Days Inn Blacksburg Conference Center

The room was acceptable for the price, but lackluster. All the employees were helpful. The TV remote had no D-pad cover, just crusty rubber tabs to work with. Heating worked well but was noisy, and the shower showed years of wear. Its water pressure even had a samba rhythm. With no bathroom exhaust vent, using the toilet or shower left the whole room saturated.

The staff were really nice and helpful, and that matters to me since people so often don’t seem to care. That’s why I’d recommend the hotel, even though the room quality and general state of the place didn’t earn a high rating from me. If you have a nice vehicle, park out front. I wasn’t sure, but the back rooms seemed to be occupied by transient workers, and I worried about my truck getting hit by people parking just two feet away. Some days someone parked so close I could hardly get in.

The beds were comfortable, breakfast was great, and the front desk staff were very friendly. The toilet kept running unless I lifted the lid and jiggled the lever, and the bathtub was stained. The hair dryer looked like it might catch fire any minute. About what you’d expect from a Days Inn.

The breakfast buffet was above average, and the location is convenient with a decent view. Beyond that, I don’t have much good to say. This property is more than 20 years overdue for a major renovation. I don’t understand how they can use the Wyndham / Days Inn name and charge over $200 for rooms that would barely be okay at a $50 roadside no-tel, let alone a major brand. The rooms were dingy but not dirty, with cracks, tears, and stains everywhere, and they smelled of smoke. Phones in multiple rooms didn’t work even to call the front desk. There was black mold in the bathroom, and the outside walkway was crumbling. Comfortable beds and working in-room fridges were about the only good things in the rooms. Our heat didn’t work properly the first night, cycling between blasts of hot air and air at 30F outside temperature. When we reported it, they said they had no extra blankets. The maintenance man came on day two and made it worse. The place seems to have only King and double rooms, although the booking site offers suites with tubs and more. Staff ranged from helpful at check-in to annoyed and unprofessional when we raised issues. Avoid this place at all costs, even if you have to stay farther away.