Red Roof Inn Madison, WI

The front desk woman was kind and gave us a full refund, so we left right away. The room reeked of cigarettes, the comforter had holes that looked like cigarette burns, and it had stains that could have been blood or, hopefully, red wine. The smoke detector had also been removed.

We only stayed as long as we needed to sleep during the trip. The room smelled, the toilet was chipped enough to cut someone, and the doors looked kicked in. Drug users in the next room blasted music in the parking lot all night. In the morning, the second front desk clerk came out to the lot and seemed to think we were up to something “nefarious” when we'd just parked and were about to check out. The first clerk had no charisma either. The site says, “Red roof offers continental breakfast,” but they don't. This was a huge waste of $200.

The motel itself is pretty awesome, comfortable, nice, and warm. But the black lady behind the counter was really rude. I wasn't even talking to her, just showing my husband where to get his mail, and she snapped that he didn't have anything. I don't know why she needed to say it that way.

The woman at the front desk was great and understanding, but the room was probably the worst I've ever rented. It was extremely run down and dirty, with big holes in the wall. For $125 a night, I expected better. It also seemed like most of the building was used for long-term living.