Days Inn by Wyndham Athens

I travel with two Standard Poodles, both pretty big, and the gentleman got me checked in a little early. He even walked to the room with the dogs and me. The room was clean, the TVs were nice and large, and the coffee was good. There was a small Continental breakfast too. What more do you need for a night's rest?

Parking right outside the door was convenient, and the Wi-Fi was surprisingly strong. Still, the room felt old and neglected, even though it looked spacious. There were cockroaches, the water took forever to heat, and the beds were stiff with awful pillows. Breakfast was just donuts, cereal, and coffee, which felt like a joke for what we paid. I booked online for about $65, then asked to change rooms after finding out mine was a smoking room. Staff said they were fully booked and only had a two-bed room, with an extra charge plus a switching fee. The bill went up to $123, which is absurd for this level of comfort. The front desk staff also pushed cash over card, and that felt uncomfortable and unprofessional. It can work for a desperate stopover, but expect to overpay for motel-grade comfort.

The three-panel landscape art was gorgeous, and we were relieved to find the room much better than the reviews had led us to expect. The fridge and microwave were clean, the beds weren't propped on 2x4s, and there were no bugs or burn marks on the linens. Surfaces were clean, there was no dirty underwear, and the toilet, shower, and drain all worked. Two of us showered both nights, and the hair dryer was still there. I wouldn't give it five stars, but four feels fair. We had booked at the last minute for the weekend because my friend needed somewhere near the mammoth March. After reading a lot of reviews, I came prepared with Lysol wipes, bug spray, and gloves. There was apparently a sign apologizing for dust from remodeling. We checked the room carefully when we arrived, making sure things worked and looking for dirt, damage, or bugs. A few things did need attention: the AC panel cover was on the floor, the floor had scratches from rough use of the table and bed, and the dresser interior was so disgusting we left our clothes in our suitcases. The towel rack above the toilet was bent, the toilet seat wobbled, the shower head was coming out of the wall, and the bathroom fan felt loose and looked dirty. The door frame also seemed iffy, as if it had taken too much slamming or pushing. The beds were a little hard after we'd just finished a 20-mile hike. Breakfast may disappoint some people, but this is a smaller business and there were no more than four cars while we were there, so keeping a full breakfast bar stocked could be hard. The hotel was the closest place my friend could find to the event. Given the room we got, we were happy enough with the stay.

The smell was the last straw. It was worse than an unwashed armpit, just wet dog and mold. I opened the door, looked around, went back to the desk, and said no. The woman there offered another room but said it was cleaned by the same people. I left. Do not book this place, it felt like a bait and switch. The listing said Days Inn, as did my Expedia booking, but the photos weren't from this hotel. The lobby picture left out holes in the wall and stains, and the room photos were stock Days Inn images. My room, number 130, was dark, with hard floors, dingy bedding, and broken furniture. I booked a queen, but the bed was full-size at most. Compare the mattress and bedding shown in the listing to my photos. I tried to cancel, but they said I couldn't because check-in time had passed. I should have chosen Expedia room protection, that's on me.