Stay Express Inn Athens

Check-in and checkout were both quick, and the property was clearly well maintained. My room felt modern and comfortable, and it was very clean with little touches that made it feel special. The location worked out well too: close to everything, yet quiet enough to sleep peacefully. I loved my stay, and I’ll definitely come back.

I feel morally obligated to warn people about Stay Express in Athens, Texas. The most alarming part of our stay was the safety situation. We were told that people described as “mental patients” lived on the property, and some residents harassed us and threatened violence. We ended up calling the Athens Police Department. When we told management, they did absolutely nothing and showed no concern for our safety. The room conditions were awful. The sheets were stained and dirty, there were cockroaches, and feces had been smeared against a wall. The tub had been painted with cheap house paint that was peeling and collecting grime, and the towels had blood stains. This went far beyond a room that simply needed cleaning. We asked for a refund so we could leave as soon as we could no longer tolerate the danger and filth. Management was hostile and rude. When I tried to reason with them, one person said they “look forward to my lawsuit.” They tried to give back only part of our money, claiming we had two dogs when we had one. They could have checked their own camera, and our dog caused no damage. It felt like a made-up excuse to keep our money. The online ads call the rooms “clean and decent,” but that wasn’t what we found. Between the threats, the filthy conditions, the insects, and management’s response, I believe this place is dangerous and unfit for people to stay in. Please save yourself the trauma and money and stay somewhere else. This place needs to be shut down.

This was my second stay here. I enjoyed the first one, but this visit got off to a rough start. We checked in Thursday and were put in #208, which smelled like stale cigarettes. The floor and tabletop weren’t very clean either. I asked the front desk man if we could move to a room toward the front, around the #101 area, but he said no and told me to book directly with the hotel next time if I wanted to be accommodated. The next day I explained the situation to a woman at the desk, and she gladly moved us to #103. I was very pleased with that room.

The front desk person was friendly, and the location suited us since we were in town from MN for a family funeral. But the room was a big letdown. It looked clean, though the smell was terrible. The desk offered to move us, but the next room had the same odor. If we’d booked two nights, we would have canceled the second one. For what we got, the price was way too high. Staying at a well-known hotel in Dallas had cost less. I won’t stay here again when I’m in Athens.