Sleep Inn - Dania, FL Review

[Ltvscout]

I was looking for a hotel in FLL that was under $200/night, offered free airport/port shuttles, would sleep five people and have clean rooms. I researched on CC and other sites and asked a lot of questions. Based on many recommendations I went with the Sleep Inn in Dania. After staying there I can say that I got three of the four things I was looking for.

 

I booked March 23rd and April 1st at the Sleep Inn, staying there both pre and post cruise. Thanks to an earlier post, I found this link which saved me even more money than I would have using my AAA discount:

 

http://www.smartertravel.com/discounts/Save-Quality-Comfort-Clarion.html?id=16348

 

We arrived in FLL late on the 23rd, around 7:30pm. Upon getting our luggage I used the courtesy phone for the Sleep Inn located in the baggage terminal to call for a pickup. They asked for my name and reservation # to verify I was booked with them and asked how many people were to be picked up. They told me a driver would be at the airport within 30 minutes to pick us up. It actually took closer to 45 minutes for pickup, but that didn't bother me. After all, we were going on a cruise! People that use complimentary shuttles should tip the driver; I tipped him $5.

 

Backing up a little, if you're going to arrive late in FLL you should call Sleep Inn in the morning, preferably by 10-11am EST, and ask to be put on the list for port shuttle transportation. If you don't do this, all of the early time slots for transportation to the port will be filled by the time you get to the hotel.

 

When we arrived at the hotel I found the lobby to be nice for this class of hotel and the desk staff to be prompt and courteous.

 

We walked into our room and the first thing that hit me was the smell. I'm not sure how to describe it but it was like someone dumped a whole can of a sickly sweet smelling deodorizer on the carpeting. Ok, I got a cheap room and I'm going on a cruise in the morning, I can live with that. The first thing I check out when going into a hotel room is the bathroom. I can usually tell how clean everything is going to be based on how the bathroom cleanliness looks. I found hair on the floor and black mold in the grout of the shower tiles. :eek: Ok, I got a cheap room and I'm going on a cruise in the morning, I can live with that. We settled into the room to watch some TV before bed. My son took his tennis shoes off and was walking around the room in his white athletic socks. Awhile later he was laying on the bed and my wife asked him how the bottom of his socks got all dirty. I then looked at the bottom of my socks and they were filthy as well. The carpeting was in sore need of a cleaning, it was full of dirt. Ok, I got a cheap room and I'm going on a cruise in the morning, I can live with that. The sofa bed had stains on the cushions and stains on the mattress when we opened it up. (They supply you with linens and a blanket in the dresser drawer to makeup the sofa bed. The pillow can be found on a shelf in the closet) Ok, I got a cheap room and I'm going on a cruise in the morning, I can live with that. Then it came time to hit the sack. Those of you with weak stomachs may want to skip this part and move to the next paragraph. Upon pulling back the covers I found a large brown stain on the bottom bedsheet. My first thought was, "GROSS!" :eek: I then figured it must've just been a bad stain that laundering was not able to remove. But, I wanted to make sure before I got into bed. Well, I took a sniff and sure enough, it was feces. Imagine someone having bad diarrhea in bed. That's what this turned out to be. Upon further examination I noticed that this stain had "leaked" to the top bedsheet as well. Ok, I got a cheap room and I'm going on a cruise in the morning, but this I definitely wasn't going to live with! I immediately called the front desk to tell them of the situation and requested new bedsheets be put on the bed. The hotel was booked so I couldn't get a different room. Our shuttle driver came to our door a few minutes later and was going to hand me the bedsheets. I told him I wasn't going to change the soiled sheets, so he came in and changed them along with the bedspread and pillowcases. I asked him if the manager was in and he said no, but he would be in in the morning. He said his name was Vick Patel. In thinking of how this could've happened my only guess was that the guests from the previous night made the mess, then made up the bed to make it look like no one slept in it because they were embarrassed. The maid came in, assumed the bed hadn't been used so didn't bother to change the sheets. My 13yr old daughter who was sleeping in the same bed as I was understandably freaked out by all of this and it took us a long time to get her to get into bed and go to sleep that night.

 

The next morning we got up and went to the free continental breakfast. They had a nice spread which included make-your-own belgian waffles. Every room also gets the morning edition of the Miami Herald. After breakfast I went to talk to the manager. I went in thinking that I wasn't going to ask for the room for free, but I felt that a 50% discount for all that we went through wasn't out of line. The manager already knew about the situation. But, upon talking to him he was implying that "my" kids made the mess in the bed!?! I was flabbergasted! He said he talked to his maid and she swore that she changed the sheets. (What's she going to say, no, I didn't change them, please fire me?) He said that the "stains" rinsed out easily and were still slightly wet further implying my kids made the mess. He said that since I was the guest that he was giving me the benefit of the doubt. I told him I wasn't looking for a free room, but that I thought a 50% discount would be appropriate for what we went through. He told me all he'd give me was a 10% discount. I was floored! He wouldn't budge. I then told him that I was also staying there post-cruise and if he wasn't going to give me 50% off that night that I wanted the 10% discount applied to the post-cruise stay as well. He said no, that it was only for that nights stay. I then went on to tell him that besides the mess in the bed that I found hair in the bathroom, black mold in the shower, stains on the sofa bed and that the carpeting was filthy. Only then did he agree to give me the 10% discount for the post-cruise stay. If this had all happened post-cruise, I would've put up a much bigger stink. But, I didn't want to put myself into a bad mood before our cruise. I will be contacting the Choice Hotels corporate office to give them a full report of our experience.

 

There is a Global Rent-A-Car desk in the lobby of the hotel. Since we were going to be in FLL all day post-cruise, I inquired about a rental. I got a rate of $50.05/day with unlimited mileage (with all fees/taxes) for a mid-size 5-passenger car so I booked it for our post-cruise stay. We had an 11:30 timeslot for shuttle transportation to the port. We didn't actually get the shuttle till closer to noon. We again tipped the shuttle driver (the same one who picked us up at the airport the night before and changed our bedsheets) and paid the extortion money to the porters to insure our bags made it onto the ship.

 

Our cruise was fantastic!

 

Upon debarking from our cruise I called Sleep Inn for pickup from the port. They again asked for my name and res # to verify my reservation and asked for the number of people in our party. They said a driver was on the way and would be there in a few minutes. A few minutes turned out to be about an hour.

 

When we got to the hotel at about 11:00am or so I went try to get an early check-in. They didn't have a room available yet but said one should be ready in about 15-20 minutes. I then got our rental car, which turned out to be a nice Ford Taurus. By the time I was done handling that our room was ready so there was no need for us to store our luggage in the business center. (Which was UNLOCKED by the way both days we were there, not locked like I saw someone else write in a different review.) We went to our room which this time was on the 1st floor (first night was on the third floor) and noticed that this one did not smell nearly as bad as the first. But, there was hair in the toilet, black mold in the shower, stains on the sofa-bed mattress and the carpeting was even filthier. Luckily, there were no gross stains in the bedsheets this time. :rolleyes:

 

If you're going to have some extra time while in FLL, I'd HIGHLY recommend going to Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk. It's a very pretty beach with all kinds of neat shops with cheap beachwear. There are also a number of very good restraurants on the Broadwalk. That night we took a drive down to SE 17th Ave where all the fancy hotels and night clubs are. This is something else I'd recommend, just to see all the neat sights. The kids swam in the hotel pool after we got back from the beach. It appeared to be clean, but I did not smell any chlorine.

 

The next morning we had the noon time slot for the shuttle to the airport. The driver was only 10 minutes late for that one. Oh, if you're travelling with small kids I recommend you try to keep them out of earshot of the maids. They use the "F" word sprinkled throughout almost every sentence they utter, and they do so while shouting to each other.

 

So, after my experience of researching a hotel to stay at in FLL I have to wonder if maybe there are two Sleep Inn's in Dania? The one we stayed at surely could not have been the same one everyone has been raving about. Sure, the lobby was clean and the front desk staff (other than the mgr) was very nice, but our room was FAR from clean. I personally will not recommend this hotel to anyone after actually staying there. I'm up in the air on whether I'll stay at any other Choice Hotels in the future.

 

P.S. - On April 2nd when we were leaving there was a carpet cleaning service at the hotel. But, they were only cleaning the hotel hallway carpeting, not the carpeting in the rooms. At least they're keeping their initial appearance up to par. :rolleyes:

[popcorngal]

Thanks alot Scott for the review! I was seriously considering this property for our stay in January. You just made up my mind for me! YUCCCK!:eek:

[BlueHerons]

Yikes! And you went back LOL!

 

The thing about Miami is that if you can find a cheap hotel, chances are you probably don't want to stay there.

[Ltvscout]

Thanks alot Scott for the review! I was seriously considering this property for our stay in January. You just made up my mind for me! YUCCCK!:eek:

I just wanted to give my opinion of what I experienced. I've made good decisions the past two years getting info from others on CC concerning cruise ships, hotels and excursions which I really appreciate. This is the first time I had a bad experience after getting positive input from others. Maybe it was just the class of room we had at this hotel. We had the large 6-person non-smoking suite that has two queen beds and a sofa bed. For all I know the smaller rooms may be better maintained.

 

I do highly recommend going down to Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk though for those that have the time while in FLL. That is really nice.

[Ltvscout]

Yikes! And you went back LOL!

 

The thing about Miami is that if you can find a cheap hotel, chances are you probably don't want to stay there.

This was in Fort Lauderdale, not Miami.

 

I had no choice in going back. I had made the reservations a couple months ago and needed to stay post-cruise due to our flight back home. I did not have time to try to find another hotel the morning we were to board the ship. I guess I shouldn't say I had no choice. I was not about to pay the full rack rate at another hotel at the last minute.

[Trvlr37]

Scott - sorry to hear about your bad situation at the Sleep Inn. I figure that hotel has been overwhelmed by cc'ers due to these threads and they are having a hard time keeping up. Several years ago, we booked a Choice hotel in Fort Lauderdale (highly recommended at that time and cheap) and had a similar experience (bed bugs in our bed, which can happen in even the best of hotels). I think some of these hotels are just overwhelmed by the volume of passengers, especially if they offer free amenities and have a good price.

[maofthree]

we have reservations for april 27th 2 rooms . got them months ago cheap price .... now what should i do , just keepthem or look for something else....:eek: sleep inn dania

[Trvlr37]

Maofthree - I would recommend you keep in mind that a Sleep Inn is a Sleep Inn (not the same as a 3-star Hilton) and a Holiday Inn is a Holiday Inn, Sheraton is a Sheraton and Hilton is a Hilton. Go with what your instinct tells you that you would enjoy and what you can afford. Your experience at any hotel property could be completely different than someone elses.

[signman]

Ma, what is your cheap price?

[Ltvscout]

Scott - sorry to hear about your bad situation at the Sleep Inn. I figure that hotel has been overwhelmed by cc'ers due to these threads and they are having a hard time keeping up. Several years ago, we booked a Choice hotel in Fort Lauderdale (highly recommended at that time and cheap) and had a similar experience (bed bugs in our bed, which can happen in even the best of hotels). I think some of these hotels are just overwhelmed by the volume of passengers, especially if they offer free amenities and have a good price.

Yes, that's a very clear possibility. A case where too much advertising can be a bad thing.

 

I wasn't expecting the Taj Mahal when I booked at the Sleep Inn. But, I was at least expecting a clean room.

[Ltvscout]

Ma, what is your cheap price?

If you do wish to stay there use the link in my review at the top of the page to get the best price.

[pms4104]

maofthree: Never stayed at the Sleep Inn ... so I can't tell you what to do. However ... we've stayed three times at the Comfort Suites in Davie and have reservations for this December. Very clean, accommodating staff, efficient airport/hotel and hotel/pier shuttle, full Continental breakfast. Also, within a 1/3-mile stroll is a CVS Pharmacy and a Publix grocery for last-minute stuff and a Ruby Tuesday eatery (same intersection, opposite corners). It's on a well-traveled road and seems to be a safe area ... we've taken long walks there, even after dark, with no incidents. Only downside: no pool ... just an outdoor whirlpool. But, hey, there'll be pools on the ship. Just my input ... sorry I cannot speak to Sleep Inn issues specifically ... no experience with them, tho there've been many rave reviews on the Sleep Inn.

[Ltvscout]

tho there've been many rave reviews on the Sleep Inn.

This is why we booked there in the first place. I don't know what's happened there to make things so different.

[Fatfish]

What happened to

 

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

 

We guarantee total guest satisfaction at Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion and MainStay Suites hotels.

 

If you are not satisfied with your accommodations or our service, please advise the front desk of a problem right away and give them an opportunity to correct the situation. If the hotel staff is unable to satisfy you, they may give you up to one night's free stay. Not all international hotels participate in this program.

I would contact corporate for satisfaction, seeing that the mngr wasn't much help...jmo

[Ltvscout]

What happened to

 

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

I brought that up. The manager said that since they came to change the sheets right away that they rectified the problem. I will bring this up with corporate though when I write to them.

 

Remember, my initial complaint had nothing to do with the hair in the bathroom, mold in the shower, stains on the sofa and dirty carpeting. I was willing to put up with that due to knowing I was staying at an inexpensive hotel. What was a problem was the mess in the bed.

[Fatfish]

I brought that up. The manager said that since they came to change the sheets right away that they rectified the problem. I will bring this up with corporate though when I write to them.

 

They may have rectified the problem but they blamed your child for that problem rather than put the blame where it belonged and basically called you a liar........I would complain and compalin loudly but don't expect anything but you'll feel better.

[Trvlr37]

If nothing else, you've taught me to thoroughly check out our hotel room and bed immediately upon arrival and carry a back-up hotel phone number in case the one we choose is bad. Just goes to show that even the best-rated hotels by fellow cc'ers can have major problems.

[signman]

Scott, thanks for the information, but I want to know what Ma is paying so I can offer some alternatives.

 

I'm sorry you had to endure such conditions, but when in Florida, I'll always be renting a car and taking my chances at a better hotel via Priceline.

[CruiseinNJ]

The way the manager responded to you is my main reason for cancelling. I can't believe they wanted you to change the sheets.. . Unbelievable.... at any price...

[croozinsnoozin79]

As I reported here on CC after our mid January stay, the same overwhelming odor that made my eyes sting, filthy carpets, mold in the shower, hair on the floor. At least my sheets were clean, yes I checked!! I see not much has changed. This was also a 3rd floor room. Others in our party on different floors did not seem to have these problems. I wonder if it is just that floor? I complained via a "satisfaction" survey on line to Choice Hotels stating the problems we encountered and heard nary a word back from them! Our pre cruise stay was at the Comfort Suites Airport/Cruiseport just off of 17th St. Although the hotel was a bit worn, it was a whole lot cleaner than here.

As many others on this board, we followed the recommendation that this place was THE place to stay. I would choose the Comfort Suites over the Sleep Inn any day.

[maofthree]

hi, slept in.... its snowing here in ohio.... no point in getting moving early.... sleep inn april 27th $100.00 king. last yr we stayed at the renaissance, priceline 70.00 so i'm sure there is no comparision. the reason i picked sleep inn was the shuttle, we had trouble with the car rental last year... plus cc re\commmended the sleep inn for months now all of a sudden its ****ty... i know how people are i've been on lots of cruises and if you listen to everyone you would probably not go...:eek:

[pms4104]

Hope your stay goes well ... I suppose the key is to deal with management immediately if there are probs. Also ... recently read an article about getting results when there are issues. It suggested that you join the hotel chain points clubs ... when you have valid issues not resolved satisfactorily by the hotel manager, call the toll-free number for your hotel points membership program. The author got amazing results ... prob solved within an hour. Act immediately and be assertive. At worst, make the best of whatever and treat it as part of the adventure.

 

Further, after reading pro's and con's ... realize that everyone has different standards and perceptions. Learned that one when I was invited by my sister to share a room with her in southern Indiana for her future daughter-in-law's shower. They didn't bother making up our room, the air conditioner didn't work and (worst of all) the toilet wasn't screwed down to the floor so we had gobs of water on the bathroom floor. Her response: well, we're only here for 2 nights and the price is right. Granted we were reared by the same parents ... but I now know that her standards are WAY different from mine!

[maofthree]

i'm a trooper , i just go with the flow... if it were dh and i but we have booked a room for friends too.. they know the price of rooms and will thinks its a good deal no matter what. the hotel is booked totally for that night , probably mostly cruisers.. well just hang at the pool and drink, unless i get something last minute on priceline... we will make the best of the situation... always do.:D :D you get lemons ...just make lemonaide.:eek:

[maggieworkman]

I can't believe he implied that your kids made the mess!! I'm glad he "gave you the benefit of the doubt" since you were the customer. :rolleyes: That is just ridiculous!! Definitely call corporate and make a complaint. Maybe he will get a talking-to.

 

Maggie

[tech]

Your problem with the soiled sheets in my mind goes to a Board of Health problem, not just a ordinary cleaning problem.

 

Think E Coli !

 

Older furniture, some stains, can be overlooked ( depending on the price you paid ) but this is a case about disease.

 

Not at all the same thing in my mind.

 

No way am I going to knowingly sleep on sheets and mattress that have not been cleaned due to that type of problem.

 

I may be slammed but I have noticed a decrease in good service in the Ft. Lauderdale area over the years.

 

We have stayed at many hotels and have encountered bad customer service in Sheratons. It is not limited to just the less expensive hotels.

 

Sad,