The room was very clean, and if you’re on the front side of the hotel you likely won’t hear the nearby highway noise like I did in a rear-facing room. That said, I still slept better here than I did on the cruise I had just finished, which says a lot.
I genuinely wanted to give this hotel a higher rating. I tend to root for smaller properties, especially when they’re competing with much larger hotels nearby. Unfortunately, one issue significantly detracted from my experience.
During check-in, the staff took a photocopy/photo of my passport. I was not given a clear explanation as to why this was necessary, how the information would be stored, or what would happen to it after my stay. I’ve stayed at many larger hotels and have never been required to provide a copy of my passport. If the concern is potential room damage or incidentals, then cover it by holding a credit card on file.
Collecting and retaining copies of passports without transparency is not a good security practice, and it left me uncomfortable for the remainder of my stay. Clear communication and better data-handling policies would go a long way toward improving the guest experience.