Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Albany

The staff were rude, the place was dirty, and nothing worked. The heater in my first room was broken, then it took an hour to move me to another room where the toilet didn’t work. This is the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. I’m usually fine with cheap places, but this one isn’t worth it. I’ll never come back. It needs to be investigated. I can’t believe this is legal.

We were there after driving all day, and it was late and last minute. I regretted staying, and honestly we should’ve slept in the car. There was black mold in the A/C unit, mystery stains on the sheets and bed, and crusty stuff on the lamps and walls. That was just the beginning. The whole place was filthy, smelly, and felt hazardous to our health. It should be demolished. I’m sure the health department would shut it down if they inspected. Lesson learned, always check reviews before booking.

Nick, the overnight front desk clerk, gave us first-rate service. We were late checking in because of travel delays, then found the A/C in our room wasn’t working. I told Nick, and he immediately moved us to a much better room where the A/C worked fine. He made a rough day much easier for my wife and me. Thank you, Nick. The property needs renovations and an upgrade, though I knew what to expect for the price. There isn’t much in the way of amenities beyond continental breakfast, and the pool was inaccessible because of renovation, which was one reason I booked along with the price. The website should say when the pool can’t be used. All the staff were pleasant, but the facility was lacking.

Lexy, the other receptionist, was wonderful, and Paul from the cafe gave great customer service too. The hotel was clean, and I didn’t mind that it was an old building or lacked amenities to keep costs down. Still, some employees reacted carelessly when issues came up, and that was the problem. We stayed six days. Once, we asked downstairs for body and face towels and shampoo. We got body towels and shampoo, but they had no face towels and didn’t offer to bring any later or apologize. That was one example of several poor customer service experiences, possibly including the manager. On my first day at Ramada, three minutes before I checked in, I saw a customer yelling at someone I believe was the manager. The toilets were low quality and needed several flushes, which made the stay worse, though I understood the low price. On the last night, part of the room smelled of smoke. None of us were smoking, but I’m sure others in the building were. It was a terrible experience, but I’d do it again because the low price was worth it. I’d only recommend it for a short stay if you want to save money. I still give it two stars.