Freeze frame. Record scratch. Yes that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up at the Baymont Inn & Suites Norcross GA.
While evacuating Florida during Hurricane Milton I stayed about three hours in the Choice Hotels Bedbug Room of Doom! After decamping that room for a Holiday Inn Express I decided to give Choice Hotels a second chance and book a different Comfort Inn.
Big Mistake. Huge.
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That Comfort Inn was an even bigger dump than the bedbug hotel. I took one look at the stained carpet, torn curtains and beat up walls and walked right out and back into the loving embrace of Wyndham.
I have a lot of complaints about Wyndham and its rewards program but after this week seeing what Choice has to offer up close I’m coming around to the idea that They’re not real competition for Wyndham. The night the storm was hitting, with the evacuation completed, many Atlanta area hotels were sold out. I was able to book this one for $118.00 a night including taxes and happy to have it. Other rooms were running much higher than that. You can generally find this hotel for about half as much on Expedia.
Baymont Inn & Suites Norcross Location
This hotel is well outside the Perimeter but not so far that it’s actually outside the Atlanta Metro area. If you’re on a road trip passing through Georgia and on a tight budget and want to stay near Atlanta without being in the city it could be a good choice.
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Aside from that narrow case, it’s hard to say why anyone would choose this location unless they happened to have family very nearby or something like that.
Baymont Inn & Suites Norcross Property
This is clearly an older property but they do keep up with the maintenance. There aren’t any signs of trouble either with the grounds or the hotel itself.
It’s a strange looking building and almost looks like it was intended to be an apartment complex instead of a motel. It’s built around a courtyard that houses a small pool (open seasonally) and a nice picnic/seating area. The gym is limited to three cardio machines and although there’s a breakfast area they don’t offer anything but coffee or tea in the morning. It’s got coin laundry though, which is nice.
The property has a number of rooms with balconies. A sign at the front desk indicates a balcony room is a $5 a night upgrade which is a pretty reasonable price if you want one.
Baymont Inn & Suites Norcross Guest Rooms
The first thing that comes to mind in these rooms is the word “no frills.” But after coming from a Comfort Inn it’s easy to appreciate the cleanliness and maintenance here. Wear and tear is at a minimum and signs of routine maintenance are apparent.
Bed was very soft, moreso than most people probably prefer. Pillows were not the best but overall fine. A fridge and microwave are nice to have and the room is definitely a good size.
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It was mildly annoying that half the channels on the TV were completely frozen. The other half worked normally.
About Norcross
Norcross is typical suburbia. It’s not the most convenient suburb to the city and not a premiere Atlanta suburb. You won’t find a ton of high end stores around here but it’s also not overrun with places catering to a low income population.
It’s apparent that this area has a large international population. There are a number of Indian, Vietnamese, Latino businesses and more.
You’re not getting anywhere around here without a car. There’s nothing that’s easily walkable from the hotel. This part of the Atlanta suburbs is traffic Hell. It’s even worse than typical interstate traffic. These roads were designed as country roads serving sparsely populated exurbs. As suburban growth exploded there are simply too many cars on the road at all times of day. Also people have no patience here and drive like selfish assholes.
Bottom Line
This hotel is a perfect example of why I wanted to start a blog reviewing hotels. You only have $100. You need a place to stay and you want to know if it’s good or not. The online reviews are mixed. You have never been to Georgia and have no idea what it’s like.
This hotel is fine. It meets the basic standards of safety and cleanliness. The other guests don’t give off sketchy vibes. There’s no one living here in the rooms on a permanent basis. If, like me, you have to stay somewhere and have very little choice this place is fine.
If you’re able to plan ahead or spend more than the bare minimum search for something around Perimeter Mall or Truist Park, or stay in the city itself.
