Timbers Motel

Our room was clean, well laid out, and the appliances worked. We had our dog with us and could walk across the street to the park. The room also had a pet bed and bowls ready for us.

For getting around Ashland, Timbers Inn and Suites is well placed near Southern Oregon University and the historic district, with cafes and the ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum nearby. The rooms were clean and the bathrooms updated, and the staff were attentive and professional, even with the front desk open only limited hours. The exterior corridors keep the property’s classic motel feel, while in-room refrigerators and microwaves, flat-screen TVs, and high-speed Wi-Fi made the stay comfortable. It worked as a practical, good-value option for a short visit or a longer one. There are some tradeoffs: the parking area is compact, and the urban setting can mean street noise. Still, it’s a reliable, functional place to stay in the Rogue Valley.

We won’t be returning. I’ve never had such poor customer service, and when the owner replied to my review two months later, they still didn’t apologize for the miscommunication or lack of service. Instead they called me “angry” and said I was trying to hurt their business. When we questioned the charge, the owner sent a long email with more excuses and told us we were wrong about how we felt. Use caution when booking. The trouble started at check-in, a little before 4 pm. No one was at the desk, and a sign said staff were unavailable, probably doing housekeeping. An employee then rushed in with a spray bottle to check us in. She was curt and quiet, and we had to ask her to repeat questions because we couldn’t understand her. She checked that we had no animals, so I assumed it was an animal-free motel. It wasn’t: a dog on the other side of our wall barked at every sound that first night. She also didn’t explain the extra $100 deposit. I knew deposits were customary, but a quick explanation that it would be returned if the room was in good shape would have helped. A few days after checkout, some money was still withheld, though not the full $100. My partner emailed to ask about it and got an immediate reply saying two towels were stained beyond repair, with photos attached. They looked like normal towels after a two-night stay, and the pictures appeared to have been taken before washing. I used one washcloth to remove makeup and rinsed it thoroughly. Proper bleaching and cleaning should have been enough. I’m concerned they inspected and photographed minor marks before cleaning the towels, especially when staff seemed busy splitting time between housekeeping and the desk. The room itself was simply and nicely decorated, and the large fridge was useful for our trip supplies. But the bed was very stiff and uncomfortable, and my partner went without pillows for both nights because those weren’t comfortable either. The window AC was noisy and inconsistent through the night, even when we changed the settings. I didn’t want to open the front window: there were no sheer privacy curtains beneath the blackout curtains, no screen, and we were on the first floor near the street. The shower and bathroom flooring were peeling and in poor shape. Parking was limited to about ten spaces in front of the rooms. If those were full, you had to park behind the motel in a lot shared with a grocery store and strip mall, where the car was only visible from the bathroom window. Nobody told us this at check-in. On Friday, I took the DND sign off the door and put it inside, expecting turndown service based on how I’d learned to do it when I worked at a hotel. Nothing had been touched when we returned. My partner moved the sign back to the door and saw that the other side said “Service Please.” We hadn’t been told to put it out or even to look for it. Maybe we caught the motel at a bad time, but with nightly prices high for what’s offered, all of this was frustrating.

I’d stay here again if I’m in the area. A few weeks ago I spent several days at Timbers Inn in Ashland, Oregon, and felt safe at a reasonable price. The room was spotless and had the basics I needed, and the front office was professional and friendly. After a full day of travel, the showerhead gave an intense massage that eased my sore muscles.