Americas Best Value Inn - Covington

The beds were awful, and I could feel the springs. Outlets beside the bed didn’t work, and the heater smelled like it was burning. Smoke detectors were off the wall. We changed rooms, but the next room had the same problems. The fire extinguisher hadn’t been inspected in two years. Definitely not recommended. Addendum: My dad eventually spoke with the manager, who threatened him and said he was now on a do-not-rent list. I didn’t know the hotel business had mob connections like that. It was ridiculous. Please don’t stay here. There’s a reason this was the only place with availability within a 20-mile radius.

We weren’t looking for luxury and booked M Star at the last minute because it allowed dogs and gave us somewhere to sleep. It was enough for two adults and a dog, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a family or anyone bothered by a rough-around-the-edges hotel. The room was generally clean and comfortable, though not well appointed. Some paintings hung crooked, and there was only half a roll of toilet paper. The desk isn’t staffed by someone in person at night, and perhaps during the day either. You have to call a number to reach someone at the Magnuson Hotel up the road, then drive there to get your room key. The clerk said they planned to set up video calls with the M Star desk soon. Inside the room, the headboard for one bed had fallen behind it and hadn’t been fixed. The toilet seat was unattached, and the cold shower handle was broken, so turning on cold water took some handy work. The Wi-Fi didn’t work. We couldn’t use our phones as hotspots because the cell signal was too weak. We called the Magnuson front desk, and the attendant said he’d reset the Wi-Fi, but it still failed. On our second call, he said he’d submit a repair ticket for the next afternoon. Hopefully that helps the next guests. M Star isn’t for people expecting a luxurious family spa stay.

The room was cozy, though older-looking and less well maintained than most places. Check-in was virtual and linked to the main hotel, so extenuating circumstances meant we had to drive there to pick up our room keys. The rooms weren’t soundproof, but they blocked enough noise that I couldn’t hear the bar music across the street all night. Breakfast is described as a free full breakfast, but it’s an $8 voucher that they expect to cover everything someone might want in the morning.

Room 212 was fine, but we spent our first night in room 107 in the first building, where the rooms are numbered in the 100s. The next day my wife called to say we needed to switch rooms and buildings. She'd looked in the cabinet under the bathroom sink and found it packed with roaches. I wouldn't stay in that first building.