Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Hillsborough

The room was dirty, as a photo of the chair shows, and my first-floor window had been left open when I arrived and wouldn't close properly. The shower had no hot water. Wi-Fi didn't work, breakfast was almost nonexistent, and the coffee tasted like gray water. The only real breakfast option was making a waffle. Booking through Booking, I had already entered my information, then was asked to provide all my details again for an early check-in request, supposedly to speed things up. At the hotel I had to give my personal information once more, and my credit card details for a third time. It felt disorganized and unnecessary. There's nothing that justifies $140 a night for one person. To me, this feels like a $30-a-night place. A very poor stay, and not somewhere I'd choose again.

The staff were nice and friendly, which was the positive part. I came for a friend's mom's funeral, and the photos had made the room look comfortable for our one-night stay. But the front desk smelled of weed, and after the long funeral night we found suspicious hand marks on the window, a yellow stain on the comforter, weed odor in the sheets, and a suspicious liquid stain on the wall by the bed. Honestly, it felt like a room for a one-night stand. My friends and I laughed it off and tried to ignore it, but we were pretty disturbed.

The staff were nice and the location wasn't bad, but the rooms were nothing like the photos, which looked about 20 years old. The exterior was kept up, but inside was another story. My single queen room was so cramped I could barely get in. It had an old yellow corded phone, carpet that looked like it dated from the hotel's construction, no fridge or microwave despite the photos showing both, and a tiny old flat screen perched on the closet. You had to look up at the ceiling to watch it. The AC/heater filter was filthy, and the window cushion was upside down, dirty, and ripping at the seam. I asked for another room because the one I got didn't match the pictures. They moved me to a double room but charged another $30. It was a little bigger, but that was about the only improvement. The walls were paper thin, so I could hear music and people as if there were no wall at all, though that's not really worth complaining about. I thought this would be a worry-free stay, but it wasn't. I booked two nights and wish I'd only booked one. I may have to eat the cost of tomorrow night and find another hotel. The extra charge for a room change feels ridiculous when the hotel is the one that misled guests. At what I paid, I could have stayed somewhere much nicer. It reminded me of an OYO Hotel. Not worth the time or money; spend the extra $20-$25 for a better place.

A really nice little find at an amazing price, about $89 a night. I loved it, and breakfast was included. They hold $55, then give the $55 back after you leave, so the night comes to about $85.