Country Inn & Suites By Radisson, La Crosse, Wi

At check-in, I was hit with a mandatory $250 “incidental deposit” and no meaningful warning, flexibility, or apology. Pay it or leave, apparently. Having a surprise $250 hold placed on my card is their idea of hospitality. I had to walk out and find another hotel after arriving, which wasted time, money, and energy and disrupted my trip. That bait-and-switch was more than an inconvenience. It felt excessive, greedy, and completely hostile to guests. A hotel asking to hold $250 before I even enter the room clearly doesn’t trust its customers, and that says plenty about the place. Other hotels manage just fine without this policy, and I stayed at one instead. If you care about transparency and basic respect, or don’t want hundreds of dollars frozen for no reason, go somewhere else. Avoid.

I’m more frustrated by the hotel’s slow, reassuring responses than by the bug itself. I’d rather talk through what happened with someone who isn’t relying on preplanned language. I still haven’t seen evidence of a professional inspection, and I’m concerned that my account is being dismissed while I’m told everything is fine. My significant other and I stayed one night. When I woke, I spotted a small bug crawling across the sheets. I picked it up with a tissue, and it left blood on the tissue, sheet, and my hand. I photographed the bug on the tissue and the bedding. After telling the front desk attendant, I was given an email address for the pictures. I also had to ask for garbage bags to put our belongings in because I suspected what kind of bug it might be. I followed up when no one contacted me. An email that seemed to come from a corporate employee said my photos had been documented under case #xxxxxx. Later, the front desk emailed that the room had been inspected, no pests were found, and the bug wasn’t what I thought, so all my belongings were completely safe. Two days later, I developed unusual red bumps on my hand and shoulder, and photographed those too. I’ve asked the hotel again for more information and to look into the case once more. I’d hate for another guest to find similar bugs. With no concrete evidence at this point, interpret my account at your own risk.

I’ve stayed here often without any trouble, but last week I think I was in room 116, or something like that, and came away with red bumps. I hate to assume the worst, though they looked oddly like photos of bed bug bites. After seeing another comment about the same issue, I thought I should post and suggest the hotel check again. I haven’t had this happen in other rooms.

I liked the paperless check-in, and enjoyed the pool, hot tub, and outdoor seating. The room was clean and the stay was great. You can tell the building was renovated, maybe a few years ago. My one criticism is all the typed notices taped up everywhere. Some are plain copy paper, others are slipped into binder sheet protectors, and both look tacky. The hotel is older, but could still feel expensive if those signs came down. There are four notices in the fitness room all saying the same thing. It makes me wonder if staff are being petty or frustrated, if the health department required it, and whether ownership minds how cheap it makes the investment look.