Travelodge by Wyndham Memphis Airport/Graceland

For about $50, I thought this was a decent stay. My room was clean, the appliances worked, the shower was fine, and even the soap was pretty good. Check-in took a while, but the value was worth it to me. I stay in hotels around the country, so I'm surprised the reviews are this low.

After midnight, my son and I had to find another hotel and pay the rack rate because this place couldn't give us a usable room. We'd arrived around 11:30 p.m. after a late flight, and I nearly drove past because there was hardly any signage. The lobby was huge and empty, covered in printed notices about all sorts of things. The clerk found my reservation but said there were no rooms, then eventually “found” one. The elevator looked rough, and the dark, dingy halls scared my son. In the room, the light wouldn't turn on, the beds hadn't been made, and there was a pile of bedding in the corner. The bathroom had peeling paint and no doorknob. I walked the quarter mile back to the lobby to ask for a refund. I booked online based on the Wyndham photos and should have looked around more. Wyndham clearly can't keep its hotels up. I'm staying elsewhere from now on.

We barely slept. Someone knocked twice more after a man came to our door that night saying he was maintenance and had our key card. We were already inside, so there was no way we were opening up. The place felt unsafe the whole time, and we were too nervous to go ask for a different room. Our room smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, enough that I had to wash everything in my suitcase when I got home. There was a tooth in a drawer, hair under the pillow, and the beds were painfully hard. The hotel said its card machine was down, so we had to pay cash. Fencing surrounded the parking lot, and it looked as if there might be a strip club there or next door. The place was run-down and sketchy, and I think it should close. I was embarrassed because I booked it and brought friends. We were exhausted and stayed anyway, though we wish we'd gone elsewhere. The one bright spot was the cheerful, apologetic woman at the desk the next morning. We wished she had been there the night before.

The front desk attendant was pleasant, and there was plenty of security. My room was clean and had a bathtub. It's a very nice hotel, and I'd recommend it. I don't understand why the second night cost $10 more than the first, but otherwise it was worth the $73 for night two and $63 for the first night. I'm just waiting for the bunkhouse to arrive.