Rodeway Inn Alameda-Oakland

I’d stayed here on Sunday night before and had a nice room with good customer service, so this visit was a real letdown. I came back needing somewhere to study and work. The first room I was given upstairs on the second floor smelled old, and the carpet looked disgusting. When I asked for another room, they moved me to the first floor, which was closer to my car. I was tired and needed a nap after being up the night before. The bathroom was old and had no counters, but I didn’t make an issue of it since I needed to get work done. When I set up my computer, the outlet by the desk didn’t work. Someone came to look at it, and they had to move the desk to another wall. While they were checking it, I told the manager that I’d moved the round table to make room and found dirt under the table and chairs. It made me think the room service or janitorial cleaning wasn’t thorough. Another man came up, and I explained the problem to him too. I asked for some kind of discount, but they refused because I’d checked in early. I explained I was exhausted and had only recently set up my computer after napping. The staff were rude. The woman spoke under her breath and said, “Oh my God,” sarcastically instead of apologizing. I got upset and said a few things, and they told me I could leave. I said I’d go if they gave me a full refund. The man offered half, but the woman refused and said I should have brought it up earlier. I was furious. When I said I’d write a review, she said one review wouldn’t hurt them. That manager was rude and unprofessional. This was unacceptable, and I won’t be back.

At first everything seemed fine and it was quiet. I was exhausted from traveling, so I fell asleep as soon as I got in. When I woke up to get ready for work, I saw a bed bug crawling on the bed, clearly visible. I have a video, though I don’t know if videos are allowed. I planned to complain, but I was checking out the next morning anyway and wouldn’t need to sleep there again. I was moving quickly and forgot my purse behind the pillows. After I left, I called the hotel. They said housekeeping hadn’t found it and someone else was already in the room, so they couldn’t check. That leaves me thinking either housekeeping took my purse and didn’t turn it in, or the new guest took it. Even if the latter happened, it means the room wasn’t cleaned. I’m very upset. The hotel was overpriced for a place with bugs and a missing purse.

My family stayed here over the holidays while visiting Alameda. In the morning they were unhappy about the dirty conditions, uncomfortable beds, noisy heater, and questionable people hanging around the parking lot. It may still be decent value for the money, but I won’t send out-of-town guests to this motel again.

I needed a place nearby while recovering from surgery, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here for more than a night or two. The nights are noisy, and I don’t trust the management. Rodeway Inn changed its name and ownership years ago, and I believe it’s now a franchise, like a Subway sandwich shop. The people running this inn won’t submit my bill to my bank and just keep adding to the amount I owe, which is now over $2,200. The cleaning and repair staff have been very nice to deal with. I don’t know who handles the survey responses, but it’s clearly not the people running the place.