This hotel completely derailed my St. Louis vacation.After a long, exhausting drive, I arrived around 3pm, ready to check in and rest. The woman at the front desk was cold and unwelcoming—no smile, no eye contact, just a blunt request for my ID and credit card. I mentioned I was looking forward to a nap after a loud car ride with kids and asked if my room was ready. She replied, “Yes, but you can’t check in until 4pm unless you pay $85 for early check-in.”I was stunned. I was already paying $349 for one night—which is steep given the hotel tier. Her lack of empathy or basic customer service was astounding. I immediately regretted booking. With a toddler and other young kids, I had no chose to wander the casino walkways for an hour until the clock struck 4.Once in the room, the kids were excited to swim—the only reason we booked this hotel was for the indoor pool. We got everyone changed, made our way to the pool floor…only to be met with a sign: “Pool closed for the season.” I later saw a small note on the hotel’s website mentioning this, but I didn’t book through their site and was never informed. That was strike two.Trying to salvage the evening, I told the kids we’d relax with cartoons while I took a quick nap. But—one TV had barely audible sound, even at full volume, and the other had nothing but static on every channel. I called the front desk, was told someone would come take a look… and no one ever showed. We left for dinner an hour later, came back, and nothing had changed.To top it all off, kids were running above our room late into the night, shaking the ceiling until nearly midnight. At that point, I didn’t even bother calling the front desk. I was too fed up to waste more time expecting service that just wasn’t going to happen.I truly wish I had saved myself $150 and booked a room at the Hilton or Drury around the corner. This experience might’ve been salvageable if the front desk had shown any trace of hospitality. But that cold check-in set the tone for a stay I’d rather forget.