University Inn of Carbondale by Hotel O

Dollar General is right next door, which is handy, and the furnishings were decent enough. The place is still being fixed up, so I didn't expect much, but my room had no microwave or mini fridge. I also hadn't noticed a $100 deposit was supposed to be placed on the room even though I'd paid in advance. Maybe I missed it when reading, I'm not sure. It was just okay.

The bed was comfortable, the room was somewhat clean, and I didn't see any bugs. My dog had somewhere to go to the bathroom. We had budgeted the trip around this price, though, so we couldn't switch hotels. The service and communication were unbelievable. There are no people at the desk, only a kiosk where you talk to someone on video. My key stopped working every day after 11 a.m., so I had to get a replacement at the kiosk each time. We booked for three people and got one towel for the whole stay. They promised more, but we never got any. There was only half a roll of toilet paper, and we couldn't get more. The room was never cleaned. The TV didn't work from the 13th to the 18th. We waited in the room all day for maintenance, but nobody came. The microwave wouldn't open, and food was rotting inside it. We asked every day for the food or the microwave to be removed. The internet kept cutting out, so we used our phone hotspot for a TV we bought at Walmart. The manager lives upstairs in a room off the main staircase. She says she doesn't work there, but she walked behind the front desk and helped another angry guest who'd been locked out with his phone and belongings inside. Nobody could get him back into his room, and he sat in the lobby for hours. So clearly she does work there. Another guest cooked on a full size propane flat top stove in their room every day with the door propped open. The water was barely warm, and after about five minutes it turned cold. The heat was cranked up, or maybe it was from a grill, but the hallways and rooms stayed uncomfortably hot even with the air conditioning on its coldest setting. There was mold on the first floor windows. Two buildings were abandoned, and people were squatting in the rooms. There was also a hose leaking out front all the time, making the ground slippery with algae. It's pet friendly, but when I booked I was told the fee would be $75 for the stay, then I was charged $25 a day. The woman who isn't the manager waived that charge when they made us check out and back in.

Melissa has been a blessing to my mother and the other extended stay guests. She’s attentive, resourceful, and very helpful. This place really needs someone like her, because the virtual kiosk staff often try to overcharge customers. I honestly think the service would go downhill if she left. Yoru at the virtual front desk kiosk helped me get a key card for my mother’s room. I appreciated the friendly service, and the guests and workers were friendly too.

At least checking out went okay, but I can't recommend staying here. The check in process was awful and the help was useless. They didn't clean the room even after I asked multiple times, and they never changed the towels. I had to go downstairs for fresh ones, but there was nobody there, just someone on a kiosk video call. Nine times out of ten, no cleaning staff were available, so we waited hours for towels. They didn't take out the trash either.