Super 8 by Wyndham Altoona

What a disappointment. The front desk clerk was nice when we checked in, but when I inspected the room as I always do, I found two baby bed bugs. Thank goodness we hadn’t brought our bags upstairs.

We reserved a King ADA room. It was clean and nice, with a walk-in shower, but the toilet height didn’t meet ADA standards. I know because I carry a tape measure in my handbag, and they need to replace those toilets. At check-in, the front desk person asked what we needed, as if we hadn’t come to check in. There was no smile or greeting, and her hair was hanging in her face while she looked at the computer. We needed another pillow and had to get it ourselves because the front desk woman was the only person working.

When I woke up the next morning and went to the window to check on my car, I saw that the white curtains were covered in black mold. My throat was sore and my airways irritated. I believe it was a typical reaction to breathing in mold spores, which seemed to be present throughout the room. Mold on the curtains, and possibly elsewhere, made the room feel unsafe and unhealthy. I packed quickly and left that morning to limit my exposure to the toxic spores. I’d arrived at Super 8 exhausted after a very long trip, leaving New York at 2 a.m. and checking in around 9 p.m. The air conditioner was set to 18°C, and the room felt extremely damp and cold, with carpet that seemed almost wet. I turned off the AC, showered, and went straight to bed. I’ve stayed at Super 8 hotels in several states many times without anything like this, which is why I chose this one. This time the experience was terrible.

The breakfast room was small and didn’t seem to get cleaned often. A mess left one day was still there the next. Breakfast was mostly packaged muffins, cereal, and yogurt, with two make-your-own waffle stations. In the elevator, there was a dead cockroach on top of the plastic light fixture. We had to stay here on short notice because we needed to be near Adventureland, and I’m giving it two stars since we didn’t get bed bugs like some other reviewers mentioned. The room floor was sticky, so the kids and we wore sandals rather than walk on the carpet. Curtains were stained and had insect droppings embedded in them. A mildew smell lingered regardless of the thermostat setting. The tiles in the main walkway and bathroom were cracked, the tub finish had gouges, we found a previous guest’s medication loose in the room, and the bed runner was stained. I’d recommend pretty much any other place.