Up front I just need to say that we travel a lot and Embassy Suites is our preferred hotel chain. Secondly, we are not complainers. We enjoy giving a good review.

My wife and I stayed four nights around Memorial Day at the Embassy Suites Charlotte. We were very pleased to obtain the rate that we got considering that it was NASCAR week in Charlotte. With race fans and a convention taking place the hotel was full up.

The location is convenient, just off the interstate. Their parking lot is un-necessarily confusing to navigate with automatic gates and stanchions. Since the gates open for anyone who pulls up to the lot they offer no security, just annoyance.

Check in was smooth even though the desk clerk seemed slightly ill-humored. Perhaps because even though full, the hotel seemed to rarely have more than one person on the desk.

Our room was the standard two room suite that we enjoy with Embassy Suites. But, upon entering we were struck by a musty, mildew smell. In the bedroom area it was so strong that it actually burned our eyes and noses. With the hotel fully booked there was no chance to change rooms. I suspect that either drain water from the AC or rain water was leaking into the exterior wall causing mildew. The room was about 85 degrees and stayed that way until the second day when we learned that if we set the thermostat to 60 we could get the temperature down to about 75 degrees. The toilet seat was not bolted to the bowl but our request for a repair was taken care of quickly. The system they had for TV viewing was weird. There was no index channel or Guide in the room. All you could do was flip the channels one-by-one with the inadequate remote. Once we turned the TV on the bedroom, it wouldn't turn off. We had to unplug it. Beyond that, the bed was comfortable.

The housekeeping service needs a management shake up. Our first morning there the maid ignored the sign on the door handle then without knocking and with no announcement just opened the door and walked in. As ecologically minded people we used the system suggested on the placard in the bath and put the towels to be replaced on the floor and hung up others to be used again. The maid took all of them and did not replace any of them. A call to the desk resulted in a very friendly lady bringing us more.

One of the features we value most at Embassy Suites is their fine breakfast buffet in their gorgeous atrium lobbies. The lobby here is beautiful, but the buffet was a disaster. We arrived for breakfast one hour before the posted closing time. The self-serve side of the buffet had no food, no trays, plates, flatware or cups. The line waiting for the made-to-order omelets was an approximate 45 minute wait. We were among many guests who stood fuming in the lobby so I went to the front desk to see if some one could help. They told us that the dining services manager was working the grill and doing the best that he could. It was clear that he and his staff were not up to the challenge of a full hotel. On our last day the crowds were not as large so we did the buffet. We were disappointed to find the food quality was no better than we could have gotten at a fast food drive through.

We will continue to choose Embassy Suites, but not this one. The price was fabulous, but we still did not get what we paid for. Embassy Suites needs to either change the management and do a complete check up of the physical facility , or, sell it to a chain with a lower reputation.