American Star Inn & Suites Atlantic City

The room smelled musty and moldy, and it needed a few small repairs. The man at the desk was very nice and helpful, and even let us check in early. He gets five stars on his own.

The location was about 25 minutes from the boardwalk, with ShopRite, liquor stores, gas stations, and shopping plazas nearby. Our room had a fridge, microwave, hangers and a clothes rack, and a TV with limited channels. We didn't see insects or rodents, but there was no pool. For a short, inexpensive weekend stay under $300, you might manage with these conditions on short notice. If you want a proper hotel experience, book somewhere with better quality and service. The owner greeted us nicely and was willing to move us after we accidentally booked a smoking room, without making us go through the new reservation process for a nonsmoking room. At first, the blue walls and neatly made beds looked pleasant. Once we unpacked, though, we found a folded hand towel with a hard brown substance inside it, and the comforter sheets looked dingy and unwashed underneath. The sink drained very slowly and filled up as we washed our hands. We found a clog of hair and pulled some out with a plastic bag, but more was too far down to reach. Hair kept floating out, so we used the tub water to brush our teeth and wash our hands instead. There was a stain on one of the bath towels, which made us question whether the others were clean too. The room smelled old and musty, the rug looked old and dirty, and the shower curtain was dingy, spotted, and moldy. The tub had soap scum. We had two beds, one with a soft mattress and the other with a stiff surface that felt like it might need flipping.

The smell hit us as soon as we walked in. I couldn't see any mold, but it smelled strongly moldy, maybe from under the carpet. The curtains were stained, and the sheets and blankets had holes. There was so much dust and dirt at the bottom of the hot tub that it clearly hadn't been cleaned. We'd booked in a rush and missed the reviews until we checked in. Then I saw one from two months earlier saying someone woke up itching and found bedbugs. We checked the bed and dressers and didn't find anything, but the room still had that bedbug-suite feeling 🤣😩.

They didn't have the room I had reserved and put us in the dirtiest room imaginable. We left right away. It was so gross we didn't even ask for a refund, we just wanted out.