HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof Columbus

I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. It was filthy and run down, with roaches everywhere. The walls were disgusting, the microwave looked uncleaned, and the stove had crumbs around it. The shower rod was barely attached and held together with electrical tape. The lights went out completely, and no one could help. I ended up buying cleaning supplies to bleach the whole room and Lysol to cover the odor inside and outside it. Trash was left in the hall, stairway, and laundry room. I didn't feel comfortable staying there, and wouldn't bring my kids, family, or pets.

I don't care how cheap the room is, it isn't worth it. The floors were sticky and filthy, the refrigerator top was covered in what looked like food at different stages of decay, and the shower had almost no pressure. I couldn't take a bath because the overflow drain cover was missing. On my first night, after I'd paid a week in advance, a man came bursting through the stairwell door at the end of the hall. Two women came out of their room, and I felt I should stay nearby for their safety. He said someone had tried to jump him, though no one was there. I'd locked myself out, so I went barefoot to the desk. While I waited and repeatedly called for night service with no answer, the man came back down the hall being carried by two older women, likely his mother and grandmother, with a little girl behind them. The people he said had jumped him came in through the other door. The night service person and I were caught in the middle. People started yelling, and the older woman sprayed pepper spray over everyone. I had to take the can from her and spent the rest of the evening trying to stop my skin from burning. There was also what looked and smelled like vomit trailing from the third floor to the first-floor exit. It stayed there for three days without being cleaned.

I booked through ID.me on a nonrefundable rate and stayed because my son was in the ICU at a nearby hospital. The staff were extremely sweet, and thankfully my room didn't smell of drugs or cigarettes. I also appreciated that there was no carpet. Those were the good parts. The room was dirty at check-in. I scrubbed it with bleach several times before dried food came off the floor. The stove and refrigerator were dirty, the room phone didn't work, and the hotel was often out of clean towels and toilet paper. There was no complimentary coffee despite it being advertised on the First Responder/Military website I used and on hotel posters. The elevator was broken, the fire alarm was disabled, stairwell exit doors weren't properly secured, and electronic keys stopped working daily. No trash can was in the room. In two weeks, no cleaning was done except by me; no clean linens were offered, and they were out when I asked. Power was out for a full day and internet was intermittent. The bed was hard, the pillows old and flat. I'm not from Ohio and had no idea the hotel was so raunchy. The $80 regular rate, or even the $60 discount, wasn't worth it. Room rates should be a third or less, and the employees deserve a raise. Police came daily for domestic disputes. On the third night, I stepped in during a domestic violence situation, told one person to go back and secure her room door and the man to leave the floor until police arrived. They complied, but police took over an hour to respond. The same couple had three young children who cried nonstop, and the man yelled, cursed, and argued with guests at all hours. I wouldn't recommend staying here unless you were desperate to avoid sleeping in a tent or car.

An inexpensive place to stay, with rooms that are okay for the price. The staff are very friendly, and the location is handy for travel, right off 71 and 270. There are eateries everywhere.