Innkeeper Motel

We’d already paid for the room, but the man at the front desk refused to let us check in. We had no pet with us, and even offered to let him inspect our vehicle to show that. The booking process nowhere clearly stated a strict no-pet policy. After a tiring day, we accidentally marked “yes” for a pet at check-in, then immediately corrected the human error. I told him several times that I had my 18-month-old child with me. He showed no compassion or willingness to resolve what seemed like a simple mistake. Refusing a family a room over an accidental checkbox, when there was no pet present, was beyond unprofessional. Absolutely ridiculous experience at the Innkeeper in Hamel, IL, and the worst customer service I’ve had in a long time.

We drove 40 minutes from my husband’s work to the motel in Hamel, only to be spoken to like complete morons and belittled. The woman at the counter said she had canceled our reservation, but she hadn’t told my husband that on the phone. He’d only called to ask about bringing our cat. She then said they were booked up and couldn’t give us a room anyway. How could they be booked if we had a reservation made at 10 o’clock that morning? We’d been looking for an affordable place near my work, and my husband had reserved a room for four days on booking.com using his credit card. The site says pets are accepted. When he called to confirm that our cat could come, the woman told him there were no pet-friendly rooms open at the time. He understood, and we planned to find somewhere else to keep the cat for those four days. If I could, I’d rate the customer service minus five stars. I think this is a roach motel where she’d rather let dirty truckers pay cash under the table than honor our reservation and have decent people stay in her disgusting establishment. I wouldn’t sleep in one of those bug rooms if my life depended on it, and I’d never want to be spoken to again by someone who can barely speak.

My girlfriend and I were getting bitten, and after spotting a bug we asked to move rooms. In room 68 there was also a HUGE BLOOD STAIN under the mattress. Disgusting. I reported it to the owners, but they did nothing. He blamed me for bringing in bedbugs, even though I knew they’d been there since we arrived, and he didn’t acknowledge the blood stain. We ended up calling the cops, and they had to take it from there and call the health department. Worst motel ever.

The staff were very friendly, but the guests made a lot of noise, and so did the truck stop across the road. The place was in very bad shape, though it was cheap. I didn’t see any bugs, which was a plus, but it wasn’t nice, and it had an odd smell. Could not recommend.