OYO Hotel Lake Park/Valdosta I-75, Exit 5

We were too worn out after a six-hour drive to keep chasing fixes, so we just tried to sleep. The room had a half-flushing toilet, AC that swung from the setting to too hot, and a fridge and microwave that were unplugged. We didn't feel right plugging them in without knowing why they'd been disconnected. Getting that room was a hassle too. The office was locked when we arrived. I rang the bell three times and called two different numbers before anyone let me in. Then I was told our booked room was no longer available, supposedly because they use two booking systems. The TV wouldn't turn on, so I went back to the office. A staff member got it going for a moment, then left, but the remote still didn't work. On my next trip back, I got batteries and was told the remote might not be programmed if they didn't solve it, and they didn't know how to fix that. The batteries made no difference. It was a very poor stay. I won't be coming back.

We came with two kids hoping to rest for the night, but the bed had clearly been slept in and the whole room smelled awful. IYKYK. When we tried to cancel, they said they couldn't do it right then, and the cashier didn't know how to refund us. Now I see we were charged $40 more than the advertised price. Scam, scam, scam. I want my money back, or I'll be on a warpath. Completely unacceptable.

The desk clerk was so kind and did what she could. She deserves better, because I can't imagine how much she has to deal with when the problems are the owners' fault. This place needs to be fixed before anyone is charged to stay there. We left Room 101 right away and went to the Hampton Inn up the street. We had children with us, and I wouldn't let them touch or sit on anything. The door wouldn't latch, which felt scary, especially since other reviews mention it and I wondered whether locals knew about it. The sofa had dried blood on it, the microwave was black, and there were black moldy holes in the ceiling. The covers had white stains, the sheets were stained, and there was a blood mark under the pillows. Both the pillows and pillowcases were stained. It didn't feel safe at all.

There wasn't another room like the one I'd reserved, apparently, and the clerk only said, “Sorry about that.” I had booked a king room with handicap access. Check-in went smoothly; the front desk clerk said it was one of the better rooms and handed me a key card. But when I reached the room, I couldn't get in after trying the door a few times. Then I noticed a phone in the window and someone's face. The room had already been rented to someone else. I felt awful for bothering them and apologized. They need a better system.