MI Ann Arbor StudioPlus Suites

[lizamead]

As already posted, I got the 2* StudioPlus Suites for $35 for one night (so $45 total cost). I already knew the location, but was unfamiliar with the hotel (or its chain).

In general, it was fine. My four-year-old LOVED the full kitchen, and kept exclaiming, "Mama! Look - there's a microwave!! And a toaster!!" You'd think the kid had never seen a kitchen before.. Anyway, it's not like we used it much, but I liked having the full fridge and the freezer, and if we'd stayed longer I could see that being useful. The room itself was large and clean, and the hotel in general seemed a bit run-down, but also clean. The fitness room was tiny - a treadmill, plus two exercise bikes (one regular, one recumbant) that didn't have electrical cords so couldn't be plugged in - you could pedal them but not program resistance or anything. We had fun with the treadmill though. So in general, I was happy.

Two things made me less happy though. First, in the middle of the night, some idiot was in the parking lot right outside my (second floor) window yelling and honking his horn. And because it's an extended-stay hotel, their guest guide says that there's no one in the main office except for emergencies (through a number to call), so I didn't even try to have someone go out there. I really didn't like not have access to a front desk person for stuff like that.

More annoying was that as we were trying to leave, I got locked out!! It took two trips to bring all our stuff downstairs, so we brought the first batch down, and then I went up for the last few things and my key didn't work! Fully aggravated, I went back downstairs, where the clock read seven minutes before 11, and the clerk said the key stopped working because it was now checkout time. I pointed to the clock and noted that there were still seven minutes before checkout time, even if they DID think cancelling out the keys at CO time itself made sense. He said the clock was slow. I was just incensed, and pointed out that a) both my room clock and his office clock indicated I still had a few minutes, and :) more importantly, even if it WERE actually 11 on the nose, why on earth would they cut off keys right at that moment, KNOWING the guest was not yet checked out??? Yes, he didn't do it himself, but I thought the system itself just sucked, and I told him that I found it incredible that their hotel would want the very last interaction guests had with the hotel to be annoyance at having to get rekeyed in the midst of checking out. He apologized, but obviously it's the hotel's policy to cancel out keys at checkout time automatically, and I was so peeved at that that I would absolutely not stay there again, and will also not be bidding on 2*s in this area again just to avoid StudioPlus. Which is a shame, because I've in general had SUCH positive experiences with my priceline hotels, and have deliberately stayed at the same hotels directly because of that, and also because I've stayed at both Hampton Inns (also 2*s in Ann Arbor) and liked them. But this was way too annoying. I'd rather spend a bit more for a nicer place and a better attitude toward guests.