Knights Inn & Suites Emporia

The room wasn't in good shape, and the pool was out of service even though it was one of the amenities we were looking forward to. I have six minutes of video showing the problems, but the upload wouldn't work. It was about $52 after tax, so I suppose you get what you pay for. The owner was reasonable when I spoke with him. He said state policy requires the chain to keep a photocopy of IDs for three years, then destroy them without distributing them. I appreciated the explanation, and I also googled it. Apparently it's a thing at most motels, not hotels. My first interaction at the desk left me uncomfortable. The employee photocopied my ID, which surprised me. When I asked why, he said it was for security, then got loud and defensive. I asked why he was raising his voice when I wasn't, and explained I wasn't trying to be rude, just wanted to know my identity would be handled safely. I mentioned that I worked at Marriott International for three years and we never copied guest IDs, so this seemed unusual. He offered to refund me and give me back the photocopy so I could leave, but that wasn't what I was asking. I only wanted an explanation of the policy. He eventually offered to get the owner, and I agreed.

The rooms are very old, with faded paint, and it seems like the plan is to tear the place down. There was no soap or shampoo, just one set of towels, and the pricing was represented dishonestly. Cable TV was blurry and lagged. I liked Knights Inn back in 2012, but these days they seem to be running the brand into the ground. I'll try other hotel chains in the future.

The rooms were dirty, and there were no towels, washcloths, or rags. The ice machines were out of order, and despite what the listing says, there was no breakfast. The keys wouldn't let us into the room when they were supposed to. The hot tub wasn't working either. Cold air came under the door, so we had to put a towel there. There was only one outlet, by the sink, and the stairs were damaged too. Watch your step going down.

The room itself wasn't bad, but it needs proper management and upkeep to be worth the money. When we arrived, only the beds had been taken care of. The microwave and mini fridge hadn't been wiped down, there were no towels or toilet paper, and I even had to ask for batteries for the remote. I had to go downstairs so many times for things that should already have been in the room, it was embarrassing. I also saw roaches running around, which was great. 👍