Quality Inn Oakwood - Gainesville

I work nights and asked the front desk to have someone turn down music in the parking lot. An hour later, the same person was playing a Bluetooth speaker almost right outside my door. I asked the young woman at the desk to move me, but she said she couldn’t do anything and someone else would handle it in the morning. I still had four days left, but I’m definitely changing that. We’re a crew of four, so they’re losing more than one room. I know they may not care about one room.

It was a pleasant stay, with friendly staff even when I checked in late, and the prices were fair. The hole in the comforter was fixed right away without any attitude when I mentioned it. It’s a quirky little motel and was a bit of a pain to find, which kept it from being five stars across the board.

The bed seemed clean, and I didn’t see bugs, at least. I picked the place for its location and price under $100 a night, but that was a mistake. I booked a king and requested a first-floor room six weeks ahead. At check-in, I was told I had a double queen upstairs; when I asked about the first floor, they said they were sold out. The room I got was still a double queen, and it smelled like it may once have been a smoking room despite being listed as nonsmoking. There were old leftovers in the fridge, press-on nails on the floor, just one towel, one washcloth, and one cup. The ice machine was broken, and the free internet kept disconnecting and was hard to connect to in the first place. The pool had no chairs, and the water didn’t look inviting. Outside, the steps were rusty and broken, and a few people were drinking while a strong marijuana smell came from near their room. I didn’t bother checking the rest of the property. I should have read the reviews as I usually do, instead of choosing based on price and location.

The room had sticky carpet, stained sheets, hair in the sink and on the pillow, and a bathroom that smelled of mildew and sewer gas. I’m pretty sure I heard rodents in the walls at night. The Wi-Fi didn’t work, the AC was loud and barely functional, and the thin walls let every cough, footstep, and door slam carry. Breakfast was just stale muffins and lukewarm coffee in a corner of the lobby. At checkout I had to argue for 30 minutes to remove a minibar charge for things I never touched. From the start, the front desk staff made check-in feel like an inconvenience, with no greeting, just a rude grunt and a key tossed at me. I regretted booking this place right away. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.