, it isn't hard. Most hotels will accept dogs with an additional fee or deposit. We then decided that we wanted to splurge a bit since this would be our last vacation before I returned to a new job position that threw me into a probation where no vacation time could be taken for six months.
The Area:
Both my in-laws and my sister live south of Denver in the Castle Rock area. It's a very nice area that is just beginning to see major development. You receive the benefits of big town amenities (fast food, malls, drugstores, video stores) in a somewhat smaller town setting. We decided to stay at the Comfort Suites in Castle Rock. I found a rate for $110 a night online, which gave us a balcony and a whirlpool in our suite. They also allowed dogs at an additional $10 a night.
The hotel itself is right off of I-25 which makes for easy access to the freeway. Unfortunately, they built the hotel so you don't get a view of the mountains (which are beautiful in this area) from any of the windows. It is located by a couple restaurants and fast food chains. However, the highway patrol office sits directly behind it. For anyone who isn't familiar with this area, there are highway patrolmen and cops everywhere. I'm not sure what the deal is since this area appears to be relatively upperclass and low crime, but there seems to be a cop on every corner. So don't go speeding anywhere!
The Hotel:
The hotel is relatively new and opened in 2001. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon, our car was the only car in the parking lot. Five more cars joined us that night. Comfort Suites is only three stores high and every room is a suite so it isn't a very big hotel. The front lobby had a small desk and a very small gathering room with a fireplace. On the first floor they had a business office that was open 24-hours. This room featured a computer and printer, free to use by all guests. The computer was ancient and had the slowest internet connection I've ever seen (not at all the high-speed internet connection they boasted on the website). Next to the office was the swimming pool. Although we didn't personally use the indoor swimming pool, I did take a look at it. It was medium-sized and features a nice looking whirlpool at the end. The workout room was next to the swimming pool, and appeared to be a cleared-out hotel suite that they stuffed equipment into. It featured a nice (but confusing) treadmill, an older elliptical machine, another cardio/strength machine that seemed ancient (to the point where I don't even have a name for it), and a nice weight set. They also had a t.v. mounted in the corner. However, the room had no fans and no water cooler, which always seems available at Holiday Inn Express.
The Room:
Our suite was very disappointing. It was the king suite with a whirlpool, meaning it was the largest and nicest suite the had. I believe that the hotel has approximately six or eight of these kinds of suites. The room opened up with a very dark sitting room to the right. This room had a small couch and a tv (with maybe 1/4 of the selection of channels you receive at a Holiday Inn Express), and then also had a counter running down the middle that had a sink, microwave, and small refrigerator. To the left was the door leading to the bathroom. All of the bathroom amenities were located in just one room (not split up like some hotels) but it was very big and spacious and well-lit. As you kept walking, you entered the next room. To the right was the king-sized bed that face and armoire with a tv inside. In the middle of the far wall was a sliding glass door that led to a balcony (and a nice view of the parking lot). To the left was a closet that had broken sliding doors. Further left was a business desk. And tucked into the wall was the smallest hotel jacuzzi I've ever seen. Believe me, we've stayed in many jacuzzi suites and this particular jacuzzi was the size of a bathtub. Good luck trying to fit more than one person in there.
The interior was done in very dark colors with dark wood trim. The carpet was also dark. Since the first room (with the couch and tv) had no windows, I felt like I was in a basement. The whole suite had a "hunting" motif with horses and foxes everywhere. I found the whole thing to be business-oriented and very depressing and cold. No comfort whatsoever.
One thing that bothered me the most, however, was the fact that we were put into a "pet room." Hotels often do this for very understandable reasons since they want to contain "pet messes" to just one or two rooms. However, I'm allergic to cats and dogs (but not Yorkies since they don't shed and their coat is different from other dogs). Also, the carpet had big stains EVERYWHERE, which I can only assume came from one thing (since my Yorkie immediately began sniffing each and every one with fierce concentration). And some of the wallpaper was torn in the living room and was peeling off the wall.
Aside from the drab and somewhat rickety room, our stay was mildly enjoyable. The hotel itself was extremely quiet, which probably stemmed from the fact that we were practically the only ones there. The bed wasn't the most uncomfortable bed I've had. The jacuzzi was terribly small but the jets were nice. And the shower actually had water pressure, which is a scarce commodity in Colorado these days due to the drought.
Other Items:
I decided to try the free continental breakfast the morning we were to leave. They had set it up in a conference room located just off of the small lobby. This room was lined with cabinets and had many tables in the middle so you could enjoy your breakfast with different scenery than your room. However, this room was dark just like the rest of the hotel. They had many items to choose from including English Muffins, canned fruit, cereal, and biscuits and gravy. I think that this was one of the largest offerings I've ever seen as far as continental breakfasts go. However, everything was old and stale. My english muffin could have been used as a baseball. The fruit was mushy and tasteless. Yeesh.
The staff working behind the front desk were courteous to us upon arrival and checkout, but did not exceed those boundaries. The only entrance into the hotel is through the lobby and so I passed the front desk many times. Although I smiled, neither a friendly smile nor a "Hello" was returned my way.
Also, Comfort Suites of Castle Rock claim to leave complimentary Wall Street Journals or USA TODAY for their guests. We never received one on either night. I did notice one man working behind the counter reading a USA TODAY with a large stack of the same paper beside him. Hmmm.
Our stay for two nights, in total with taxes, came to $240. This included the pet fee, which they charged us additionally every night. Although I was aware of their policies, I've stayed in many hotels before where they waived the pet fee for any additional nights stayed past the first night.
My Recommendation:
All in all, I would not recommend this hotel for the price paid. The only reason I'm giving this hotel two stars and not one star is because this hotel would be a nicer place for a business-person to stay. If you happen to secure a room through Priceline for $60, then I would say go for it. But at over $100 a night, this hotel was definitely not worth it for the average traveler. The room was disappointing. The hotel itself lacked amenities geared toward families or for a romantic get-a-way. The continental breakfast was disgusting. Overall, it was a very bland and rather depressing stay.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
xxskagirlxx
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Member: Stevie
Location: South Dakota
Reviews written: 152
Trusted by: 85 members
About Me:
I dress up my dogs and then force my husband to take them for walks.
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