Homewood Suites by Hilton Alexandria/Pentagon South, VA

Let's start with the good. The location is great, right off of 395 and parking is plentiful. Great start! The mobile check in was seamless. The room size was great, the suite had the perfect set up for multiple families. 2 bedroom/2 bathrooms, large living area with pull out bed. Unfortunately, there were a lot of negatives. Upon entering the lobby at approximately 9pm, no one was at the front desk to greet guest, so we were unable to promptly locate the elevator. Once inside the elevator we noticed the trim was held together by scotch tape. After entering the room, I noticed the room was somewhat dated (no problem). The room cleanliness left a lot to be desired though. The restrooms had lint and dust in the corners, a random pill 💊 was found on the floor in the living area (major hazard). Hair was found in the sink, while showering the water drained showly causing water to sit. The supplies in the kitchen were almost empty and had clearly been used. It is clear this Homewood Suites cuts corners on cleaning. At approximately 9am, I went to the lobby to grab coffee and drop a bag off at the car. Upon returning to my room, a hotel staff member was standing at my door. She backed away as I walked up. She then asked if I was checking out today, I replied I was. She followed up by questioning how long it would be before I checked out. The checkout time was noon, the hotel was not crowded, and the do not disturb sign was posted on the door. I spend approximately 150 nights a year in Hilton brand hotels. I love Homewood Suites, but this one does not meet the standard!

Problem 1: There were bed bugs on the sofa. This was our first time finding anything like that, and we showed a bloody squashed bug to the folks at the front desk. They told us that was a tick (now, looking back, that was probably worse) and that they allow pets, so this is common. Also, they told us it is harmless; if needed, they will change the room. They assured me that they would inspect and fix it. We had to leave early for an appointment and trusted them. We came back at around 9 PM and checked with the front desk, and yet again, they assured us that they had fixed it or nothing was found; I don’t remember exactly, but the gist was that there was nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, that was not the case. My wife was again bitten on the sofa (she works late in the living room). Kids and I were sleeping on the bed, which seemed okay. She did not want to wake us up and went down. Didn’t find anyone, and the situation was so bad that she went to the hotel next door to reserve a room and sleep. In the morning, we found that her chest was full of bite marks. We showed the hotel employees the bug bites. They then asked us what we wanted to do and offered one free night for the inconvenience. They were so casual about this incident that I suspect this happens often. We didn’t want to stay there anymore, so we left. They charged us more than expected during checkout, and we had to return and ask. They had forgotten to discount last night and also changed an extra night charge. It could have been a mistake, but we almost did not catch it. They fixed it when pointed out. Problem 2: Double charge. We had planned to stay at the hotel from the 24th to the 31st of December, 2023. We were arriving early on the 25th but had reserved the 24th to make sure the room would be available in the morning. I called and checked on 23 and 24 to inform the hotel; the person assured me there would be no issue. They had charged and not refunded a no-show fee for one night (24th). They also charged us that night (the 24th) at the checkout on the 28th after the bedbug incident. We noticed a second charge on my CC statements, so I asked Hilton customer support to rectify this. They refunded it, but it was sneaky. Problem 3: Magically, the trip doesn’t show up on my Hilton account. They canceled the trip, and it's not on my Hilton account. I’m unsure what's happening here; the Hotel or the chain is the issue. Problem 4: Minor considering other issues, they had some annoying work going on that made noise and tapping.

Let's start with the good. The location is great, right off of 395 and parking is plentiful. Great start! The mobile check in was seamless. The room size was great, the suite had the perfect set up for multiple families. 2 bedroom/2 bathrooms, large living area with pull out bed. Unfortunately, there were a lot of negatives. Upon entering the lobby at approximately 9pm, no one was at the front desk to greet guest, so we were unable to promptly locate the elevator. Once inside the elevator we noticed the trim was held together by scotch tape. After entering the room, I noticed the room was somewhat dated (no problem). The room cleanliness left a lot to be desired though. The restrooms had lint and dust in the corners, a random pill 💊 was found on the floor in the living area (major hazard). Hair was found in the sink, while showering the water drained showly causing water to sit. The supplies in the kitchen were almost empty and had clearly been used. It is clear this Homewood Suites cuts corners on cleaning. At approximately 9am, I went to the lobby to grab coffee and drop a bag off at the car. Upon returning to my room, a hotel staff member was standing at my door. She backed away as I walked up. She then asked if I was checking out today, I replied I was. She followed up by questioning how long it would be before I checked out. The checkout time was noon, the hotel was not crowded, and the do not disturb sign was posted on the door. I spend approximately 150 nights a year in Hilton brand hotels. I love Homewood Suites, but this one does not meet the standard!