Did some college visits this weekend so we stayed at two Best Westerns - Oswego, NY and Chesapeake Bay North, MD - the experiences were very different but yielded the same score.The BW in Owego was totally outdated, dingy and just all around low end BUT the staff was awesome and friendly, the sheets were super clean and nice, and the coffee was pretty decent. The BW Chesapeake Bay was definitely upgraded and more modern but there were annoying things about this hotel. In the room, the pillows were like little hard squares, the bedspread was rough, and the lamp by the bed must not have been plugged in, which was a problem for a light source as well as a charger next to the bed; nearest outlet was across the room. The shower was a little moldy (not sure granite is a good choice for shower walls, but…), the curtain didn’t hold the water in, the towels were not the freshest, and if you are going to spackle a wall, maybe paint it afterwards. Breakfast at both hotels were very basic; the BW Chesapeake Bay had clementines and English muffins, but was basically in the lobby. The coffee at CB was literally water- undrinkable - and the milk ran out of the machine by 7am, which means it wasn’t freshly filled that day. The staff at the front desk didn’t seem to want to be bothered with any of it, and instructed us to use the half empty room temperature milk for cereal for the coffee.All in all, I would NOT stay at BW Owego again unless they upgraded a lot (but again, great staff and good coffee!), and I would stay at Chesapeake Bay if I HAD to but it would NOT be my first choice…and I would go out to get coffee, for sure. Not overly impressed with the Best Western Brand overall and although some of them offer large updated rooms, it seems like you never know what you’re going to get with this two star, inconsistent chain of hotels.
