Travelodge by Wyndham Golden/Denver

The room was clean, the staff friendly, and it was easy to get to. The simple continental breakfast was enough, and the price was right. But hot water took around 15 minutes, the toilet kept running, and housekeeping hadn't caught it. Worst of all, we only noticed the fridge wasn't plugged in as we were leaving, so our seafood leftovers from the night before were sitting at room temperature.

The staff were pleasant and accommodating, and breakfast starts at 6 with a waffle iron and a few bagels. The lobby had an unpleasant smell, maybe sewer gas or water heater exhaust. If you need a budget place within easy driving distance of Denver, this could work. Just know that our room had no hot water for a shower, a TV that didn't work, and so few working outlets we had to choose between the fridge and a light. There were bottle caps in the corner, too, free of charge.

Please don't be fooled by this place. I traveled from Tennessee on Christmas night with my family, and arrived around 10:00 PM. The room smelled musty, the floor was dirty with sugar packets scattered around, and the pull-out couch sheets had significant stains. There was no extra bedding in the closet. When I asked the front desk for clean bedding, the staff member was unhelpful. He eventually brought some, but it was inadequate: no pillowcases, just thin sheets and a bed skirt that my daughter had to use as a blanket. The TV had no channels, and the musty odor was so strong we had to run the air conditioning, which was loud and ineffective. The bathrooms, hallways, and dining area that evening were also dirty. I checked out early the next morning. I usually don't complain, but the hotel's condition and service concerned me, and it didn't meet the standards I expect from Wyndham properties. I was told a refund wasn't possible because I booked through a third-party site, but I asked for some compensation or a voucher for a future stay. I sent an email with photos and still haven't received a response. I said I would wait to post reviews until I heard back, and I'm sharing this because I wouldn't want children staying somewhere like this.

The staff were polite, and I want to be clear that my complaints are about the property's condition and cleanliness. This was the worst of the five hotels on our trip, and possibly the worst stay I've ever had. The low rate didn't make it worthwhile. Booking directly through the hotel's site also felt questionable, and they kept trying to upsell extra packages. We had two rooms and four beds total. The beds smelled unpleasant, as if the sheets hadn't been freshly changed. Every sheet I checked was stained, and one was torn. My mattress itself was broken, with hard boards or walls seeming to poke into my sides and the whole middle sunken in. I usually shower twice a day, but that night I slept in my arrival clothes because the bed was unacceptable. My daughter's pillow was black with dirt, so we set it aside. One room's TV changed channels by itself, probably because children in the next room were using a remote on the same frequency. There was also a large wall stain that looked like dried blood. A smoke detector beeped loudly all night because of a low battery, making real rest almost impossible. The first impression was bad too: the broken clearance bar at the entrance hung so low I couldn't drive in properly. The lobby had a strong sewage-like smell, as though fumes were escaping from a plumbing problem. I hadn't planned to review the hotel, but after several emails asking me to, I decided to describe what happened. I hope management takes these problems seriously for future guests.