Home away from home
I have been a traveler for the past 6 years, both in the USA and abroad. This location of Extended Stay America turned out to be my home, days in and days out, for the past months.
To sum it in one line: it is not perfect but the staff are always willing to make it perfect for you.
For a 1 star hotel it is cozy & homey. Nice warm and welcoming lobby, the rooms are big and include a kitchenette. I am told that most guest don't actually take advantage of these accessorized kitchens but I do. I like to cook from scratch and because I am a traveler it is quite important for me in order to keep my health up. The staff is always happily restock the condiments such as: filter coffee packs (which I enjoy better then the acidic beverage of popular cafe chains), sugar, creamer and even dish soap.
I had visited the motels that offer "free" breakfasts but I have to admit that I would never have separately pay for such breakfasts where the cost cutting is crying out from every food item. Here I enjoy paying for a kitchen where I can easily and professionally prepare my native mediterranean breakfast or my acquired taste Indian dishes.
As a tip for the Hotel, I would suggest to give more attention in keeping the kitchenette equally accessorized in all rooms. I had been assigned different rooms in each of my stays and each room had it's one odd item missing. Not a big deal but I am sure with a little effort it could be better maintained.
A tip for guests: check the fridge thermostat when checking into the room. It's set to maximum chill. If you store vegetables reduce to about level 3 (out of 5), otherwise it freezes.
The TV's had just been upgraded in the past month to flatscreens. Those even have a VGA socket so you can screen your favorite DVD, downloaded or streaming films directly onto the big screen ! P.S - there's free WiFi internet with a good signal throughout the hotel ( as far as I tried it).
As for ventilation I was happy to find that mostly the non-smoking policy is maintained throughout the hotel and that keeps the long corridors fresh and pleasant to walk through. The smoking guests step outside and smoke under the pergola.
Throughout my visits rooms were kept ventilated and air conditioned while awaiting a guest and were nice to step into. I usually keep the windows slightly open while in if heating the room. That keeps a stream of fresh air coming in and balances the rooms humidity.
Each room has a dining table AND a desk, so there's no need to waste anytime converting one to another. There's an abundance of lamps, which make lighting cozy and functional at the same time.
When checking out I always found flexibility by the accommodating from desk, if needed, which meant for me that I could exercise morning yoga, take a shower and prepare, eat breakfast while watching the news/weather.
The parking lot is one of the biggest I have seen and more then sufficient for the number of rooms, there is always plenty of spaces available nearby each of the 3 entrances.
Currently the hotel went through external face lift and window cleaning, in which cranes were climbing up and down and repainted it. The privacy was compromised for the time being but I guess it had to happen sometime, so now the two tone coating seems to be complete.
I kept the best for last.... and the title of this review says it. I believe, through my experience, that any business environment is defined by it's owner and It trickles down to any employee on the floor. Here I always found the staff as open as I felt comfortable with. Just a truly welcoming place to come back to each time. Comments and special needs are accommodated heartily as possible and that's why I keep coming back.