A family member stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites in Fife, Washington, from April 13 through April 30, 2026. I’m writing this on their behalf since they are 80+ years old. Since I was deeply involved in the matter and provided most of the paperwork, I’m very informed and can accurately provide this review about Quality Inn in Fife, Washington, which is a Choice Hotels brand.
The room itself was booked and paid for separately, and I had no dispute regarding the cost of the room. My dispute involved a $100 deposit and a series of additional $100 transactions that appeared during my stay.
This is my account of what happened.
It Started With The $100 Deposit
At check-in, there was a $100 deposit associated with my stay. My understanding was that the deposit would be returned after my stay, assuming there was no reason for the hotel to retain it. I did not understand this to be a recurring charge. During my stay, there were Seven Additional $100 transactions, totaling $700. According to my transaction records, seven separate $100 charges appeared between April 21 and April 28. I was shocked to see this when I got home and checked my checking account.
Combined with the original $100 deposit that I expected to be returned, the total amount I ultimately disputed was $800. I did not knowingly authorize the seven additional $100 charges. I did not purchase additional services or extras that would explain them, and I do not recall being informed that recurring $100 charges (almost daily) would be made to my account. What concerned me was that these were not presented to me and just showed up unexpectedly. Instead, multiple transactions for the same $100 amount appeared periodically during my stay. It was horrible and I was in shock since I’ve never seen a hotel just freely charge an account.
The Issue Over Food in The Room
There was another unusual incident during my stay that became relevant to my overall experience.My room was already equipped with a small refrigerator and microwave. Naturally, this gave me the impression that guests could keep and eat food in their rooms. At one point, I brought a muffin into my room. Hotel staff subsequently complained that bringing food into the room was not allowed. Since when does a hotel say that you can’t bring or order food to your room?
I did not recall being informed of such a restriction when I booked the room at the point of sale. I found this particularly confusing because the room itself contained appliances specifically designed for storing and heating food. I also expected that, as a paying guest, I could purchase or order food and eat it privately in my room unless the hotel had clearly disclosed a policy stating otherwise when I purchased it. You can’t obviously make up rules later. I am not claiming that the food incident caused the subsequent charges. I include it because it was part of my experience at the property and contributed to my concerns about how the hotel’s policies were being communicated and enforced. Are all Choice Hotels like this? I don’t think so.
Discovering the Charges
I did not initially realize the full pattern of transactions. When I reviewed my account, I discovered that multiple $100 charges had appeared during the same period as my hotel stay. Nothing during my stay had led me to expect seven additional $100 transactions. I wanted to know what these charges represented, why they had been made, and why I had not been clearly informed about them.
Trying to Resolve the Problem With the Hotel
My first priority was getting the matter resolved directly. I contacted the hotel several times to seek an explanation and the return of the $800 I believed should be refunded. My attempts to resolve the matter directly were unsuccessful. As the situation continued without a resolution, a family member sent a formal notice on my behalf stating my intention to pursue legal action. At this point, I had decided that I was prepared to take the dispute to small claims court if necessary. Washington State doesn’t require me to inform them of pending litigation but I wanted to resolve it privately. They didn’t even respond. I also attempted to escalate the issue beyond the hotel itself.
Correspondence regarding the dispute was sent to several people and organizations associated with the property and Choice Hotels. These included Jarnail Singh, whom I understood to be associated with ownership of the property according to the Washington Secretary of State filing; Cindy Mack, whom I understood to be the General Manager of the Quality Inn in Fife; and Choice Hotels corporate. Jarnail Singh also goes by Jay Singh and lives in Everett, Washington. The UBI listed for the business is 603-165-312, and Jay Singh’s business name is Mill Hotels LLC. This is all publicly available information.
I also attempted to bring the matter to the attention of Dominic Dragisich, President and CEO of Choice Hotels International, and Kishan Patel, whom I understood to hold a regional franchise-development position with Choice Hotels. It was a long shot, but they would have been included in the lawsuit, so I figured they should be aware before having to fly to Pierce County to appear in person at court. Again, no response from anyone.
Despite these efforts, I did not receive a substantive response or resolution from the people or organizations I contacted regarding the disputed charges. To my knowledge, none of these contacts provided an explanation that resolved my concerns about the seven additional $100 transactions. I tried and made an honest attempt to resolve the matter.
Disputing the Charges With My Bank
While attempting to resolve the matter directly, I also filed a dispute with my bank. The dispute process lasted several months and involved considerable back-and-forth. Ultimately, the disputed charges were returned to me through the banking dispute process. For me, that distinction is important. The money was not returned to me through a voluntary refund from the hotel following my attempts to resolve the matter directly. I ultimately recovered the disputed funds through the bank dispute process.
Written correspondence was sent
A notice regarding potential legal action was sent. I attempted to contact people at the property, individuals associated with its ownership, and representatives of Choice Hotels. I went above and beyond trying to deal with them.
Despite those efforts, I received no response. No responses from anyone. I guess that is how Quality Inn in Fife, Washington, handles these situations. They just charge as much as possible, anytime they wish, and hope the guest doesn’t see it or can’t dispute it. I would also like to add that Choice Hotels representatives at the corporate level never responded either. Even the local franchisee representative from corporate failed to respond. Kishan Patel manages the franchisees in Washington! I guess I’m not that important, or they feel immune. I have no explanation for their failures except maybe this is standard operating procedure.
Eventually, after several months, the banking dispute process resulted in the disputed funds being returned. I was happy to see the bank resolve the matter. They were absolutely going to be sued, however, and I was willing to go all the way through to default judgment, garnishment, and even a lien on their real estate if I had to continue down this road.
My Opinion of the Experience
I can only speak about what happened during my own stay and my subsequent efforts to resolve the dispute. In my opinion, guests should be clearly informed about deposits, additional charges, unusual restrictions, and other significant policies before or at the time they agree to stay at a hotel. If additional charges are going to be placed on a guest’s account, I believe the guest should understand what those charges are for and why they are being assessed.
My experience left me extremely dissatisfied, not only because of the charges, but also because of the difficulty I had getting answers and resolving the situation afterward. It was a long road, and I hope nobody else has to go through this with Choice Hotels and their other hotel brands. Looking back at the situation, maybe this is something they do to everyone in the area because Fife, Washington, has a lot of homelessness and poverty. Maybe they figure these people can’t respond to these matters. Quality Inn just takes as much money from them as possible, and they know almost everyone can’t do anything about it. This is my opinion, of course.
Based solely on my personal experience with this stay and everything that followed:
Choice Hotels was a horrible choice for me. I recommend staying far away from any Choice Hotels property. In my experience, they cannot be financially trusted with your information. This includes any other brands they are associated with, like the Quality Inn in Fife, Washington.
That was my horrible experience with Choice Hotels and Quality Inn in Fife, Washington.
Quality Inn & Suites Fife Seattle
Quality Inn & Suites Fife Seattle is a budget hotel located at 5805 Pacific Hwy E in Fife, Washington. The property is near the Emerald Queen Casino and approximately 15 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The hotel lists amenities including complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi, free parking, a fitness center, business center, laundry facilities, and a 24-hour front desk. The property also allows dogs subject to applicable fees and deposit requirements.
Standard check-in begins at 3:00 PM, with check-out by 11:00 AM. Published booking information indicates that a $100 refundable incidental deposit is required at check-in.
Quality Inn & Suites Fife Seattle
5805 Pacific Hwy E
Fife, WA 98424
Phone: (253) 922-2500