Econo Lodge Bloomington

The room was decent, though a bit worn, and the man who runs the attached bar was really friendly. I enjoyed talking with him while I waited for my pizza. Just know they put a $250 deposit hold on your card. They release it once housekeeping decides you haven't smoked in the room. I could smell smoke in my room, as if someone was smoking somewhere in the building. The deposit was still pending on my card two days after checkout, which concerned me.

The location was great, with a lovely autumn walk starting right from the parking lot and downtown close by. I only stayed one night, but the room was clean and the staff were so nice. I'm used to finding hair or crumbs when I check mattress seams and drawers in hotel rooms, usually about nine times out of ten. This place was spotless!

Expect extra charges, stained and run-down rooms, and paper-thin walls where you hear everything from the next room. The front desk staff seemed arrogant and, to me, delusional. This motel felt terribly managed, like staff were doing whatever they wanted. Shame on you, Mark Stoops. My original booking was for five nights. When I checked in, I said I'd probably stay only three and asked if I could confirm the next day. The front desk said yes. The next day, I told them I was leaving after three nights. They said I still had to pay for all five, but would get a credit for the last two to use later. That didn't seem fair when I'd told them ahead of time, so I asked for a manager. They weren't available. The same employee then said I should have been booked as single-night stays for the first three nights and not charged for nights four and five. They said they'd talk to management and get back to me, but never did, even though I was still staying there and walked through the lobby several times. On Friday, I again said I wouldn't stay for nights four and five, and they said no problem. When I checked my card charges, I found I'd been billed for all five nights. When I asked about it, they said I was rude and that rudeness wasn't tolerated at the Cascades Inn. I wasn't rude. At check-in, I did say one staff member had been unhelpful. She was eating her Crumbl cookie and talking on her phone, and nobody told me where my room was or when breakfast was. The staff will get this place closed down.

The room I saw was great, despite what I'd heard about this place being a dump. I wanted to give it five stars, but they refused to rent to me because my ID was associated with the Shalom Center. I don't remember ever using my ID at Shalom. That felt presumptuous and unfair, especially since I only wanted to stay a night or two, not a month or more. I'm clean and considerate, too. I wonder if I'm still on their DNR list.