Days Inn by Wyndham Knoxville East

We only needed somewhere to sleep for a few hours while passing through, and it was just okay for that. The room never warmed up, even with the heat cranked all the way, and I woke up cold. When I got up around 3 a.m., there was a cockroach on the toilet seat. The place wasn’t very clean either, with hair and dirt in the corners and marks on the comforter. I didn’t get sick, but I wouldn’t stay here again or recommend more than a night.

After a ten-hour drive from Florida, my husband and I arrived on Christmas Eve and were given Room 212 after paying a $50 deposit. The empty parking lot already made us uneasy, and while unloading the car we saw a homeless person on the first-floor walkway going through trash. In our room, the toilet lid had dried urine on it and the shower head was broken and leaking. When I showed the front desk employee video of the damage, they accused me of causing it. We were moved to Room 211, which had stained sheets, hair all over the bathroom floor, a dirty toilet, a strong cigarette smell, and a damaged door sweep letting in outside air and odors. We were exhausted, so we spent the night using our own blanket. On Christmas night I found a cockroach in the bathroom after showering, then another. Soon several more were coming from under the bed, nightstands, and refrigerator. We kept the lights and TV on all night and barely slept. We checked out early the next morning because the place felt unsafe and unsanitary. Nobody asked why we were leaving, and when we tried to explain, staff showed no concern. Our booking ran through Sunday, so leaving meant paying for another hotel. I’ve emailed the property several times about a refund for the unused nights and haven’t heard back. The hotel doesn’t meet basic health and safety standards, and I’d tell travelers to avoid it.

During my business trip I left this property to finish my stay at the Red Roof Inn on Strawberry Plains Pike, which was much cleaner and had no roaches. At this place, I booked 11 nights, from the 22nd to the 2nd, but had to leave Room 106 after finding a large cockroach in the shower. Jim at the desk confirmed he’d already been told about an infestation, though he said it wasn’t in that room. He moved me to Room 120, and the next day I found another roach by the inside doorway. The cleaning staff weren’t surprised when I showed them photos. I emailed management days ago and got no reply. The infestation seems known to staff and management, but they denied my request for a refund for the nights I did stay. The place was disgusting and unprofessional. Check the lampshades, because little brown specks may be droppings. I don’t see why a guest should pay after finding a cockroach, just as you wouldn’t pay for a restaurant dish after discovering one in your food. And please don’t send me a “dear valued guest” reply. You owe me money. Pay it or I’m calling the health office.

We had no choice but to stay because nearby places were booked, but I’m definitely not coming back. We went to a Vols game, so after they moved us from Room 330 to Room 206, we didn’t get a chance to look around until we returned. I’d killed four roaches in the first room and then found two more in the bathroom in the new one. The sheets were dirty too. I checked under the mattress protector for bed bugs and thankfully it was clean. We were so grossed out and worried about bringing bugs home that we didn’t even take our bags into the room.