Budgetel Inn & Suites

The price was lower than at most hotels, and the room was very clean, bathroom included. The A/C worked superbly, too. Staff were all friendly and accommodating. Come stay!!!!!

The rooms are old and smelly, and there was no TV service. They charged me too much even though I checked out a day early. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone.

The phone in the room didn't work. Management also wouldn't offer free breakfast, saying they were too short staffed to heat eggs and sausage or even provide cereal and milk. Their sign blamed “COVID issues.” The place has potential, especially while renovations are underway.

After leaving a funeral in Houston, I was driving back to San Angelo and stopped in Hearne to rest. I checked into the Budgetel at 10 p.m. on July 27, 2025. The room was nicely appointed and in a convenient part of town, but as I tried to sleep I kept hearing tapping and gnawing behind the TV and refrigerator. At 1 a.m. I turned on the lights in desperation and saw a rat dart behind the fridge. I packed up and got back on the road. I told the front desk clerk, who should have refunded me right away, but he said only the manager could do it. The next afternoon I was told manager Mike worked 9-1. I called again the following morning and spoke with Mike, who said “no refund,” explaining that they had checked the room for a rat and it wasn't there. Of course they'd say that. They want to keep the money. I had to find another, rat-free hotel and pay again, which feels extremely unfair. The motel is renovating and improving the property, with construction underway, so maybe that gave the rat a way in. I don't know, but I've never had service this bad. I understand hotels need to be careful about people renting “by the hour,” but I was traveling alone and just wanted somewhere to sleep. There's a sign out front saying, among other things, “absolutely no refunds.” Well played, sir. Well played. Sign: 1, weary traveler: 0. The Rat King rules. My grandparents ran a small grocery store in Hearne in the 1940s. To keep their business going, they treated customers kindly and respectfully and made things right when someone was upset. Don't expect that at the Budgetel in Hearne. The strict rules and policies don't encourage anyone to return. They also say they “found no rats on the property,” which is simply a lie about the pest problem. An absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence. I have a biology degree from Rice University, but even without it I know a rat when I see one. Apparently they expect “photographic evidence.” They assume I don't have any, but again, absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence. The Rat King may have to make his debut on social media soon. Maybe they didn't find him because snakes eat rodents.