Econo Lodge Ames

We left that night and found another hotel because this place smelled of mildew and was so dirty throughout. There was black mold all over the building, which we documented in photos and video, and we called the health department. Our room smelled of smoke and old food, and I’m pretty sure someone had been smoking weed too. The mattress was stained and had no protector, and there was debris on the sheets. When we turned on the heater, it smelled like literal death. The microwave hadn’t been cleaned, the TV didn’t work, and the door wouldn’t latch properly.

I ended up at Econo Lodge after running my car into a snowbank just north of town and needing somewhere quickly. The sheriff's office kindly gave me a ride. Siwan, who met me at check-in, was very kind. He told me he’d been recruited from his home country by Drake University as a track athlete 20 years ago. Seeing how stressed I was, he helped me figure out towing my car, kept an eye on the weather, and explained that towing was banned because of the blizzard danger. The next day, he said I could extend my stay and relax while I waited for news. The ban was lifted an hour later, and Siwan canceled the extra stay without charging me. For less than $50 with breakfast included, the room met my needs. It was adequately sized, the king bed was very comfortable, the TV worked, there was plenty of heat on a bitterly cold day, and the shower was good. Things looked old, the hair dryer didn’t work, and the toilet needed you to hold the handle down for a few seconds to flush properly. I’m very cheap by nature, and this wasn’t elegant, but it was a very agreeable price and got me through a rough situation.

The front desk gentleman was kind and considerate, and he gave us a full refund. His wife, though, was rude and argued with me about it. We stayed only two hours before we were disgusted enough to leave. The sheets hadn’t been washed, with hair and stains all over them, and the mattress corners were brown. The chair was stained too. The pool room hit us with a horrible musty mildew smell, and there was black mold across the walls. The hallways reeked and looked like they’d never been cleaned. I have photos and videos as proof, and it was reported to the health department.

We needed one affordable night on the drive from Texas to Wisconsin, so I booked this place. The room photos in the Choice app made it look really nice, but they must be stock photos because they were nowhere close to the actual property. In all my years staying in hotels, this is one of the three biggest dumps I’ve seen, maybe the worst. I wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy. I was exhausted and took a chance with my kid. I almost left for another hotel and regret not doing it. We were first sent to room 235 or 236, I can’t remember which. The door wouldn’t lock. Even with the deadbolt on, you could open it from the hallway. It also had no smoke detector, just the wiring where one should have been. I stopped checking for more problems and asked for a different room or a refund. They moved us to room 134, which was bigger but filthy. There was mold in the freezer, about a one-inch gap under the door, stains and water marks on the nightstand, and no smoke detector there either. The back building entrance door was broken and didn’t lock, so anyone could walk in. After driving more than 12 hours from Texas, I wiped down the surfaces and stayed, even though I wasn’t sure the sheets had been cleaned. The hallways smelled of mildew, and some people clearly lived there and were loud. We skipped breakfast because the place was so nasty I couldn’t imagine the food was safe. We checked out in the morning and left. This place should be rebuilt or cost no more than $50 a night. It wasn’t worth what I paid, and I’ve stayed in nicer Choice hotels for less. If this were the only option again, I’d sleep in my car.