Rodeway Inn Greenwood

I first stayed here in November 2025 and could see that the owners had put real effort into improving a property that had been in very rough shape when they bought it a few years earlier. Things looked much better, though there were still signs of its past condition. The owner seemed open to ideas and feedback and committed to making the motel a good place to stay. My room had some housekeeping and maintenance problems, but he wanted to address them, so I assumed they were growing pains. He and his family came across as nice, hardworking people. When I came back in February 2026, hoping for more progress, I called and was quoted $85, or $80 with a discount. Choice Hotels listed the same room at $79 without a discount, so that didn’t feel like much of a deal. I was also asked if I wanted a housekeeping job, which made me think they were still having trouble finding or keeping housekeepers. I went anyway, but the parking lot had deteriorated since November, with crumbling pavement, sizable potholes, and litter. It was around 2 AM on a Wednesday when I arrived, and a loud party was going on in rooms facing the lot entrance. Guests on the second floor had spilled over into the ground floor rooms. I rang the office bell twice and got no response. While I waited, someone came up behind me, talking loudly on speakerphone while riding a bicycle. He was staying on the quiet side at the back of the motel. From what I saw, it seemed the owner had more or less given up since November. There were guests with only bicycles for transport, and things near the party rooms suggested the property had turned into a motel community, with people staying week to week instead of having more permanent housing. Its condition had gone downhill rather than improving. That kind of situation makes it harder to find and keep housekeepers and maintenance workers, especially if guests are abusing and damaging the rooms and common areas. If the property keeps deteriorating and staffing remains a challenge, fewer regular travelers will want to stay. It could end up with mostly week-to-week guests and falling room rates, leaving even fewer resources to hire staff or maintain the place. I decided not to stay this week. It was sad and disappointing after meeting the owner and his family in November 2025 and hoping they’d keep making improvements. By February 2026, what I saw was defeat and despair. If you’re looking for a motel community, this is essentially one. Travelers can find other properties in and around Greenwood around the $80 a night price point that are in much better condition and aren’t motel communities.