Regency Lodge - Omaha, NE Review

From the website, the Regency Lodge sounds like the place to stay:

"Enjoy an escape from urban pressures without leaving town. The Regency Lodge in Omaha, Nebraska combines the warmth and charm of a mountain resort with the sophisticated service you'd expect from a big city hotel. Enjoy a stroll along our garden path, or take your ease indoors with a drink by the fireplace. Meet colleagues and friends over a relaxing dinner then slip off to your luxuriously appointed guest room or suite for a restful nights sleep. Awake refreshed in the morning to take on your toughest day. Close to the Henry Doorly Zoo, Strategic Air and Space Museum, great shopping and dining, and more!!!"

(Copied straight from their website)

Looking at photos, it looks like it should be in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, not the plains of Nebraska. On first thought, you may thing that this is the place to stay the night or host your next event.

Don't Be Fooled

This hotel really isn't something that should even be called a resort. It's outdated, overpriced and includes rooms in dire need to repair and renovation. In this case, the pictures on their website didn't even tell a fraction of the truth.

Our Story

We went in early October, which should have been fool-proof. Reservations had been booked and everything seemed to be going fine, until we were hit by an early snow storm on our warm through Kansas. Panicking, we canceled the reservations feeling that we may have to turn back before even reaching Nebraska.

Although it snowed, the lack of consistently cold weather below freezing made it impossible for the snow to stick around. We made the decision to drive to Omaha and find the Regency Lodge. Although we knew that they had probably rebooked our rooms, we were confident that there would be extra rooms.

Stepping out of the car, the Regency Lodge looked less like a lodge and more like an outdated hotel that was trying to look attractive to visitors. It was six o'clock, however, and we could have cared less.

Inside, it wasn't much better. Although somewhat comforting décor and lobby area, the rest of it seemed to be stuck in that same outdate mindset. The pool was tiny and went from 3 feet to 8 feet, quickly. The hot tub was nothing special - it looked like they just went to their neighborhood pool store and purchased a cheap spa.

We finally managed to get two close rooms, despite a wedding being held there that evening. When we opened the door to our room, we were overwhelmed with the smell of dust, smoke and general filth. There was an unsealed door to the parking lot, which ended up being a blessing as we tried to air-out the room.

This was unacceptable. We have two small children with us, and I want to stay at hotel where I can feel comfortable, not constantly trying to avoid letting the smell get to me. Because we were paying $110/night/room, we decided to check out just five minutes later.

The attendant at the front desk gave us the policy information - no refunds if checking out after 6:00. In addition, she informed us that the entire state banned smoking in hotel rooms and she would charge the person staying in the room before us. Unfortunately, this wasn't the problem. The smell wasn't from one night or even one week. It was from years of smoking and no effort made to get rid of the smell. Even a coat of paint would be helped.

Upon calling the manager, we ended up also speaking to the owner. While I'm sure the owner is normally a decent man, in this case he was dealing with a personal emergency that should have taken him from the hotel to care for the emergency. Instead, he took out his frustration on us and swore for 10 minutes in front of other guests.

We ended up with our refund and will never be returning.

Overall

Unless there are no other rooms left in the entire city, avoid this "hotel" at all costs. It's not worth your time or money.