I had a disappointing stay this weekend at the Ren Stanford Court. I've stayed in this hotel a few times before and was always given a decent room. The rooms are small, but nothing prepared me for the closet I was shoved into this weekend. The JW has UGed me to a suite a couple times. Although that is an unexpected bonus, I've also never gotten anything other than a regular room at that hotel.

The Ren SC room was x36. It is an inside corner extra small room with tiny window looking into other rooms with no space to open suit case. The door cannot fully open because the miniature desk is against the door and the armoire makes it impossible to enter the room without awkwardly trying to move around the furniture. The bed is inches away from door, so you could hear every person in the hallway. Avoid the x36 rooms and shame on the hotel for sticking a Plat, let alone any guest, in this room without warning. At the New Orleans PM, this type of room has a special low rate and customers know what to expect.

I asked to switch rooms, but the second room had obviously been smoked in, and the smell was disturbing, so I switched back to the original room. It was getting late, I needed to be somewhere and it was going to be a short stay anyway. Since the window was basically an invitation for everyone to look in the room, staying in this room meant artificial light and claustrophobic feelings of being trapped in a closet.

Being loyal to MI seems to mean nothing to this hotel. Although everything else about the stay was fine, shoving me into this room while telling me it was a "nice quiet room" made me feel like smoke was being blown up my rear. The desk clerk gave me the "it's the only feather free room available" bull, but last I checked, the feather pillows and comforters aren't permanently affixed to the other rooms. Not to mention I've had better feather free rooms in this hotel before.

And shame on the two men and one woman staying in another interior room across the hotel on the same floor. If you're going to do that, do it with the shades down. Not that I wanted to look, but as I was closing the shade I couldn't help but notice.