AmericInn by Wyndham Hays

After an eight-hour drive with two little kids, we were looking forward to swimming and relaxing, but the pool room and water were dangerously cold. Thankfully, the hotel next door let us swim there for free. Our first room had toenail clippings all through the carpet. In the replacement, there were stains on the carpet and ironing board, hair in the shower, and mold in the bathroom and around the outlets the AC plugs into beneath the window. It was a terrible stay. Save your money and go to the avid hotel next door instead.

The free breakfast was excellent, and Emmy, the manager, went beyond what we expected. Even with the hotel fully booked for a busy weekend, she and the staff stayed friendly and accommodating. We were in town for a Fort Hays State University Homecoming, and the hotel met our expectations for this price range. Our big group will stay here again on our next visit.

We stayed two nights, and the only real issue was that we got no room service at all. Otherwise, it was a pleasant stay: the hotel was quiet, the rooms were clean, and the beds comfortable. The hot breakfast was appreciated, too. It's just off the interstate, so getting back on the road was easy, with several restaurants nearby and a Wal-Mart right next door.

I still don't know what happened to my shower bag. We checked out of AmericInn by Wyndham after arriving past midnight, having breakfast, showering, and packing. Later, in southern Illinois, I realized the bag wasn't in my suitcase. I hadn't seen it since packing that morning and figured I'd left it hanging in the shower. It had a $100 toothbrush and a $100 razor, and I offered to pay for shipping if the hotel found it. The front desk guy said nobody had turned it in, promised to ask housekeeping and call back, but never did. A few days later, after buying another toothbrush and getting a razor from a Hilton, I called again. A different person said it still wasn't in lost and found and suggested I speak to the GM the next day. I managed to reach the GM while driving back to Colorado, and got the same answer: no one had found or turned in the bag. Maybe I left it there and a staff member took it, threw it out, or kept it. Or maybe it was in my suitcase and somehow came loose in the back of a 26 foot cargo truck, which wasn't opened until we stopped the following night. Either way, I wouldn't trust the staff at the AmericInn by Wyndham.