Motel 6 Bismarck, ND

I checked in and was told I had 15 minutes to look over the room. If I wasn’t satisfied, they could move me. I walked in and was horrified: dead flies in the window track, brown water clogging the bathroom sink, an uncleaned bathtub, and a filthy floor. I went straight back to the office and said there was no way I’d stay. They offered to show me another room, but I refused. I wouldn’t put my animals through that. I suspect there might have been bed bugs under the covers, but I didn’t dare pull them back. I absolutely don’t recommend this place unless you’re really going through it and have nowhere else to go, not even a shelter.

I’d checked the Motel 6 website before arriving, and it listed $57 per night. When I asked at the motel, the clerk said $75. I was tired and just wanted to sleep, so I agreed to pay. He saw me take out cash and said, “Just give me $80.” I have a hunch he gave me two rooms they normally don’t use unless needed and pocketed some of my cash. Who knows? I asked for a first-floor room. The clerk said there weren’t any, then said, “Wait, I have one.” In that room, the blinds were hanging off the wall, there was no smoke alarm, and there were lots of bugs. I asked to switch and he gave me another first-floor room, even though he’d said he had none. That one was almost as bad, had bugs too, and the fridge smelled awful when I opened it. I went back to the office, said I wouldn’t stay, and asked for a refund. The clerk got upset, threw the room card on the floor, and glared at me. While getting my cash, he said, “You used two rooms!” I told him I hadn’t used either. He gave me my money and I left. The parking lot was scary, with several people hanging around outside their rooms and making me uneasy. I’m 54, and this was the first time I’ve ever asked for a refund because of a place’s condition. There was nothing good about this Motel 6. Based on the two rooms I saw, I think it should be shut down. It was absolutely disgusting, which is why I took pictures.

The location and service were great, but the rooms and everything else were terrible. There were cockroaches and random stains everywhere. The curtain was torn and had holes, and the bathroom door had holes in it too. The main light and the one above the bathroom mirror didn’t work. There wasn’t a nightstand, though that wasn’t a big deal. Outside our room, a woman was screaming and a man was yelling back at her.

The service was horrible. The manager knew my situation but still threatened to put my things outside where they could be stolen, and said she wouldn’t rent to me because I wasn’t paying on time. She’d told me that five times, but it was a lie. She only told me once, and after that I made sure to pay on time. Then she complained when I was 20 minutes late and told me to take my things and leave, knowing my child and I would be homeless. She also lied to the company and said we were loud. It snowed in through our door all night, and we froze.