Howard Johnson by Wyndham Bakersfield

I don’t know why this place has such a high rating or charges so much for the quality. It had 11 reviews when I looked, and four of the five-star ones seemed delusional or paid for. The first complaint was a year old and nothing had changed. My brother and I both thought the place felt creepy. He thought I meant the drug-using couple outside the office, but I meant the hotel itself, like you might check in and not check out. They said there was a problem getting the key and that it would be brought to me in five minutes, but it never came. When I got into the room, it smelled awful, like smoke and mold, and everything looked dingy, from the furniture to the linen, with mouse droppings around. I was too scared to sit down, started crying, and texted my daughters about it. My brother was staying at another hotel down the street. I couldn’t stay there, but other hotels were full because of the wrestling event, so I left that same night and asked for a refund. If I remember right, they only gave my brother a partial refund. The place was so horrible I wasn’t going to stay, no matter what.

The room wasn’t clean and smelled like a homeless person had stayed there. The place felt haunted, there was no WiFi, and they didn’t have anywhere for a baby to sleep. The blanket had a burn hole and stains. The owner was rude, and they don’t give refunds. Please take this seriously and save your money for somewhere else.

This property felt unsafe and sketchy from the start. There were guys using drugs in the parking lot when I pulled in. I had a reservation, but the desk clerk had to call the manager before checking me in. They then asked for a cash deposit, saying the card machine wasn’t working, which seemed suspicious. I declined, and they waived the deposit and gave me a key. On the way to the room, I saw another man using drugs in the hallway. The bathroom had cracked tiles, and the shower was dirty and stained. I went back to cancel the room. The clerk called the manager, who agreed, but they never cancelled the booking or refunded me.

I felt unsafe and left right away to book another hotel. The hallway, bathtub, and sheets were all incredibly dirty. It looked like someone had walked all over the bed in dirty shoes, and someone was lying beside the hotel entrance.