Extended Stay America Richmond-Hilltop Mall, Richmond

If you want an unprofessional, rude, inconsiderate, discourteous and downright arrogant hotel manager on your next business trip, then book with Extended Stay America in Hilltop, California. Over 12 years, I've traveled all of North America, parts of the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada. I have never booked myself into a more despicably horrid environment, in all me business travels. I work on extremely long-term business contracts. I came to an agreement on the final room rate BEFORE booking my room and I explicitly asked the hotel manager, if there would be 'anything at all' that would cause the rate to increase, if I needed to "extend my stay." I was told flat out - No. I was told that the rate booked initially, would be the same rate that I would check-out with. Three months and one client request for an extension of my billable time later, I inform the hotel manager that I'd need to "extend my stay." The hotel manager THEN tells me that doing so, will convert my "Guest" status to "Tenant" status and that my rate would increase as a direct result. I asked the manager, why no one at Extended Stay America bothered to inform me of the need convert my status from "Guest" to "Renter" BEFORE I booked the room months prior. The hotel manager then tells me: "Well, the new 'program' is going into effect now, and you can let me know if you want to check-out later," in a pompous and arrogant tone and with a prideful smirk on his face. This hotel manager was unethical, dishonest and flat-out rude to even contemplate a so-called "status" change after agreeing to a deal PRIOR to initial booking. You don't attempt to alter a long-term deal AFTER you agree to it. That's like me telling my clients that I'll consult them at a specific rate, and then halfway through the project - demanding more money! As if that was not enough, I rarely got a full night sleep at Extended Stay America in Hilltop, California, due to the constant pounding, running, jumping and tumbling above my head in the room directly above me. It sounded as if other Extended Stay guests were literally jumping into the air and slamming their heals into the floor. This was not the usual hotel foot-noise you get from poor sub-floor designs, this was a constant and perpetual FLOW of "customers" into the hotel, who seemed to pick 'this particular room' to generate all their noise. I was consistently awaken from sleep between the hours of 1:30am through 4:00am on a regular and routine basis, typically directly after I would pay the full monthly room rate in advance. There was supposed to be No Smoking allowed anywhere on the 1st floor, yet the hotel manager would walk straight through a cloud of smoke to get to his office on the first floor and never once do anything about the smoking. My room would constantly get filled with Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS). I then began hearing EXTREMELY loud music coming through the wall from the room next door at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 12am! It was ridiculous! The music could be heard CLEAR DOWN THE HALL and into the managers office! Yet, the manager would sit at his computer and do absolutely nothing - never once approaching the guest and asking them to lower the volume of their stereo. I began to issue complaints to the hotel manager about the constant noise, disruptions and perpetual rudeness of other guests in the hotel. The manager then tells me that there was really 'nothing he could do' about it. Guest garbage left in the hall for DAYS on end until the entire hallway smells putrid - manager does nothing. Smoked filled hallways - manager does nothing. Extremely loud noise disturbances at all hours of the night and morning - manager does nothing. This has been the absolute WORST hotel experience that I have EVER had. I have 5 consultants who travel North America in my small firm. None of them will ever be allowed to submit an expense report with the name Extended Stay America on it - ever again.