Baymont by Wyndham Kingwood

The room was clean, the bed comfortable, and everything worked. They took a $50 security fee, but returned it the day I left. Breakfast choices were limited, though enough for a quick meal. I'd definitely stay again.

This was a convenient location, but next time I'll choose one of the much better real hotels nearby. I usually love Wyndham and have stayed at many, so I was upset to find that this place was a motel. I was only there briefly and put up with the bare-bones room, but the paper-thin walls meant I barely slept. I'm usually a heavy sleeper and still woke repeatedly to loud pipes, people talking, and doors slamming. The door wouldn't close unless you slammed it and locked it. I woke up with bite marks and think there may have been bed bugs. The shower drained poorly, and the towel was stained. There was no water bottle, room service, or vending option. They only took cash, which made me wonder if they were operating under the table. The place was disgusting, and I'm glad I barely had to be there.

The online photos on Google and Expedia showed what looked like a decent hotel, but in person it was very much a motel, the kind where you drive up to your door. If we'd known it was a former Econo Lodge bought by Wyndham, we wouldn't have booked. It's right off the freeway, felt insecure, and seemed to have people living there. The area itself was okay, but our door didn't shut all the way, with the door stopper as the only real lock. We could hear neighbors and freeway traffic. The free lot was too small for everyone, and large trucks made getting in and out difficult. Staff policed the breakfast rules closely but did nothing about parking. The free breakfast room had signs saying to take only your share, and staff watched people coming and going so closely that we chose to eat at Denny's down the street instead. Food and drinks couldn't be taken to the room. We didn't try the breakfast. During our stay, housekeeping never came or brought supplies. We had two towels, two hand towels, two washcloths, and two toilet paper rolls, and nothing else. The couch was badly stained with something awful, so we avoided it. The older LG TV lagged and many channels were unavailable, including some listed in the guide. The water was very soft and smelled strange. It seemed like there could be pipe or corrosion issues, and soap was hard to rinse off, leaving us feeling unclean after showers. Service was basically nonexistent. We couldn't check in early, which wasn't a big deal, but two people sharing the room got only one key. I had to ask the next day for another. We were asked to tip at check-in and check-out through text links and an “add tip” section, though it wasn't clear what we were tipping for. The pillows were child-sized, worn out, and awful. When we asked for more, the desk said, “we don't do that here.” I offered to pay, but was told that was impossible, and that the manager was out of town until January 1st and couldn't be reached. We bought pillows at Target to get some sleep. They had no amenities beyond parking and breakfast. The breakfast was so tightly policed, and housekeeping so absent, that we were better off without it. After the misleading photos and all the strange rules, I won't stay at a Wyndam hotel again.

The deposit policy was unclear. They took between $20 and $100 at arrival at their discretion, then said it would be returned that day or a few days later depending on whether you paid cash or credit. Staff also stopped some guests from taking breakfast food to their rooms, even though there was a full-size fridge, and seemed to choose whom to confront. They followed people on camera and made guests uncomfortable. The managers, a married man and woman, yelled at me when I asked questions. They assumed I had children, though I had none, and used the no-visitors policy I signed at arrival to track a friend on camera. When someone came to my room to help with their phone, they scolded me and called right away to say visitors weren't allowed. The managers or owners were nasty and argumentative, couldn't answer simple questions without losing their temper, and were threatening and hostile. The breakfast room rules, deposit system, and treatment of guests all felt shady and unprofessional. I absolutely don't recommend staying here.