Every year, I have stayed at the Comfort Inn, Solomon’s Island. Except for one stay, where I was unfortunate to be staying on a night of a rowdy concert at the Calvert Museum, I was always happy with my decision to stay there.
Now, of course, it is the Quality Inn Beacon Marina. My recent stay over Memorial weekend was very disappointing. First, regarding the small things that normally I would shrug off - there were no tissues, and no trashcan in the bathroom. Both are things that I expect in ANY hotel or motel. Also, I reserved the room for 4 people and there were only 2 large towels in the room.
Then, there was the fact that, although I know the hotel went through a renovation, the changes made the hotel worse, not better. The nice, bright and roomy breakfast area that I was used to, had changed. Now, the food is in a small room, and there is less of a selection. No more warm foods unless it fits in a toaster. After leaving the food area, I finally found the “dining room”. I entered and was immediately put off by the fact that the first thing I saw was an open door to the bathroom. Then, I noticed the few tables and how close they were to each other. I wanted nothing to do with that room. I took my measly ‘breakfast’ back to my room.
Next, while I was getting ready for my day, I suddenly noticed a strong smell of sewage! I looked around to see if the toilet was leaking or if the ceiling above was stained, but saw nothing. The smell was got stronger and was awful, and I quickly took my luggage to my car for fear that it would be contaminated. I then went to the front desk to complain about the smell, only to be told that I am the second person today that smelled something bad in their room. I asked for someone to investigate and was told that the maintenance folks were off that weekend. So, I asked for a new room, and thankfully was quickly accommodated. Excellent service by the person behind the front desk, by the way.
Later, as I was talking to another hotel employee, I was told that there are two rooms that have this problem every summer, and mine was one of them. So, this hotel is aware of the problem and they still put folks in that room! That’s just wrong.
This is the saddest excuse for a hotel that has the name “Quality” in it. It is a shame that the company that owns it - Cherry Cove Group doesn’t know what a great location they have. They should have turned it into a wonderful place when they 'renovated'. Sadly, the only thing they have left is a good staff - everyone was pleasant and attentive.
Although it is convenient, I will no longer stay at this hotel. Instead I will go across the bridge to find something better.