Budget Host Westgate Inn

It was a short stay, but I’d come back. This little place was clean, and you could tell someone was working hard to keep it in good shape. The front desk smiles and the look from back in the 80s made me feel comfortable. I’ve stayed in much more luxurious hotels plenty of times, but I’m glad luck brought me here.

After years of spending money here for family reunions, we had a horrible experience this year. We’d booked rooms and a campsite a year ahead, but staff were no help when we were told Saturday morning that the pavilion had been rented from 12 to 2. We had to find another place for 50 people and all our things from 11:30 to 2:30. In 20 years, we’d always been able to use it as guests at the hotel or campground. If we’d been told last year, or even on Friday when we were there all day, we could have planned. Since new management took over two years ago, things have gone downhill. The rooms haven’t been updated, the TVs don’t work, and the sinks are falling apart.

The staff were amazing and made the stay worthwhile, but the room definitely felt dated. I was in a smoking room, and it seemed like they didn’t really care for those rooms. There were cigarette holes in my blankets and broken light fixtures. It could have been cleaned better. I didn’t see bugs, but things looked yellow, and after I wiped something, my towel came back yellow from years of nicotine.

They knew other guests had reported no hot water, but nobody told us when we checked in. The desk said the breakers were fine and guessed it was because there were so many people there that day. I was upset to end up taking a very cold shower. Check-in was slow when we arrived around 10 p.m. By then it was 11:30, we’d unpacked, and our eight-year-old was already in bed, so we stayed. We should have had the choice to go somewhere else. They can do better.