Super 8 by Wyndham Farmington

I’ve used this place twice as a stop between Texas and Illinois, and both stays left me with pretty serious complaints. In the accessible room I booked by mistake, there was plenty of space and it was clean, but the AC barely cooled the room, so it stayed hot and stuffy all night. Then noise from the lobby and breakfast area started around 5 a.m. and kept going, with loud voices and thumping against the wall behind the bed. Sleep was out of the question. On my next visit I tried a regular room, but it was cramped, cluttered, and gloomy, more like a shabby studio apartment. The appliances and bathroom fixtures were very dated, and upkeep was poor. The tub felt too tight to use comfortably; its faucet knob was covered in what looked like mold or dirt, the showerhead was caked with soap residue and water stains, and there were hairs around the sink. I scrubbed the showerhead clean in about two minutes, something staff could easily have done. The room itself wasn’t the worst I’ve seen, but this is definitely a low-end budget stay. I’ve had much nicer Super 8 rooms.

The room was clean, the shower was good, and the price was really good. The TV took some figuring out, and the attendant didn’t seem to know much about it. I did get the regular channels working.

I rely on my professionally trained service dog to keep me safe and help prevent medical emergencies, especially when I’m traveling alone. He gets follow-up training, and I’ve never had trouble bringing him places before. I mentioned him in my reservation, though since it was a last-minute booking I didn’t call ahead as I usually do. At check-in, the woman told me pets weren’t allowed. When I explained he was a service dog, she rolled her eyes and gave me a look, then asked for paperwork. I said documentation wasn’t required, but she argued with me. I was exhausted and said I’d go somewhere else if this was going to be an issue. I know some people misuse the rules, but I still shouldn’t have been spoken to that way. I’m writing partly to explain that no paperwork is needed to verify a service dog. Online “registered” service dog papers are likely a scam. I could demonstrate his work, share training receipts, or provide contact details for his trainers, but the law doesn’t require any of that. The only questions that may be asked are whether the dog is a service animal and what task he’s trained to do. He doesn’t need a document to enter a building. Please treat people who depend on these animals better. You may not see what someone is dealing with, but it’s there, and these dogs make life easier.

I booked this at the last minute through Google, then found out when I arrived that a cash deposit was required. I had no cash, so I couldn’t stay. I canceled less than 20 minutes after booking and asked for a refund. I hadn’t even had 24 hours to cancel, and the room could surely still have been sold, but they refused to return the money. Keep it if you need it that badly, but charging for a service you never provided feels like a dirty way to make money. I didn’t see any mention of a $250 cash deposit while booking through Google.