Comfort Inn / Suites Brand Review

by Ryan Vagabundo

Following on our recent review of the overall Wyndham group of hotels, we're focusing in on individual brands where I've stayed at a minimum of 10 locations in different cities.

The first up is Comfort Inn, sometimes Comfort Inn & Suites (with the suites being extremely basic, pretty much a slightly larger room with a tad extra furniture).

I don't think there's a chain that I've soured on more in the last couple years more than Comfort Inn. I used to think of it as a reliable sight-unseen booking at a decent price; in other words, if you're going to an unfamiliar city and a Comfort Inn has a good rate, go for it, you can safely assume it'll be very good.

Apparently I was just lucky in my first few experiences with the chain. They still have some very good locations dotted hither and yon, and sometimes they even offer a great value (I've seen some very good ones take 8,000 points a night during slow periods), but a chain of bad experiences has made me much more cautious about booking with them - especially when they're asking a premium price over other midscale and solid economy hotels in the area.

My biggest problem with the chain is that the experience at a lot of properties is basically "good rooms in an incredibly flimsy building." The rooms they offer are reliably midscale and comfy, sometimes even edging into upper-midscale at the "Suites" properties (though the "suites" at most properties barely qualify - it's a slightly larger room with a little half-divider next to a pullout couch and a ratty little coffee table).

The main problem with the rooms is noise insulation. I think the good properties are all older buildings that started out as some other hotel, or were purpose-built back in the 90s or before. The newer ones seem to be built as thin and cheap as possible. Buckling floors with loud stomping from above, very thin walls, feeling the vibrations of fat-footed neighbors and their running kids through your chair and bed are not uncommon at all with these properties.

I really don't get this management / C suite perspective that noise and vibration insulation can be completely ignored as long as you furnish the room nicely enough. It's the absolute opposite for me - I don't care if the room is somewhat dated and worn so long as it's QUIET, and at the opposite end I don't care if it has a plush interior if I'm being disturbed by the usual inconsiderate stomping and voices of tourists all the time.

Speaking of management, that's my other issue with Comfort Inns. It seems like some individual franchisees / property managers don't regard it as the middle-upscale chain it's supposed to be. Some treat it like it's just another crap budget hotel instead. At the budget chains I don't expect staff to care about my elite tier status. But when you get to the level of Comfort Inn, I expect staff to recognize it and be on top of perks and requests and such without me having to say something. Half the time they are not, they're just as disaffected and halfassed as your typical budget hotel check-in girl.

There are still some gem Comfort Inns here and there, but I feel like it's a brand that you really have to scrutinize the individual property reviews of before booking.