Days Inn by Wyndham Liverpool/Syracuse

I forgot to read the reviews, and I wish I hadn’t booked. They demanded a $100 deposit that wasn’t mentioned in the listing, even though we’d prepaid, and said it would take 7-10 business days to get it back. Outside rooms, people were smoking various things and playing loud music. In the first room, we found the remote under the sheets and black specks on them. The office guy, in baggy sweatpants and flip-flops, gave us another room, but its sheets were dirty too, with a huge stain. They offered a third room across from the music, which we turned down. In the fourth room, the sheets at least seemed clean, though they looked like they were from the 90s. The blue pull-out sofa was stained, so we didn’t sit on it. We arrived after dark and couldn’t tell what the neighborhood was like. I’m surprised Wyndham DaysInn is affiliated with a place like this. They’ve really gone downhill, and I’m crossing the company off my list.

This is a motel, and I was surprised to find it was a Days Inn. It didn’t feel up to the brand’s standards. The room was okay but could use updating. I also didn’t feel very safe: a man was smoking weed outside our room, and crows were picking through garbage in the parking lot.

We pulled into the lot and immediately saw garbage bags and abandoned shopping carts full of junk. People who appeared to be drug users were sitting outside using drugs in the open. One room door stood open, and inside looked like an episode of “Hoarders”; another had caution tape all over it. I wouldn’t be surprised if that one were a crime scene. I didn’t expect anything fancy for the price, but this didn’t feel suitable for anyone concerned about their safety or health. I wouldn’t leave a stray animal there, either, for fear it could get stuck with a needle. I stayed in the car and called the office to ask for a refund. They refused and dismissed my concerns, wouldn’t give me a corporate phone number, and said it was safe because the owners stayed on site 24 hours. I didn’t trust that reassurance given the state of the property. I lost what I paid and had to book somewhere else at the last minute for even more money. I found corporate’s number myself. They said it was a franchise and they couldn’t do anything, but after I pushed, they opened a claim. I’d normally cut my losses over a room that cost less than $80, but the owner was so dismissive and rude. It certainly didn’t look like the money was going toward maintaining or cleaning the property. Stay away. This motel also shows up as a little more than a mile from Lakeview Amphitheater in searches, but that’s across the water. Driving takes about 20 minutes. I’m sure people look for a cheap place after a concert, but there are better choices.

It was a cheap place for the weekend, which was what we needed at the time, but I wouldn’t pick it again unless I had no other option. The remote didn’t work, though they brought me another when I asked. The fridge also wasn’t getting cold. They said no one had complained before and there were no rooms to move me to. You get what you pay for, I guess.