Howard Johnson by Wyndham Athens

Other hotels nearby were fully booked, so I ended up spending the night here, and I’m embarrassed I did. The hallway door lock didn’t work, and loud hallway noises kept us awake for part of the night. It’s a slum hotel in a lousy part of Athens. Flee this fleabag.

A friend staying two rooms away found blood smeared on her door. It’s disgusting that something like that wasn’t wiped off. A bleach rag would do the job. I’ve also worked security at most of the other hotels around Athens, and I’ve never heard of some of this place’s supposedly normal policies. Charging someone for early check-in when the room was booked 24 hours ahead and no one was even in it feels like an outrageous scam. This is the worst hotel I’ve seen in Athens.

I slept really well here. The beds were comfortable, the heating and cooling worked well, and the showers were excellent. It was clean and quiet, with soft fresh towels and friendly staff. The places I visited weren’t far away.

For what we paid, I expected a clean room and basic courtesy, but I left frustrated and unwelcome. The receptionist was rude and dismissive, and kept questioning my boss about where we worked without showing any empathy for the inconvenience. The room itself smelled musty and looked like it hadn’t been properly cleaned in a long time. There were stains on the sheets and pillowcases, soap scum and hair in the bathroom corners, and stained, smelly towels. I also found a dead bug in the door frame and mildew spots in the shower. Basic housekeeping seems neglected.