La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Atlanta Ballpark/Galleria

The room was probably clean, the AC worked, and the price was good. The front desk woman was nice, unlike the overnight employee. Those were about the only positives. We left a day early and rebooked elsewhere. Noise was awful: a dog barked through the night, someone ran up and down the hall, people talked, and I could hear the person next door using the bathroom. At 1am, our neighboring room was blasting the TV and shouting. I tried calling the desk, but the phone line had a loose cable and calls got constant busy signals. I went down to the lobby and found nobody there. After I asked for help, someone said, “one second.” I waited, called out again, then heard a sigh behind the wall and saw a man’s reflection as he stood up and put away his phone. He came out and asked, “did you not hear me? Told you it was going to be a second.” I said I heard him, and that the whole floor could hear the room. He sheepishly went to the phone, checked the room number, and called to ask them to quiet down. Other problems: the elevator wobbled and was four months past its inspection date. Outside doors wouldn't open from outside, even with a valid key, and an employee confirmed it was intentional. There was no sign to warn guests. The bathroom curtain rod looked like it could fall, and the broken toilet paper holder was sitting on a shelf.

The hallway carpet smelled bad and was wrinkled enough to be a tripping hazard. The building felt worn out and poorly maintained, and parking costs extra. They gave us the usual no-smoking warning, then showed us a spy device they said detects smoking. That felt weird. In our room, the bathroom light didn't work, and nobody would fix it. The curtain was dirty and water-stained. Otherwise, that's it.

This felt completely unsafe. We were assigned two rooms, one after the other, that already had people in them. There was a sleeping baby in one. When we reported each mix-up, the front desk worker barely acknowledged us and didn't apologize. We asked for a manager, but she stayed in the back the whole time, and we could hear her laughing. Less than 15 minutes after we went back to the desk, we were locked out because they hadn't updated the system with our room. Then an employee knocked and waited about three seconds before trying to enter to “check the room,” while I had no clothes on. This is the most unsafe hotel I've stayed in. I spent my childhood staying at Red Roof Inns and Motel 6s.

The staff treated us really well, and the bed and pillows were comfortable. Breakfast had eggs, turkey sausage or sausage links, biscuits, cereals, bagels, waffles, and fruit. It's about 15-20 minutes from downtown Atlanta and the HE Holmes station, so you can stay near downtown without paying downtown prices. Noise was the main downside. The walls are thin, and you hear nearby rooms unless the AC is running. It uses a room thermostat, which is a nice feature, but I wish the fan could stay on all the time to cover the sound. I ended up timing sleep around when the AC ran. I also found five ladybugs when I first entered and removed them. Since those were the only critters, I can't complain much. The sheets and towels were clean, though they had small stains that I assume didn't come out in the wash. The room carpet could have been vacuumed better. 3.5/5 stars.