Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham North Charleston, SC

My wife and I were awakened by banging on our door and the sound of a key card being put in the lock. We called out several times and dialed the front desk to report someone trying to enter the room. The clerk told us it was a security guard and our room had been flagged as dirty in their system. The clerk called off the guard. We struggled to understand why a guard was sent to a "dirty" room in the middle of the night. The room seemed as if it were serviced and there were no further knocks, so we went to bed. I was awakened in the morning by my wife, who was asking about little red bugs in the bed. Bed bugs! I was bitten and fresh blood stains were on the sheets. There were numerous older stains on the sheets as well. We took photos, caught some bugs in a zip lock and headed to the lobby after carefully showering. The morning clerk was sympathetic but said we would have to speak to the manager. She didn't have an explanation about the guard or the night clerk's comment that the room was flagged as dirty. The number for the manager was a recording. I spent the next two weeks contacting Marriott trying to get an explanation for the dirty room being rented to us and a refund of my money. All I got from the local manager was the promise that pest control was being notified and a coupon for another stay at the same hotel. Marriott corporate did nothing except forward my emails to the manager. The Charleston Board of Health was concerned when they saw my photos but had no authority to act. I finally contacted the online service who booked the room for me, and they got my money back a few days later.