Pros:
-Only room I found under $100, off season, in the…read morearea
-The water in the shower, while low pressure, was actually hot
Cons:
-Everything else
Booked an affordable hotel room on an overnight trip, and found this destination on a travel site. Underwhelming to say the least. Where to begin?
I already knew I made a mistake when I first arrived. The property looks like its heyday was before the Korean War. The front of the building looks at least a little colorful, a bright green coat of paint applied over many older coats of chipping and peeling paint. There's a swimming pool in the center of the property, in front of the office, and it probably hasn't been in use since the Reagan presidency. There were multiple 40-gallon trash cans surrounding the pool, collecting the garbage from the many long term guests.
I entered the office to check in, noticing the clutter, and broken fixtures. There was a Mister Coffee, filled with yesterday's brew, ready for guest needs. No cups, of course, but the coffee looked old enough to eat with a spoon.
I was given a room two doors down from the office, past a storage room. On the other side was another room, with a long term resident. Who had a dog. That barked. ALL NIGHT. Loudly.
This room was smaller than a college dorm room. There was a desk, being used to hold a broken mini fridge. No chair for the desk, however. Certain expected items were missing, like a clock, working outlets, or hangers for the clothes rod. There wasn't even a Bible (I'm not religious, I just found it funny not to find one.)
There was an air conditioner held in place with duct tape in a window, and a plug-in portable heater nearby. The sink was in the bedroom, not the bathroom, which was just a toilet and shower stall built into an old hallway. The window shade was broken in the bathroom, so they had a towel draped over the window instead.
There were at least 3 different brands of ceiling tiles throughout the room, and you could show the age based on how yellow they had gotten from years of cigarette use.
The floor was a poorly cut laminate wood places over a pre-existing carpet. Most likely the carpet had been flooded or damaged in the past, and they didn't want to remove it. Or maybe there's a chalk outline on it.
The front window shade was held in place with electrical tape. The door had a basic household locking knob on it, and no deadbolt or chain lock. There were screws sticking out of the walls in multiple places, perhaps for hanging up your keys and towels.
There was a dead wasp right inside the door, but surprisingly, I didn't encounter any roaches or mice during this visit. I was shocked.
The linens were seemingly washed, but very old with signs of washed and dried stains on the sheets and towels. The shower curtain was hung up with a cable tie replacing a rung. Based on how yellow it had gotten, I doubt that the curtain has been cleaned since before the pandemic.
The old, not working baseboard heaters have been painted over with white spray paint, and rather poorly, probably just to pass an inspection.
I got through the night, and when it came time to checkout, I found the office open, but no one there. There was a bell to ring, but no one came. I left the key on the counter (there was no drop box) and left.
I wish I could have seen this place in 1955. It was probably an elegant motor lodge. No longer, I'm afraid. I feel sorry for the people living there long-term. You must have really hit rock-bottom for this to be an acceptable life choice.