Travelers Inn by Hotel O Lake Havasu City

The Travelers Inn has a lot going on, and my two-star rating comes down to expectations. At $39-$59 a night, would I stay again? Certainly. From the moment I arrived, the building felt cold and sterile, like Soviet-era architecture. Signs everywhere scolded guests about laundry left in machines for more than 35 minutes and pet owners who “are not pick up after their dogs.” The rules had a military feel, while the clientele seemed colorful and room service was almost nonexistent. A strange mix. The room looked and smelled “well-loved since 1985.” Two bugs I took to be cockroaches greeted me in the bathroom, and more appeared over the next few days. It had a shared-living feel. In the morning, roaches scattered into the corners when I entered. Behind the toilet, yellow buildup was so thick that I figured it hadn’t been cleaned in 2023 or 2024. The soaps and toiletries were tiny: two soaps, lotion, conditioner, and one and a half bottles of shampoo, one without a cap. I wondered if the housekeeping staff were tiny people, though surely they’d have noticed that mess. The extended shower was a nice feature, but bright blue duct tape covered large holes left in the wall after construction. The bedding had been neatly made, but the sheets looked ancient. There was a crusted patch on one side, dark red spots near the middle, and tears in the off-white fabric. They looked stretched out and worn, and seemed not to have been changed. One pillow smelled distinctly like a woman’s head. I asked the front office for fresh sheets, and they kindly brought some. I put them on top of the dirty ones and felt better. Then, settling into that scented pillowcase, I wondered who the mystery woman was and what her story might be. At night I found a small bug under my pillow, named him Hank, and flicked him into the wall. That night I dreamed I was on a Riviera cruise where “Hank and the Roaches” were a cover band. Hank had a wrap on his leg from the wall incident but didn’t seem to blame me. They played a delightful Spanish version of “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” with the roaches doing especially well on trumpet and maracas. In the morning, sunlight came through worn holes in the curtains. That was when I noticed the burned-out lights and the missing smoke-detector battery. Nine-volt batteries can be pricey, so perhaps frugality had put the money toward more urgent needs. As my supply of tiny soaps ran low, I asked the front desk for more. The gentleman looked around and said there weren’t any. I assumed the commissary was closed for the weekend. I panicked briefly, then remembered the prison documentaries I’d watched and pressed the scraps and slivers together into a little soap patty. It got me through my last shower.

I never give one star, but we killed five roaches during a single night. My sheet had bloodstains, and the tub was covered in hair. In the Netherlands, that’s a serious health hazard that could get a place shut down. Cockroaches are disgusting.

The room had a decent-sized fridge and a microwave, and the price was really good. The bed was incredibly soft, with a waterproof mattress cover that had holes in it. At least the sheets were very clean and unstained. But when I opened the door, a small cockroach ran across the floor. The bigger issue for me was the intense cigarette smell in a room designated non-smoking. It aggravated my asthma and made it hard to sleep.

It’s a cheap place to sleep, and I got good rest with no bugs or other problems. The hotel is lower to middle range and a little run-down, so it could use some care. It looked like some guests had been there for weeks, but that didn’t cause me any issues. If you need an inexpensive night, this will do. Face it promotions approved.