White Pine Motel

Once I got the key, there wasn't any service. I travel with a service dog, and at the last minute the man decided to charge me another $10. Since there was no customer service after he handed over the key, he wouldn't even have known she was there. The room was cold and unpleasant, and the TV didn't work. For the same money, I'd go to Magnuson Park Vue next time and get a working TV and breakfast included. That's just my honest opinion, but I was really disappointed with White Pine Motel.

The female manager said she didn't know what was happening with the upstairs rooms, but offered to clean a room downstairs for me. It was around 5 p.m. and getting dark. If it had been earlier, I would've canceled and left. The room I finally got was very small and outdated, but at least it was clean and cozy. The next morning, several shower tiles gave way under my feet. The whole hotel needs serious updating, and management needs training. They'd said they were new and still learning their jobs. The male manager couldn't find my reservation until I showed him the confirmation on my phone. Then the first room he put me in had sheets and pillowcases that clearly hadn't been changed, plus a broom and unswept trash in the corner. The artificial carpet on the stairs had several holes, and chairs outside the rooms left barely any room to walk.

I was only staying nine hours before getting back on the road, and it was late, so I went for what I assume was the cheapest hotel in town. At $62, the place was a joke. I should've slept in my car at the KOA, where I had a sleeping bag. Shame on me for staying. At 9 p.m. check-in, the two people at the desk were trying to work out which rooms had actually been cleaned. They let me look at room #14 first. It seemed fine at a glance, with a bed, TV, mini fridge, microwave, and what looked like a clean bathroom. Then I found there was no shower curtain, the rod was standing vertically in the shower, and the curtain hooks were beside the sink. There were two hand towels and two wash rags, but no proper body towel. A hole in the shower wall was covered with some kind of clear tape. I wondered if there were critters behind it, or exposed wires that could get wet. I just wanted a shower and some sleep, so I stayed. The hot water and water pressure were decent, and nothing jumped out of the hole or electrocuted me. The bathroom floor was soaked, so I used a hand towel and a wash rag as mats. The sheets seemed clean, I think, the bed was comfortable enough, and the TV worked. There seemed to be WiFi, but I wasn't given a password and it was too late to care. I wouldn't stay again. I suspect the place may be out of business before long.

We barely slept, maybe an hour or two, and left the next morning disturbed by the conditions the manager's children seemed to be living in. They were running around barefoot in a chaotic place while their parents kept yelling. We both kept asking each other how this had happened. In hindsight, we should've slept in our truck. We'd been worn out from a long drive and, with no rooms available at the other motels, made the mistake of handing over our credit card without looking at the room. Room 12A was a nightmare. The carpet and windows were filthy, and the furniture looked like it came from a dump. We kept our shoes on and checked for cooties, surprisingly finding none. It was a hot night. The tiny A/C was mounted so high in a corner we could barely reach it, and we had to leave the door open for a couple of hours before the room cooled down. The lighting was terrible, just one ceiling bulb and a light over the bathroom sink. There was a lamp with nowhere to plug it in, and nowhere for my husband's C-Pap machine either. The shower stall was filthy and hairy, with a bar of soap left inside, loose missing tiles, mold, and lots of patching around the stall and floor from leaks. Paint splatters covered the bathroom, including the dirty sink. The mattress was worn out and uncomfortable, the sheets and pillows weren't clean, so we slept on top of the bedspread. One pillow was such a nasty shade of brown. Glad we'd brought our own. The manager was also the maid, and her cleaning cart was left beside the kids' toys. In daylight, the area looked pretty sketchy, with an abandoned motel right next door. No amount of money could fix this motel. It needs demolition.