Magnolia Inn

The check-in staff member was friendly and helpful, but when I was ready to leave, there was nobody in the lobby for at least an hour. The free breakfast still wasn't available at 8 a.m., so I left. The room was unclean, with trash behind the bed stands, hair in the sink, a dirty area in front of the toilet, and stained furniture, carpet, and washcloths. A cockroach crawled on the bed, and there was a huge spider on the wall. The toilet kept refilling because of a tank leak. There were no water glasses or disposable cups, and no bath mat for after a shower. The west side of the building has no parking. The door had large gaps because its weather seal was missing, there was no phone in the room, and the sheer window shade was see-through. The heavier drapes were decorative and didn't cover the window. The place felt a little seedy.

The woman at the front desk was awesome and deserves five stars. I hope her ear infection clears up soon. But the hotel itself wasn't ready to be open, and my reservation wasn't even at that property. She had to call the Days Inn next door to confirm it, then went to check that a room was ready before handing me a key. She told me one bed had no pillows, and there was no toilet paper or towels, which she was working to get. My booking was for a non-smoking king, not two queens. After 12 hours on the road, I didn't really care about that. The room didn't look terrible at first, but the sink and shower were disgusting. I'm not a cleanliness snob, but there were bugs and hair from previous guests, and I didn't want to think about the sheets. The toilet kept running too. I wanted to watch the Mayweather fight, but there was no Wi-Fi except the Days Inn's signal, which was barely strong enough for email. The front desk woman brought toilet paper and towels to my door. I felt bad asking, but asked to cancel. She didn't object and said she'd call the manager. I contacted Expedia and got a full refund, then drove another 30 minutes south to Brinkley, Arkansas, and stayed at a pretty nice Super 8.

The room felt fit for a princess, with a king bed, a down comforter, and maybe 10 to 12 pillows. The furniture was beautiful, and there was a microwave, TV center, and desk. But the next morning, I turned on the shower and not a drop of cold water came out.

The carpet was literally sticky, and the lock on the door was broken. The place had an unsafe feeling. Worst motel I've ever been to, and I'm never staying here again.