Motel 6-Centralia, WA

We wanted a cheap place to sleep on the road, and this Motel 6 did the job. For the price, it felt safe and clean, and the beds were comfortable. It was basic, with soap but no shampoo or conditioner. There wasn't any comment coffee in the rooms, though I think there was coffee at the front desk. We had two rooms, and one smelled of smoke despite being marked non-smoking.

The room was clean and the mattress was okay. I knew I was choosing a basic room at a pretty cheap rate, and the linoleum floor was fine. Still, a rug by the bed, even a cheap one, would be better. I'd pay the extra $15 I saved to stay somewhere else. The bigger problem was temperature control. There was no individual AC or heater, just a central unit controlled by a thermostat with cooler and warmer settings and a fan-speed switch. I wanted to run the fan because I was on the second floor and the room was too warm, but turning it on only made things hotter. Opening the door was the only way to cool it down. If that's how the whole hotel chain works, I probably wouldn't choose it again.

The price is good, the rooms are clean, and the staff are friendly and helpful. I drive in from California after a long trip, sometimes at odd hours, and they’re flexible with check-in and checkout times now. That wasn’t always the case in the past. I tend to forget things like an iron, and they’re glad to lend what I need if they have it. The shower gets hot quickly. I’ve stayed here many times this past year, and each visit has been a little different. No complaints.

The room and bed were clean, and the front desk staff were friendly. That’s why I’m giving it more than zero stars, even though the rest of the stay was rough. I booked an upstairs room and got one, but nobody told me it would be a smoking room. After driving for hours through awful eclipse traffic, I needed somewhere to sleep. There seemed to be some kind of prostitution going on next door all night, and the people around the motel felt questionable. The room is dated and in poor shape. Bathroom towel fixtures were coming loose, the shower was awkwardly shaped and hard to move around in, and the fan rattled, worked badly, and looked as if it might fall. There’s no coffee in the room, which was especially disappointing after that long drive, and the soap was so tiny I was glad I’d brought my own body wash. The front desk was nice, but that didn’t make up for the condition of the room or the unsettling people around the place. The bed and room were clean, at least.