Days Inn by Wyndham Mount Vernon

We left and are now at the beautiful Doubletree by Hilton. The room and third floor were so gross that we ran out of there. The hall smelled putrid, like old food and stale odors. In the room, the toilet was stained, the sheets and mattress had brown stains, and the crusty brown blanket had holes. The whole place felt dirty. The side parking lot was very dark, with no working outside lights, and it felt scary. I’m out $180 because of the no refund policy. I’d rather lose that money than risk bringing bed bugs or roaches home in our bags.

The room was spacious, though the couch sat too low for us old folks. At 5 in the morning, the fire alarm went off three times and firetrucks came. Since the alarm was staccato, I called down to ask if we should evacuate. They said no, that it had just gone off and they were adjusting it. When we left, the elevator wasn’t working and smelled like an electrical fire. I hate thinking we could’ve been trapped in a burning hotel because they didn’t want to panic the guests.

The man at the desk was friendly, but I got the feeling he wouldn’t be if I complained. The room was spacious, though not clean, very loud, and the floor felt soft, like it might give way. The so-called continental breakfast was a jug of milk and dry cereal. Two thumbs down for the value and cleanliness. I was visiting my daughter in Mt Vernon, but next time I’ll pay more to avoid this place. There are plenty of bigger name hotels nearby, just check they haven’t sold out or been franchised out before booking.

For a quick one night trip, the hotel itself was exactly what I needed. Breakfast was janky, though, with speckles floating in the apple juice, make your own waffles, and cereal.