Towneplace Suites Lawrence Downtown

“Unpleasant smells everywhere, understaffed, poor maintenance leading to safety issues and mildew”

Pros/Cons below. This place has so much potential, but seems to be poorly managed and maintained. I get the impression that it’s understaffed, so maybe that’s the issue. Without actually counting, it seems like there’s half (or less) the number of staff I’d expect at a large, higher end hotel. F… more

Pros/Cons below. This place has so much potential, but seems to be poorly managed and maintained. I get the impression that it’s understaffed, so maybe that’s the issue. Without actually counting, it seems like there’s half (or less) the number of staff I’d expect at a large, higher end hotel. For the price people are paying for rooms, they should be able to pay a few more people and offer wages that attract workers. Pros: - Clean room, though found a few dirty (run through the dishwasher but that didn’t get them cleaned) dishes - Staff is friendly and responsive - Great pillows (I love smushy ones that I can manipulate into the shape I want, and these are perfect…no solid lumps of stuffing). - Solid kitchen setup if you’re cooking in your room. Plenty of tools and utensils to cover the basics. Cons: - SMELLY -The worst is alllll the smells. If you’re pregnant or have an otherwise sensitive nose, steer clear. The lobby smells like mildew and funk. The halls smell like stale, muggy air mixed with a variety of (not pleasing) food smells. The room smelled…weird. Not horrid, but like someone had cooked something and then the air hadn’t circulated in a month. In my opinion, that’s probably the problem. They have kitchens in the rooms (plus people get carry out), but there’s no air filtration or circulation happening so the stink just lingers. I know I’m on the smell-sensitive side (nothing dramatic), but if this sort of thing bothers you, be warned. - POOR MAINTENANCE - this is a newer hotel, so maybe they’re not used to needing to fix things, but there was one main standout as far as important maintenance that needs to be done yesterday. (Or 6 months ago). The door to the pool doesn’t fit the frame (probably swollen due to moisture…see notes about no air circulation and lots of standing water), so the door stays open unless you really yank it shut. Actually, both doors separating the lobby from the pool do this, but the door closer to the pool does it to a greater degree. (Definitely a safety issue for families with small kids! Both doors were “propped”/stuck open when we went to the pool. Any kid could wander in.) Beyond that, it’s likely the source of the mildew smell in the lobby. There are other less important maintenance issues (like wall holes patched but not painted), but that’s the main one. - UNSAFE POOL DECK - Why in blazes would you use *slippery* tiles around a pool? They not only have large, smooth-ish tiles around the pool, but the deck isn’t graded and draining properly (or at all). Like, there’s a half inch of water standing in puddles in many places. I can’t tell if the slippery deck is because of the tile choice alone, or because the standing water is leading to some sort of slimy build up on the floor. Either way, it’s not just normal, “don’t run at the pool” slippery. It’s “holy moly, walk slowly or you’ll be at urgent care” slippery. It feels a bit like walking on a greased surface. Overall, the location is great (close to lots of dining options, shops, and the Saturday Farmer’s Market!), but the overall smelly, unkempt vibe kind of ruined it for me.

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