Rodeway Inn La Crosse

The room was dirty all over, from the floor and tabletops to bugs and grime around the windows. There was gunk on the window shade curtains and black spots on the sheets. The bathroom door wouldn't shut, and the toilet was loose from the floor. The hotel was in a restaurant's back alley, and I wouldn't want a family member or anyone else staying there. They have reimbursed us for our stay so far. We went to Econo Lodge instead and paid $5 less than this place charged for a room that was 100% nicer.

The towels were rough as sandpaper, there was no ice machine, and the bathroom was dirty and gross, like one in a mechanic's shop. They'd written the shower instructions on the wall in marker. The whole place felt like a set from a movie or a 20/20 murder episode, with a room's door open, loud music blaring, and one lone guy in a chair outside. Prices are way too high for the quality of the rooms.

We paid $230 for one night during the State High School Track meet in LaX, when everything was booked. My husband booked it with a small rewards discount, then stayed home while I brought our daughter. Check-in wasn't until 3 pm, but at 2:26 the hotel called him to ask if he was still coming. He told them our family would arrive and not to give the room away. When we pulled in, we narrowly avoided a head-on collision. My daughter immediately said, “No, no, no, Mom, this can’t be where we’re staying!” We didn't feel we had a choice besides driving more than two hours home, so we checked in and inspected for bedbugs before bringing our things up. Sheets and towels seemed to be the only even partly clean things. We wore slides in the shower and bathroom and shoes in the room the whole time. The photos don't show how disgusting it was. I've been home almost a week and still don't feel clean. If every room is like this, the place should be condemned or burned down. At best, it's worth about $30 a night. We barricaded the door so my daughter could feel safer sleeping, and pulled out the bench to photograph how nasty things were. Those marks in the photos aren't shadows. I didn't get a picture of the large bandaid used as tape around the plumbing at the base of the toilet, or the huge gap in the drywall paper in the shower corner that I'm sure was festering with mold. There was no coffee maker or blowdryer, not that we'd have used them, and just two cups. The TV looked like it had been wiped with grease. There were huge cobwebs. I wiped the filthy nightstand twice with Lysol wipes from my car, and they still came away brown. Filthy windows, sloppy paint in different sheens, hair, mold, dirt. I'd rather sleep in a state park shower facility than ever set foot here again. If you know, you know. The only good thing is it wasn't far from UW-LaX. Avoid at all costs. I can't believe the four- and five-star reviews aren't bribed. This was the grossest place I've ever stayed, and I should have researched more.

The room seemed impressive at first, but there were bugs on the walls. I also had to pay a $33 security deposit I hadn't been told about. The man made it sound like the deposit was included in the room cost, which I'd already paid. It was supposed to be returned, but it wasn't, and I got hit with another $15 overdraft fee. I left a message when I called, and the problem still hasn't been fixed. Very disappointing.