I stayed at the Candlewood Suites in Linthicum near BWI for two nights in January. I was aware that the brand model is to provide a fully furnished room with lots of opportunities for self-service, and that the hotel provided the bare minimum of service as a result. I did not know that that meant the staff would go out of their way to be rude and unhelpful. As this was the second Candlewood I've stayed at and experienced the same thing, it will be my last stay with the brand. I canceled two future bookings as a result of this stay.

I arrived at the hotel at 6:30 PM on a day when it was pouring rain. There were two people at the front desk when I arrived. As soon as I walked in one of these got up and walked to the back of the front desk area, and the other continued to have her personal call on ther telephone. An honest ninty seconds later, she hung up the phone, and without looking up, said "what's your name?". I gave her my name and she slowly looked through her paperwork and handed me a paper and told me to initial all the blue. One of these was my car license number, so I had to run out in the rain to get it (for some reason it was not on my rental car key). So I come back, even wetter, and she does not look up again. She just says "what's your name?". I am pretty sure she never looked at me during the whole transaction.

I don't care if a hotel room is inexpensive and the hotel does not provide housekeeping or food service: there is simply no excuse for unwelcoming behavior.

Once I got to the room things were better. The room was clean, the bed was comfortable. I actually liked the linen a lot (it was smooth and the covers were light but warm. The kitchen was great to have. The cabinets and fridge were worn (the cabinets did not close all the way, hinges squeaked, the fridge had scratches on it) but everything worked. Lots of TV channels, nice combo work-space/dining table, and large, clean, if cheaply made bathroom.

The other Candlewood trademarks were in place: the honor system convenience store (not fully stocked but fine), the fitness center, etc.

The irony is, for a lot of services you have to go to the front desk: you can get DVD's from them. You can change your towels for new clean ones (since they do only weekly housekeeping), you can request shuttle service (which I did not do), you can change your pillows for firmer or softer ones. Lots of opportunities to ask the unwelcoming, cold, unfriendly front desk staff for service. No thanks.

One last comment. The hotel is actually off the main road and to get to its parking lot, you need to turn onto an access road. There are no street lights or signage for this road and it is actually really hard to see in the dark, especially if it is raining. My GPS device was about 300 feet off on the hotel's location.

We stayed here after a return flight from Cancun. What a great find! Check in was a breeze. Our room had a separate bedroom with queen bed, kitchen area, 2 t.v.s nice size bathroom. The surprises, a very large common area with snacks, sodas, hot and cold items for in microwave that are in all rooms. The best part of this, it is on the "honor" system. You just place the money in a box in the common area. The items are very reasonable. The other interesting item; free use of the laundry service washer and dryer. Just buy the detergent for I think a dollar. We did not use this, but thought it was a nice extra. All in all, we would stay again. Only 1 mile from BWI. They do offer airport shuttles starting at 7 a.m.

Near to the airport, this hotel has a shuttle bus which will collect you if you phone the reception.
The suites are well appointed, comfortable and good furnishings. On the ground floor is the "Cupboard" where you can do washing (free use of machines) and buy snack and drinks - this is a self-service system which relies on you being honest enough to pay for what you select. The kitchen area is well equipped - the microwave had a complimentary bag of popcorn!
We used the hotel as a base for visiting Baltimore - you can use the shuttle to take you to the nearest public transport system which is very good and cheap.
The high level of service at this hotel was astonishing - we had a number of unusual requests and the receptionist went well out of her way to help us and ensure that we had everything that we needed.

The room was clean, comfortable, and equipped with internet access, a full-sized refrigerator, two-burner stove, and a dishwasher. The hotel includes an excercise facility, laundry room, an "honor-system" convenience store, and airport shuttle service. The hotel staff was friendly and courteous. I was greeted by name when I checked out in the morning--before I handed over my key or any other identifying paperwork. I was extremely happy with my stay.

Potential downsides:
The hotel is located in an area that consists largely of corporate offices and other hotels. There aren't many restaurants in walking distance. I ate at the Holiday Inn nearby.
As their name implies, they are near an airport, so there is noise from planes flying overhead. I used to live near an airport, so I barely notice, but if you're bothered by this, you're probably better off somewhere else.