Northgate Inn Motel

The motel was quiet, affordable, and had great trailer parking, but I gave the room a low rating for cleanliness and other problems. Under the beds looked untouched, with dust bunnies, the towels had makeup smudges, and the bedding had a questionable substance on it. The window was siliconed shut. There were holes in the walls, the entry door had no security features and a broken doorknob, and several outlets didn't work.

People in Challis seemed friendly overall, with that small-town charm. The staff here were friendly and always smiling, and they went out of their way to make my stay more comfortable. Lisa, the manager, was especially helpful at the front desk when I made my reservation. When I needed to extend my stay on short notice, she quickly fit me in and let me keep the same room.

It was cheap, and it gave us a place to sleep, which was what we needed. But checking in took forever while the front desk help was on a break, and they didn't know which room was available. Getting a key felt like a struggle, even though we were paying for one night. The air conditioner ran loudly all night without stopping, and there wasn't a trash can, so we had to improvise. The corner light wouldn't turn off, so we unplugged it. The window shades wouldn't stay closed, and with the window at ground level, we felt exposed all night. They said there was Wi-Fi, but gave us no instructions to connect. There was a TV but no remote, so we couldn't watch it.

I arrived to find the front desk woman saying I had no reservation. She said the previous owners had been overbooking the hotel for more than six months. I was turned away without help and had nowhere to stay in such a small town. She seemed scared and untrained. Hotels.com called the property, but no one could tell them anything about the billing or whether I would be charged or refunded. Terrible experience.