La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Memphis I-240

We were pleasantly surprised. The friendly people, nice room, and good security put us at ease, even though getting here initially made us a little wary. The accessible room could use a walk-in shower, but the aids by the tub made it manageable. Haha, if there’s a way to leave without getting out of the car to enter the gate code, that would make things even better.

The gated parking, pool, exercise room, and ping pong table were nice extras, and breakfast had enough food for us even though the pancake machine was broken. We’d stay here again if we were in the area. Our room was nice, but it felt warm at first. The thermostat on the suite wall didn’t control the AC, and once we realized we had to set the temperature on the unit itself, it cooled down well. At check-in, the desk worker asked what kind of reservation we had. We’d booked two full beds two months ahead, but she first offered a king with a rollaway. After I explained what we had reserved, she went away for about five minutes and came back saying she could get us the two full beds. I’m not sure why that was in question, but it worked out.

I won’t stay at this property again. I’ve stayed here often on drives east from Texas and hoped to keep doing so, and I’m a Wyndham Rewards member above the basic tier. But after this experience, customer service and appreciation don’t seem to matter to management. They were willing to lose my future business over one night’s charge, and I got the impression they’re comfortable keeping money without providing a stay by hiding behind policy. I even asked for a credit toward a future visit, but they wouldn’t consider it. I also saw Lucas Lindsey’s review from about three months earlier, describing a denied refund and room change request for an uncomfortably hot room. I booked through the Wyndham App around 2:00 PM for that same day and started driving to Memphis. The car developed trouble, and roughly five hours later, around 8:00 PM, I knew I wouldn’t make it. I canceled in the app, which showed the cancellation as successful, and I received an email with a cancellation number. Neither said a charge was pending, that cancellation wasn’t allowed, or that I had to call the hotel. I hadn’t checked in electronically or otherwise. The reservation had only been held for about five hours, but my card was charged $148. I contacted Wyndham Rewards and the hotel to ask for the money back. Wyndham said refunds were entirely up to the property. The hotel told me all cancellations had to be made 24 hours ahead and by 1:00 PM. I don’t understand how that applies to a reservation booked after 1:00 PM on the same day, or what cost the hotel incurred by holding it briefly. I was never checked in, and after 8:00 PM the room was available to someone else. The hotel employee I spoke to, whose role I’m not sure of, basically said their policy was not to refund cancellations, even when the website or app confirmed one. The charge was $148 for a reservation I canceled without ever staying.

The room itself was clean, but the AC only worked about half the time. The hall carpet looked filthy, and the outside wasn’t clean either. There’s just one elevator, and each time I rode it, it sounded like it might stop working. There’s no bathroom sink in the bathroom. You have to go out to the living area to wash your hands, after touching the dirty doorknob on the way out. Whoever designed that was cutting corners. Getting in was a hassle. The hotel says it’s right off I-240, which is true, but you can’t reach it from the freeway. It’s tucked behind a neighborhood, and the street by the freeway isn’t accessible. There weren’t luggage carts outside. The carts were behind a coded gate and then another door that needed a key card. With a cart full of bags, I needed two people to help me swipe the card, hold the door, and get everything inside. They advertise a cheap rate to beat other hotels, but then require a $100 deposit and a huge stack of paperwork with all sorts of reasons to keep the deposit. I felt like I was closing on a house. Check-in took too long, and the woman kept fast-talking us about whether to put the deposit on the same card as the room. She made a simple choice complicated. There were so many forms and photos to complete, it felt like court or jail booking. The property is behind a bad neighborhood, which seems to explain the cheap rate, but the location is misleading. I also struggled with the language barrier: the employee spoke English, but I had to repeat myself and couldn’t follow her because she talked so fast in run-on sentences. I’ll never book at a LaQuinta again. I’m sticking with Hilton. Do better, LAQUNTIA.