Motel 6 Naperville, IL

The hallways were filthy, and there was loud banging in the room above us. We found a urine stain on the mattress, though we didn’t notice it at first. When the staff opened the window for more light, I saw the yellow mark right away. Staff said they couldn’t smell anything. Housekeeping came in a few minutes later, looked straight at the spot my partner had been lying over without even smelling it, and said the same thing. All they offered was an air freshener and clean sheets. That was unacceptable. We waited for the general manager, but she came in as we were taking our luggage out. We’d already booked another hotel, somewhere with a fridge for my medical supplies, and one communal microwave here wasn’t going to work. She asked to inspect the room, then immediately offered to move us. She spoke down to me and focused on the HDMI cable I’d unplugged from the TV to connect my PS5 temporarily. She kept stressing that the TV was hotel property, as if I’d taken it. Are guests not allowed to use the TV? She still hadn’t answered whether we could get a refund, but was making a fuss over a small flat screen with poor sound. I told her we needed a hotel with fridges, and she offered to put my medicine in their fridge. That felt highly unprofessional. She continued speaking condescendingly and said she couldn’t refund us because we’d already used the room. Someone else had used it as a personal toilet. I calmly said I’d dispute the charge with my bank, and she gave me a dirty look. I lied and said I’d leave a positive review, but they didn’t earn one. The woman working with the manager was kind and tried to help us at first, even during the conflict, and I do want to thank her. Everyone else handled things terribly. This place shouldn’t be a hotel and should be shut down. The manager was dismissive. Maybe she should manage her emotions before serving people unlucky enough to book here.

I left after the first night and got a refund for the rest of the week, which is why I gave two stars instead of one. But when I explained that the room was dirty and the hotel smelled bad, they insisted everything was fine and even said it smelled good. They were very wrong. I booked for the week because it was the cheapest place I found with a 4.0 rating. I wish I’d read the written reviews first. The whole property smelled like animal urine and weed. We bought scented spray for the room, but it didn’t help enough. We couldn’t sleep that first night, with the odor and barking dogs, and my child’s allergies got really bad. There was dog hair in the halls, and stains and dirt all over our room. Walking barefoot left my feet dirty, with glitter stuck to them before I got into bed. The bed was broken, many outlets didn’t work, and neither did the deadbolt. There wasn’t a fridge or microwave in the room, something I hadn’t thought to check because I’d never stayed at a motel like that. I needed to store breast milk, but luckily it was cold enough outside to keep it in my car.

Damien is a good guy, and so is the front desk staff I mentioned. He was professional in a way that felt caring, not mechanical. I could tell he respected me, and he never talked over me. Darrell Tinnin, 2/26-2/27.

The staff are amazing and try to help when needs come up. I’d stay here again because it’s the best price around, and I’m homeless right now. The Wi-Fi kicks you off every half hour and doesn’t work with laptops, so bring your own. Roaches are minimal as long as you don’t leave food out. The plumbing’s been horrible in every room I’ve been put in. I paid for a week, but had to switch rooms on the first day when the toilet stopped working. In the new room, the sink leaks onto the floor, so I can’t use it. I can’t move again right now because I have to work. Some rooms smell bad from animals, since the motel allows pets, so check yours first if you’re sensitive to odors.