Days Inn by Wyndham Erie

The location was convenient, but I can’t think of much else in its favor. Our kitchenette room had no kitchen supplies, which was a first for me. The floor was sticky, there were mystery marks and stuff stuck to the hallway floors, and we saw two cockroaches, one in the hall and one in the room. The pull-out couch had red and brown stains, and the room doors looked heavily used, like they were meant to keep someone in or out. Even the bathroom doorknob was crooked. There was a bottle opener on the bathroom wall, at least, if you like having a beer on the toilet. The desk guy at check-in was friendly, but the woman working in the morning was gruff and rude. Breakfast might have been good, but the sausage patties looked sickly gray, the bananas were overripe and browning, and cream cheese was sitting out at room temperature. I checked the containers and saw bright red instructions to keep it refrigerated, so I went to tell the desk. I waited in the lobby for 20 minutes without seeing any employee. I’d call it a great value if I weren’t currently paying half as much for a much nicer hotel.

The lobby and hallways had no heat. The person at the counter was bundled in a winter coat with the hood wrapped tightly around their face. My deluxe room was huge, but cold enough that the only way to stay warm was under the covers, even with the heater running at 70. In the morning it was too cold to shower. I sat by the heater with my feet on a pillow, and my hands still got cold. Why pay to freeze when I could stay somewhere warm?

It was freezing outside, but the room heater worked really well. The rooms were spotless, and staff made sure we got fresh towels and toiletries each day. Great service, and I’d definitely recommend this place.

We were crossing the country for Christmas, stopping late and leaving early, and wanted a clean, comfortable hotel with breakfast. From outside in Erie, PA, the place looked ordinary, but inside we found a hotel made up of three or four buildings joined by enclosed walkways. Our room was in the back-left building, behind the main one. The front looked fine, but the back hall smelled of stale cigarettes and dogs. The room smelled a little better, but it was icy. We were out of options that night, so we turned the heat up to 84 and went to find dinner. When we returned, the heater was blowing lukewarm air and the room was barely warmer. The bedding looked clean, but the fitted sheets had holes at the corners, exposing the mattresses. The pillows were so flat that one adult would need all four for a decent pillow. There was an almost two-inch gap under the door, so I stuffed towels there to keep the heat from escaping. With young kids and a late night, we gave up and went to bed. My husband and I each shared a bed with one child to keep them warm, then left as soon as we woke. We skipped showers until the next stop: the bathroom was freezing too, and the only towels were thin, scratchy pool towels. On the way out, the connector hall was flooded, and we helped the kids across so their feet wouldn’t get wet. My husband checked us in, so I can’t comment on service, and we left too soon to try breakfast. The room floor didn’t dirty my socks and the sheets seemed clean, which is how this got two stars. I got a Hotels.com special for $48 a night, but there’s a lot of work to do before this hotel should take more bookings.