Super 8 by Wyndham Kingston

The people here made our stay. Ganelle and the other staff had such a cheerful, welcoming attitude, whether we were checking in or out or asking for help. I even thanked them at checkout for their hospitality and assistance, which I don't usually do since I check out online and leave my keys in the room. We came from another hotel down the road with better reviews and more “amenities”, but left feeling robbed. This place was a much better experience. The room and community areas smelled better than the 5star we had just come from, with no mold in sight or smell. We checked carefully for bed bugs in the bed and chairs, like we do at every hotel, and found none. One chair was a bit old, and there were smokers and pot heads around. The same staff helped me right away when I locked my keys in my car, kept an eye on our cars while we slept, and I'm sure would help if someone came at you with bad intentions.

The staff were great, and the rooms were clean, but the rest of the place is very worn and shabby. We were told prices would rise because a remodel was planned. Fair enough, but the prices went up and there was no remodel. Last year my friend's room had a hole in the wall. This year my room had a table lamp and phone that didn't work, though staff replaced them. The gold lamp was black with corrosion, and the room's carpet and bedspread were old. The hallway carpets looked dingy.

The staff were friendly and very helpful, but our stay was still horrifying. We expected a basic overnight stop between sleep and destinations, and the place was nothing like its presentation on Wyndham's website or Booking.com. There was blood on the bathroom wall from what looked like a botched intravenous drug injection, and the whole property was in severe disrepair. Furnishings seemed to have come from dumpsters or roadside trash, and paint was peeling everywhere. Worst of all, there were bed bugs. I haven't seen reviews mentioning that families and others on temporary housing transition assistance live here. It looks to me like the owners pocket state payments instead of putting money back into the property, leaving tenants and their children with mold and bed bugs. Letting people live like this is SHAMELESS, and renting rooms with misleading photos is mind-boggling. It's a marvel the place operates under the Wyndham name.

The mattress and sheets were clean and comfortable, but I wasn't satisfied with the room overall. The floor looked dirty, and I wondered whether the cleaning staff had properly done the floors and tables, beyond the bed. My nephew and I had booked three rooms, and none of us wanted to shower before leaving the next day. Breakfast could be better too, with eggs and toast added to the selection.