Best Western Bayou Inn

We usually stay here each year to visit family because the location is convenient, and it used to be tolerable. This time, though, we arrived to find our room dirty and had to alert the front desk. The next morning the cleaners were banging around and talking loudly. The days after that weren’t like this, which is why it felt especially noisy. At 4 a.m. on our last day, the fire alarm in our room started saying the battery was low. We called the front desk and were told, “No ones here till 9.” They offered no help. After this, I’m not sure we’ll come back. It just wasn’t worth it.

The best parts for us were the friendly daytime staff, how close the hotel was to our event, and the scalding hot water. Even the breakfast was just okay, with eggs and sausage or bacon depending on the day, waffles, muffins, bread, and two cereals. There wasn’t much. The room and the hotel itself both smelled strongly of mold or mildew. The refrigerator didn’t work and left water across the floor and the cabinet beside it. The toilet wasn’t secured, so it wobbled when you sat down. The AC blew cool air but leaked water onto the floor. I reported it and was told someone would be called, though it might take a while. They couldn’t move us because the hotel was fully booked for our event. I wondered if the AC setting was the issue, turned it up because it wasn’t all the way, and it worked for a couple of hours before cutting out again. I told the front desk the next morning but never heard back, so we bought a cheap ice chest for our things. Saturday night there was a very loud music festival across the road, loud enough to shake the hotel. Since we couldn’t sleep, we took the kids to swim around 7:30, along with about ten other people. At 8, the desk employee told everyone to leave or he’d call the police. People tried to explain that the festival was much louder and that pools often stay open until 10, but he said he’d get in trouble if we stayed past 8. Most people stayed. About ten minutes later he came back and threatened to have all of us removed by the police. It was still summer weather, and the festival kept booming across the road, but we weren’t allowed to swim. We all went back inside that mildew-smelling hotel. We won’t stay here again. My family and I travel around the country and use lots of hotel and motel brands, and we don’t often say that. I wish I’d had a better experience, but I hope this helps.

The staff were wonderful, the rooms clean and very nice, and breakfast was hot with plenty of food. The pool was accessible, too. My only problem was that the TV didn’t work. Otherwise, I’d give it a 9.7/10.

We got a room for two nights because it was too cold to camp at the nearby state park. The hotel was very clean, with roomy, nicely furnished rooms for the price, and it was about a 12-minute drive downtown. Staff were friendly, and both the hotel and the surrounding area felt safe. I avoid hotels that turn into local party spots, and this wasn’t one. A great five-star stay all around.