Extended Stay America - Columbus - Worthington

Scott Courtney

Let's start with what is for me the main point: Internet. For a computer engineer traveling on business, this is essential, and for this location I have good news and bad news: The good news is that just before my stay (June 2022) they had replaced their wifi routers and upstream connection. Others complained about poor signal and slow speed, especially on upper floors. I was on the third floor (of four) and had an excellent signal and bandwidth, no dropped connections over four days. (Nota bene: I did pay circa US$20 for their one-week upgraded Internet, again because I use it for remote workplace. That hopefully increased the upstream bandwidth, but it would not have affected the radio signal to the router.) The bad news for traveling professionals is that their infrastructure blocks some outbound ports, notably UDP port 1194 and TCP port 22, the destination ports for OpenVPN and OpenSSH, respectively. I am going to contact their corporate office to raise this as a serious issue for business travelers. If they fix it, I'll update this review. Both of these ports are legitimately used for remote server administration and for connecting to company network resources, and since this hotel markets to long-duration business travelers, it's a significant gap. As for the room and service, I have no complaints. The room is not fancy at all, but that's not something I care about. It was spacious and clean. The kitchenette is a nice feature, with a microwave, stovetop, and refrigerator. There was a nice-sized desk with a chair that was armless but otherwise well suited to working remotely. The bathroom was thoroughly clean, and water pressure on the third floor was good. The air conditioner was a little noisy but worked very well for this northern-climate person who doesn't handle hot weather very well. Staff were friendly and professional and went out of their way to make sure I had everything I needed. Breakfast is grab-and-go -- not elaborate, but meets the requirement they set out to meet, which is providing food for busy people who want to take it with them. (For instance, the bowls, cups, and utensils are set up for takeout rather than eat-in.) I'm giving this location four stars, because despite not being upscale, it was a great value for the modest price I paid. It's not fair to compare a hotel at less than US$100 per night against more luxurious hotels at much higher rates. I wanted a simple, quiet, clean room with a decent workspace, and I got it at an excellent price. The one star withheld is for the blocked ports on the Internet, which is a critical issue for a software engineer like me. The onsite staff don't have authority to change that, so I'm going directly to their corporate office and will update this review if and when they take action.

Relish Mac

This place is horrible. I stayed here for longer then I have should! Marcy & Sara are extremely discrimitive towards me & the Tae chick is Rude & just brown nose them! It's a Shame! They Need to Hire an all new staff. The housekeepers are extremely nosey! It's just a BAD VIBE!

William Otis (Leo - Wicked)

It was all right aside from BO on the shower curtain and lack of internet signal on the upper floors. WIFI is a hotel must have in 2022. You NEED more routers if you're going to offer WIFI, especially if you're going to charge for it (I paid and was not able to use it at all).

Evan Baum

This hotel makes a big deal about how smoke free it is. There are signs by each door, at check in its mentioned, and there is even a paper in the room explaining the smoking policy. However, this is not enforced. The stairwells smell like they are smoked in daily, people are constantly smoking right outside the doors, and my room (303) was almost unbearable. The smoky smell in my bathroom was so strong it was almost too much to handle. I had to keep my windows open during my whole stay to get the smoky smell out. The only person that should consider this hotel is a smoker who doesn’t mind the smell. Moving on from the smoke, the room wasn't clean either. Crumbs were still on the floor from the last guest and when I looked under my bed for my phone charger which fell, it was disgusting. There were plenty of wrappers and crumbs under there. The bed was very uncomfortable and the sheets did not fit on the bed. I would wake up every morning with the sheets coming up from all corners. You could hear everything through the walls as well. No matter where the noise came from, you could hear it. This hotel was not comfortable to stay in. If you enjoy the smell of smoke, this hotel is for you. If you enjoy dirty rooms, this hotel is for you. But for everyone else, this hotel is a place you should avoid.