Friendly communications online, made it easy for 3 of us to get the accommodations we wanted. Upon arrival all staff members we encountered on various shifts were very friendly and helpful. The Hotel is a bit older, but very well located and very well priced next to similar options nearby. Only a few blocks from the State Capitol, and right by a few good watering holes like Penny Lane and the Capitol.

This one of the worst places I've ever stayed for a hotel. When I finished taking my shower and reached for the towel; snatched it off the towel rack, I was met by roaches. All night roaches crept on the rug, the bathtub, my toothpaste tube, toothbrush and everything else. The comforter itself was infested with cigarette smoke as well as the sheets and the bed itself. A very horrible experience and I wouldn't recommend anyone give them your business. When I asked the manager for assistance, he ignored me like I had the plague because I was sharing with him how NASTY that establishment was. Not to mention they charge extra for the air conditioning (which is a window unit); extra for the microwave and refrigerator as well. How can any hotel do something such as that-it was truly a tradegy to stay in such a place as that-PLEASE DON'T EVER STAY THERE! I beg of you...SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! I have also written the the board of health about this particular hotel.

I don't meet to be mean to the hotel. The employees are great and very welcoming. Nonetheless, I the hotel is not very clean, the rooms are narrow, and it smells smoke everywere. There are signs forbitting smoking but I don't believe the rule is reinforced. I believe it they can do something about the smoking and renew some of there equipments they can have better success.

I went to Richmond to run the Suntrust Richmond Marathon in November 2009. I'd been lazy about getting rooms at the downtown hotels and found this one on Google maps (the hotel doesn't have a website). While the other hotels had been charging triple digit figures with minimum 2-night stays (as reported via promotional e-mails), this place charged me less than $80 for one night. The negative reviews are curious -- I really didn't experience any of the negatives.

Pros:
--The staff are incredibly friendly.
--My room was HUGE -- it was a bedroom (complete with 4-poster bed), separate living rooom, and bathoom.
--I was right downtown, maybe 4 blocks from the starting line, and even closer to the finish.
--Parking the night before was easy -- I parked across the street, and could see my car from my room.
--The elevator is an old-style "gate" elevator. You open a door, then open the gate, close both, and off you go. It is small, but when I stayed in a hotel in Chicago that had the same elevator, it was considered "chic" and "rustic." Not sure why the negative reviews are so upset over it.
--The room was clean, and while I did detect old cigarette smells in the LOBBY, I didn't detect any in my room. Out of paranoia, I cracked a window open for fresh air, but eventually closed it because it was cold. I never did have any cigarette smell.
--The area downtown the night before the race was mixed -- there are SOME places to eat, but take a wrong turn, and you're by a check-cashing place, and a mini-mart. No biggie. I just walked the next block, and ate at the huge Hilton Sports Bar. Walked back to my room for some rest the night before the race.

Cons:
--The bed was nice and firm, which I love, but there was no fitted sheet. It was simply another topsheet tucked into the mattress, so you're between 2 topsheets. So you're not actually touching the mattress, which is nice, but the topsheet won't always stay put while you sleep.

--The heating system is the old "pipes/radiator" thing. You turn a knob to allow more/less heat into the room, and both my bedroom and living room had them. If you're unfamiliar with that, it could be problematic.

--My (huge) room was near the elevator, which was on the loud side in the morning, but since I had to be up early anyway, I really didn't mind. I don't recall being awoken by it during the night. But it's something to keep in mind if you're not wanting to get up early.

Anyway, on balance, if I run Richmond again, I'd stay in this hotel again. It's a comfortable, modest place that isn't a big-chain hotel, but it's quite nice for a short stay, and is a great value.