La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Elkview - Charleston NE

The room was clean in many ways: fresh linens, a comfortable bed, spotless vacuumed rug, clean towels and bathroom, and barely any dust. Housekeeping did a great job, apart from the closet. That’s the only reason I’m not giving this one star. But the mold and dampness were hard to ignore. I noticed a strange smell as soon as I opened the room door, and there was mold across much of the bedroom ceiling and walls, around the window, and actively on the curtains. The bathroom had the least of it. The air unit smelled awful and showed signs of moisture too. I spoke with another guest at breakfast who said their room had mold all over it as well, on a different floor. The elevator area also looked neglected, with visible decay and mold on the ceiling. Both elevators smelled sketchy and showed moisture problems, and their inspection certificates were badly decayed. The outside of the hotel looked well kept, and the location is convenient, right off the highway and about 15 minutes from Charleston. There’s plenty nearby, including fast food, gas stations, a Kroger, TK’s Pizza and Sports Bar, and a Mexican restaurant. The staff were neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but they didn’t acknowledge me when I came to the desk, so I stood there awkwardly until someone paid attention. Breakfast was a nice extra, though disappointing: the biscuits were too hard to eat, the potatoes were cold despite being in a warming container, and the sausage was hard and cold. I settled for making a Belgian waffle. This hotel is showing serious signs of neglect. Charleston hotels have generally been run down and disappointing, and this one used to be among the better options even with its flaws. Now it isn’t much better than the others. Mold throughout a building is an extremely frustrating problem and unacceptable for this brand. La Quinta is meant to be a budget friendly, upper midscale three star hotel, and a three star place should not have obvious mold around the building.