If you find yourself in need of a hotel in the Indianapolis area, the Staybridge Suites is a great choice. Below you will find our score card on our recent stay.
Rates: We felt the rates were very fair for this facility. We paid $89/night which is a great deal! Their average rate is $117 which is still fair.
Parking: There is a huge parking lot for hotel visitors to park.We had no trouble finding a parking spot that was close to the building, even when the hotel was completely booked. There are plenty of handicap parking spots up front and there are also temporary parking spots by the main entrance for people who are checking in.
Check In/Out: Checking in and out was extremely quick. It took less than 3 minutes to check in.
Rooms: Staybridge Suites went above and beyond when creating their rooms. We stayed in the One Bed Queen Suite and we were very pleased with the room. First, every room has a full kitchen. That not only included a full sized refrigerator with a freezer but it also had a microwave, dishwasher, stove top, coffee pot and a toaster. The cabinets were filled with dishes, pots, pans, etc. and the drawers had silverware and plastic utensils for cooking. They even included things like sugar, creamer, salt and pepper! We received complimentary coffee and microwave popcorn as well which I thought was a great touch. The living area included a couch that folded out into a bed, 2 small end tables and a television. The bed had high-quality linens and super comfy pillows and if the pillows aren't the kind that you like, there are other types in the closet so you can swap them out. The bathroom had a spacious shower and there was a separate area outside of the bathroom with a vanity that included plenty of drawer space to keep all of your stuff tucked away. One of the things that I didn't like about the room is that there wasn't a bathtub. We travel with our children most of the time and our 2 year old isn't really good at taking shower quite yet and would have preferred a bath. Also, when the sofa bed is pulled out, it is directly across from the queen bed and makes that area of the room very crowded and leaves very little privacy.
Amenities: I can't say enough good things about the amenities at Staybridge Suites. If you need to do the laundry while you are there, they offer a full laundry room with 5 washers and dryers and they do not charge anything for you to use them. Connected to the laundry room is the fitness room so you don't have to miss a workout while you are out of town. The indoor pool is in a separate part of the building which was perfect because the kids were able to play and be as loud as they wanted and didn't have to worry about disturbing anybody because from the outside, it was pretty much sound proofed. There was a nice rack of towels in the pool area as well so we didn't have to worry about hauling towels back and forth from the pool area to our room. Every room includes free wi-fi and there is also a computer room with two computers and a printer that guests can utilize. The best part about the facility is the outdoor area. It is perfect to relax and have a great time. It is super spacious with different areas that contain tables, chairs, a fireplace and even gas grills that you can cook on! We were able to sit in the outdoor area and have adult conversation while watching the kids in the pool so this was perfect for us. The first night we stayed, several of the guys in our group stayed outside chit chatting until nearly 5 a.m. and it was great because they could stay up and hang out without disturbing anybody. When we needed the kids to unwind in the evening, we stuck them in the family theater where they enjoyed watching movies on a big screen television while sitting on large, leather chairs!
Family Friendlienss: This hotel is extremely family friendly. From the rooms to the amenities, the Staybridge Suites was designed with the family in mind.
Customer Service: Prior to our last day at the facility, I would have given customer service a 10 rating. The front desk workers were very kind and even the housekeeping crew was very helpful in making us feel at home. On our 2nd night there, we realized that they don't start serving breakfast until 7:30 a.m. which was a bummer because our boys had to be at a baseball game by 7:20 a.m. . When we asked the front desk about it, they advised that there would be a few cold items available earlier in the morning but that they would be serving the hot breakfast until 10:30 so we had plenty of time to get back and eat after the game. We arrived back shortly after 10 a.m. and the waffle machine was out of batter. I kindly asked the kitchen staff if they could refill it as we had an entire baseball team of hungry boys en route that were going to want waffles. The kitchen staff refused to refill it and told me that it was too close to quitting time for them to do that. The gentleman working told me to go talk to the lady in the kitchen if I disagreed with his decision. I went directly to the kitchen and explained to the cook that we had a large group and the kids really wanted waffles and instead of speaking to me, they spoke to one another in Spanish looking very annoyed and flustered and then finally they told me no, they would not fill the waffle machine. I kindly asked the lady from the front desk if she could please have them fill it for us, which she did go in and ask them and when they told her they didn't want to, that was that. We had a very large group of hungry kids without waffles and without biscuits to go with the gravy. This isn't a huge deal because there were some other things for them to eat but when I look for a high quality hotel for my family to stay at, I look for one that has exceptional customer service. I like the facilities that have employees who go above and beyond for their customers and the kitchen staff at the Staybridge Suites did NOT do this. It was a very small request and it would have taken them just seconds to refill the machine so the kids could all have waffles but they refused. It is something very small that made a huge difference in the customer service rating that I gave.
Extras: The Staybridge Suites has just about everything you could ever need but we found it was lacking a couple of things like ice machines and vending areas. The refrigerators have ice machines but it took ours 2 full days to get us one container of ice. They do have a pantry in the main lobby but you can expect to pay high prices for things like $2 for a soda. I prefer to have a vending area that I can visit for those late-night munchies. We left the hotel and went to a nearby grocery and bought snacks and drinks to keep in the room so we wouldn't have to pay the high prices in the pantry. They do serve a complimentary hot, buffet style breakfast every morning so this is a huge plus. You get your basic breakfast items like cereal, muffins, bagels, fruit, etc. and then they offer things like eggs, sausage, french toast, waffles, and even biscuits and gravy!
Overall, we would recommend the Staybridge Suites Indianapolis/Carmel to any family looking for a great place to stay. We were very impressed with the facilities and we feel like they have went above and beyond to create a facility that you can make your temporary home.
