We just returned from a one night stay at the Residence Inn in Shelton, Ct. I chose this hotel because of the good reviews here on tripadvisor. I must say, this was not our favorite place. There wasn't anything 'wrong' with it.. Just a few things that made it not a very positive experience.

First of all, the front desk staff, although friendly, almost seemed bothered by us coming to check in. It was about 5pm, and there were 3 of them standing there - no one acknowledged us until we said something. The guy who actually helped us check in was nice enough, but he kept leaving to go do other things in the middle of checking us in. Its a 2 minute process, but he couldn't just stay there and do it. He was busy chatting with one of the other workers. It just was not a very professional first impression.

Then we got to our room. It was right there near the front, with the window facing the street. It was so noisy in that room! I thought maybe the window was open, but it wasn't. I needed sleep (we had just driven 5 hours), so I went and asked for another room. Again - I was bothering them by asking... After a few huffs, I did get another room. The soda machine in the lobby was broken, which is probably not their fault. I asked if there was another place to get some drinks. All they said was that they called the Vending Machine people but they had not come out yet.

The room was very dark and dingy. It had a weird smell, too. We were so tired at this point that we just stayed put. The room itself was very large, with the couch/tv area and then two queen size beds in the other part of the room. There was a kitchen, and a bathroom. The bathroom was nice in that it had the sinks/counters seperate from the shower/toilet area. There was a closet in there, too. This could have been a really nice room, but it wasn't. It looked as if it had definitely seen better days.

The beds were very worn, and they kind of slanted in towards the middle. They were actually kind of comfortable, but we only had one person in each bed. IF there were two in one bed, you'd be forced into the center & into each other.

Our tv only had a handful of stations. The tv list showed about 30, but ours only showed maybe 5 or 6 different ones. We were not up to complaining about it, we were tired.

The location of the hotel is good, its close to shopping and some restaurants. It wasn't far off the freeway.

We didn't eat the complimentary breakfast. It looked like the typical free breakfast spread. Bagels, fruit, etc.

There was a pool, mini tennis/sport court, basketball court. We didnt get to enjoy them, but many other people were.

I think that its an ok place to stay, but I wouldn't stay here again. Like I said, it wasn't like there were terrible things wrong, it just wasn't 'right'. AND it was kind of expensive!

We just spent 2 months at the Residence Inn in Shelton, CT after our home was destroyed by fire. In all this time, we did not have a single unpleasant encounter with a member of the staff. They went out of their way to be helpful every day and genuinely seemed to care.
This was not 5 star in the sense of marble bathrooms and fresh flowers but in terms of comfort, space and service this is as good as its gets.
In 2 minutes we'd be on Route 8 from which either I95 or the Merritt Parkway (route 15) is accessible and choice of restaurants near by made the location convenient. Quiet setting.
We are very glad that the Residence Inn was here.

Had expected to provide a complete overview of my stay in hopes of highly recommending this hotel. But, after reading the previous posts, I've decided to just provide info that the superior service, cleanliness, and convenient location of this hotel has not changed.

I stayed for business at this hotel and can add that I received a call to my room within 30 minutes of check-in to make sure everything was fine. Everything WAS fine, large suite style room, comfortable beds (two doubles), nice TV, VERY clean kitchen (including refrigerator). Swung by the lobby for morning breakfast which was simple but free. Lumberjacks needing a hardy meal should visit a local restaurant, but what was provided was fine (juices, coffee/teas, french toast, make-your-own-waffles). The staff contacted me one more time by phone the morning of check-out, just to make sure everything was fine.

I visit CT from Boston for business. When I return to the area, I will certainly stay at this hotel again (I typically stay at the Trumbull Marriott - but their rates are far too excessive for the accommodations they provide!).

Oh, and one last thing. The hotel staff contacted my travel coordinator the day after I checked out to make sure my stay was fine. I'm not sure if the whole customer satisfaction interest is from the local hotel manager or a process implemented by Residence Inn Corporate Management, but either way, it certainly makes a guest feel important and that the hotel is VERY interested in providing the utmost service.

Enjoy!

The other reviews of this hotel below are quite accurate. We were a little surprised that we had to sign a statement at check-in saying we would not hold a party in our room, however. We were basically looking for a place to get a good night's sleep with a decent inexpensive (or free) convenient breakfast in the morning. The Residence Inn came through just fine on the breakfast. We slept really bad though. The mattress on our queen bed was so soft that we were both sliding into the middle - we spent more time that night tossing and turning than sleeping. If it weren't for the sagging mattress, I would have rated this hotel "above average". Until I am reassured that the mattresses in this hotel have been replaced, I will be staying at the Courtyard or Garden Inn.