Travelodge by Wyndham Los Banos CA

We ended up leaving for Best Western right behind this place. They told us they hear the same complaints from a lot of people. Paying a little more was worth it for a much better experience. The room photos look passable, but the actual rooms are very different and worn out. Ours smelled musty, kind of like Goodwill, and the air circulation didn’t help. It was dirty, with smudges all over and yellowing curtains, bathroom fixtures, and furniture. The WiFi didn’t work, the pool was empty and dry, and the parking lot was crumbling. Police tape made the place look closed off, and at first I wondered if we’d come to the wrong motel. When we went to the front desk, the worker was extremely rude. They said the bad smell was because we’d been smoking, though none of us smoke. They also called the cops and said we were partying. We were actually on our way to an event, and I’d come to pick up my family. We couldn’t stand the smell, so we asked to switch rooms or cancel. They refused, and we said fine and walked away. After I said I’d leave a bad review, they came to our room, harassed us, accused us of all sorts of things, and called the cops again. They wouldn’t show or check their tapes to confirm what had happened. They kept calling us liars when the cops arrived, though the cops seemed to already know the story. Other reviews say we weren’t the first people to have the cops called on them for a bogus reason. Another customer also said the staff were rude and difficult to deal with. They charged us even though we didn’t stay, claiming we were trespassing and harassing them and other customers. From our side, they were the ones who came to our room yelling and accusing us of smoking and partying there. The cheap rate is cheap for a reason.

My card was charged by the hotel before I arrived, even though I booked through hotels .com and had asked to pay at check-in. They also required a $150 deposit, though I couldn’t see anything valuable there that needed one. I’d try another motel. The place looked worse than its photos. The rooms were only semi-clean, the outside was untidy, and the parking lot was old and broken up with miscellaneous things lying around. The pool was empty and in poor shape. The free Wi-Fi wasn’t available, there was no continental breakfast, and they didn’t exchange the linens.

The clean, genuinely smoke-free room made me happy, and the floors, sheets, and bathroom were clean too. It smelled fresh, and the customer service was great. I booked again last night, 2/17/18, and was just as satisfied as I’d been on Valentine’s Day. I’d booked a room for Valentine’s Day feeling unsure, since a nearby place I’d tried before was 4$ cheaper and left me disappointed. Here, the staff were super friendly. They put me in a lower room because I’m pregnant and offered a late checkout at no extra cost. I couldn’t have been happier with the stay. I’ll book here whenever I need a room, and would recommend it to visitors or anyone who just wants some time away.

The AC worked great and the bed was comfortable, so I slept really well. The shower was nice too, and helped me get the sticky floor grime off my bare feet. The floors were so sticky my feet got really dirty. The pool was closed and empty. The manager was hard to understand and pretty much a jerk. Still, after years of dealing with people who’ve wrecked the motel, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. 🤗