Motel 6 Marina, CA - Monterey

After driving straight for seven hours, all we wanted was to get to bed. Instead, they told us they had overbooked and given our room to someone else. We asked for a refund, but were told it would take five to seven days, which was upsetting. They offered a room with one queen bed, but there were four of us. We considered it because of our finances, yet they kept asking if we were sure we wanted the room, which made me wonder whether they even knew it was available. I asked for a discount and was offered $20 off, which I don’t think was enough. I know things happen, but you’d think they could see someone was already booked in the room before giving it to someone else. We ended up sleeping in the car, and the whole experience was upsetting. If you book here, which I don’t recommend, call first to make sure they haven’t given your room away and save yourself the stress.

The front desk clerk was polite and got me checked in quickly. This Motel 6 was better in every way than Hill Country Suites: cleaner and more comfortable, with towels actually in the room, no bad smell, and no sketchy people outside all night. If you’re choosing between the two, come here. That other place is trash.

The front desk staff were surprisingly efficient and helpful, and got us checked in in under a minute. The room had enough space that we didn’t feel cramped, and the bed did its job. The shower pressure could have been better. The floor looked clean at first, but closer inspection showed quite a bit of animal hair left by previous visitors. It wasn’t a lot or the worst thing in the world, but it wasn’t ideal with toddlers running around. For the price and a last-minute stay, our expectations, good and bad, were met. As Motel 6s go, it was somewhere in the middle.

Poor service. I couldn’t reach anyone at the actual location. I spent 20 minutes on hold with the 1-800 staff, who were hard to understand, just to ask questions for the on-site staff. They wanted to put small children in a room without their parents and wouldn’t allow two adults and three small children in a room with two queen beds. There was no information on the website about maximum room occupancy, and I waited forever on hold. Too much drama. I’d never recommend Motel 6 again.