Super 8 by Wyndham Natchitoches

The front desk woman was the one bright spot. She moved us from an upstairs room to a downstairs one because my mom is handicapped, and she also offered extra toilet paper and towels when we asked. Each room only had two towels. We had booked two rooms for more than $300, which I assume reflected the time of year and the town's Christmas festivities. The rooms and property were awful. The hall smelled of pot, and bleach stains ran along the carpet to our room. In the bathroom there were patched walls and mildew; there was hair on the pillows and a brown mark on the curtains that looked suspiciously like feces. The beds were hard and uncomfortable, with springs you could feel. The remote was grimy, and the lampshade was falling apart. We tried to put up with it and stayed the first night, but the next day, after returning from the Christmas festivities, we found roaches by the beds and crawling on the bedside table. We drove the four hours home then. I booked through hotels.com and paid the hotel directly. The front desk woman said I could get a refund through Expedia, but I hadn't used Expedia. When I contacted hotels.com the next day, they said the hotel had to refund me because it had taken the payment. The hotel now denies anyone said I could get a refund or that I asked for one. I'm only requesting the charge for the second night back, since we chose to stay the first night. The customer service was poor, and the room and property were in terrible condition.

The front desk lady was so sweet. I locked myself out a few times, and we'd laugh about it while she made me new keys. The beds were comfortable, medium firm, and the room had a microwave, TV with decent channels, and some nice, casual decor, though it was dated. There are good restaurants nearby, and the area was quiet during our stay. The walls and doors are thin, so you can hear sounds; bring a sound machine or use noise on your phone if you need it. My child slept through the night. The hot water never got hot, it was barely lukewarm. They took the towels I'd left on the floor but replaced them with only one towel and no washcloths or anything else. The others in my party had the same issue. The bathtub drain was broken and needed a piece of plastic propping it up to drain at all. The water still came up to my ankles while showering. The room smelled like stale feet at first, but the smell went away after we turned on the A/C. It hadn't been running when we arrived. It's a decent, cheap stop if you just need a few hours of sleep before getting back on the road. I wouldn't stay again, I'm a little bougie, but it's not a bad hotel and could use some maintenance.

The continental breakfast was disappointing: packaged blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls, orange juice and coffee, with no fruit. The manager watched everything I did while I was there. We arrived around 8 p.m. and had requested a king, but the bed was small, so I slept in the other bed while my wife used that one. It wasn't too bad otherwise. The motel could use a remodel. I belong to Wyndham Rewards and paid $168 a night. A couple behind me, who weren't members, paid $89 a night.

The staff at the front desk were so kind and helpful that I felt welcome at check-in. The parking lot was well lit, and my room's air conditioner worked well without any moldy smell. The rooms were spotless, and the whole property looked and smelled clean and well cared for. The pillows were very high quality, though the beds had standard innerspring mattresses, which was a bit of a downside. I gave this Super 8 five stars across the board because it exceeded my expectations, not because it's a five-star hotel. It's an economy place, but well worth the price.