Days Inn by Wyndham Fordyce

The only person who treated us kindly was the housekeeper. She was empathetic and seemed horrified by our experience, and even pulled the front desk clerk aside to explain basic decency. From the moment we arrived, the clerk acted like we were a nuisance, with a rude, unwelcoming attitude and little professionalism. Then he gave another family a key to our occupied room. Strangers tried to come in during the night. That’s a serious failure of privacy and security. If you care about feeling safe or being welcomed, stay far away. This clerk is doing real damage to the place’s reputation.

I left after the clerk confirmed more than once that my door and deadbolt wouldn’t stay locked. I’d asked for another room three times and was refused, so I drove to a hotel in a nearby town and spent the night there. I expected a refund for my second night, but got nothing. In an email, management said the lock was fine, that I’d only been asked to wait 10 minutes, and that no one could get in because my room was inside. It took me longer than 10 minutes to pack, and that isn’t what the clerk told me. Whether the room was interior or exterior, I paid for somewhere secure to sleep. They didn’t care about my safety. Here’s what happened: on arrival, I noticed the door could be opened from the hallway and reported it. The clerk checked and said I needed to swipe my key for it to lock. I heard it click, went to get my bags, then found it open when I was ready to leave. My key didn’t work, but the clerk got it to lock after two swipes. The next morning, I had the same problem. He came and locked it with my key, then I went out around 10 am. When I returned at about 6:40 pm, the room was unlocked again. The clerk offered to check whether anyone was inside and whether my things were untouched. We found no one, and my things seemed okay. I asked to move rooms and was denied. He tested the deadbolt with me inside, but he could still open the door from the hall. Then we switched places, and the same thing happened when he tried locking it from inside. He called his manager. I again asked to move, but was told maintenance would arrive at 9:00. I wasn’t willing to wait two hours in an unlocked room, let someone come in at 9 pm, and risk finding out even later that it couldn’t be fixed. I packed, handed in my key, and told the clerk I wouldn’t stay. I called the next morning to talk to the manager, who wasn’t in; I was told he’d handle it when he arrived. Beware.

I booked a stay through the Booking app while looking for a place in Monticello, Arkansas. The listing appeared on Google Maps as a Days Inn in Monticello, so I picked it. But when I got to the mapped address, it was a different hotel, even though Google Maps still called it a Days Inn. Checking my reservation showed it was actually in Fordyce, another town. I called within five minutes of booking to explain that the listing had misled me and ask for a refund. I had no way to get to Fordyce, but the staff were rude and unhelpful and refused to refund me. The inaccurate location made this a frustrating experience.

Breakfast is available every day, and the customer service and room service were excellent. It was comfortable and enjoyable for me, and not far from the office.