Econo Lodge Oakland Lake Merritt

At least it's across the street from lake Merritt and within walking distance of some awesome local Vietnamese restaurants. The hotel itself has serious issues. There was black mold in the shower, and one wall was swelling from moisture. The bathroom and shower felt like wet paper mache. The toilet clogged, and the front desk gave us a plunger to deal with it ourselves. The sink leaked a little underneath, the vending machines didn't work, and only half the outlets worked. Although the hotel says no pets, two small dogs in the next room barked and growled the whole time. We weren't planning to spend much time in the room and didn't have time to complain or ask for another, thank God, but we definitely won't return.

At 9:20 p.m., Amtrak left me stranded in a city where I didn't know anyone after I was told there was no room for my gear on the bus. I was miles from the nearest hike and bike camping spot, and one motel I tried wouldn't take cash or debit cards. Americas best value was there when I needed help. They saved my ass. Thanks to the local Amtrak, and thank you very much for your service.

The man working at 10 p.m. on Sep 29th was unprofessional. I booked through booking.com and was the only person booking, but he wanted my ID plus IDs for three other adults. Other places only ask for ID from the person who booked, so that made no sense. We were stopping there because of a flat tire and just needed somewhere to sleep. Communication about a refund was difficult. I expect a refund for the poor service and lack of communication he caused. I can see why you're a 2-star company. Do better!

The room was disgusting, with a broken AC unit, a tiny stained shower, and broken fire alarms. The service was awful, and they refused to accommodate me. At 39 weeks pregnant, I asked for a ground-floor room and they wouldn't give me one. Instead, they put me next to people smoking right outside my door. Then my key stopped working, and they wanted me to go up and down three flights of stairs because the room phone didn't work either. I felt discriminated against because of my pregnancy. The room or the service, I don't know which was worse. I'm never coming back. I'd rather sleep in a car.