Americas Best Value Inn

If you’re trying to save money, you may be fine here, but we found our limit. We booked to keep costs down and are used to camping when we travel, though that isn’t always possible. For $80, the room was decent enough, and we didn’t find problems in the sheets when we first checked them. But behind the bed, against the wall, was really gross. While I was in the bathroom without my phone to distract me, I noticed dust and hair caked along the wall and floor. A swipe with toilet paper made it look like that area hadn’t been cleaned in a while. Then my partner wondered how often the comforter gets washed. Under it, there were several hairs on the blanket, including some long ones. Since the top sheet was inside out, we started wondering whether it had actually been turned over between guests. I also noticed a large stain on a towel when I got ready for bed.

We booked a one-night stay at Cabarrus Inn in Concord, North Carolina, through Hopper after liking the photos. From the moment we drove up, I knew it was going to be bad. Those four- and five-star reviews must be from family members or paid for. They’d done some surface cleaning, but there was a nasty, stained chair, badly covered holes, and a hole in the bathroom wall behind the door. The TV didn’t work, the towels and washcloths were dingy and dry, and the comforter had holes. We’re stuck with the room now, but I’ll never recommend this place. Hopper needs to take this hotel off its site. Yuck!

The only real positive is that it’s inexpensive. We booked a non-smoking room but were put in a smoking room. After driving from upstate New York, we didn’t have the energy to switch hotels, so we tried to make it work. The smell was overwhelming and got into everything. The sheets were so gross we used the emergency sleeping bags I keep in the car. There were cigarette burns in everything, peeling paint, and a ceiling that needed proper repairs. The whole second floor smelled of marijuana. The late check-in window has such a tiny hole that you can’t hear through it, which is rough when you’re already hard of hearing. The hotel is right next to the train tracks, close enough to hit a train with a stone, and one came by around 3:00 AM. We cancelled the second night and moved to a chain hotel. If you just need somewhere to crash and don’t care about these things, maybe consider it, but there are better options.

Being right by the railroad was awesome for me as a railroad nerd, and I got some pretty nice pictures. The people around there were nice too. It was a pretty good experience, though the beds were kind of stiff and a bit uncomfortable. It wasn’t horrible.