Best Western Airport 85 Motel

We stayed overnight with my husband and three grandchildren and were really impressed. The rooms were spotless and well appointed, the staff were very helpful, and there was a nice outdoor area with a table and chairs. We didn’t get to try the pool, though it looked like a lovely spot. Breakfast was basic but did the job. I’d recommend staying here. I’ve just read a couple of recent reviews, and don’t believe a word of them.

The room looked nothing like the website photos, and the dirt was hard to ignore. The carpet left our feet black, the chair was so grubby I wouldn’t sit on it, and there was dust built up along the skirting boards and dirt in the wardrobe. It clearly hadn’t been vacuumed in a long time. The shower door was broken and dangerous, the toilet seat was loose, and the back of the toilet was cracked. There was only one high window. I didn’t expect five star quality, but I did expect a clean room. If I’d seen it properly at check in, I wouldn’t have stayed. I raised it with staff when leaving, but the manager wasn’t available. The staff member said she would pass it on, and I asked for an email explaining things. I flew home to NZ and never got one. They told me the motor inn was fully booked that night, and it wasn’t a last minute booking. We contacted Best Western Head office, who were nice to deal with and tried to get a refund, but the hotel operator said we had still used the room. We only went in at 9.30pm and left at 7.15a, so what could we do? A bad experience, and disappointing if this is acceptable for the Best Western chain. Don’t book here. The 2.0 score and airport location don’t make it worth paying less, stay somewhere else and pay a bit more.

The beds were hard, and getting to the airport cost $30 by Uber, so it wasn’t worth the price. I also left some belongings behind and emailed straight away asking for them to be put aside. Nobody replied. When I was back in the country a week later and able to call, the receptionist was no help and said they had probably thrown my things out.

The train station right across the road makes getting around easy, and it’s handy to everything. The place was very clean and tidy. Planes land nearby, but they didn’t really disturb us.