Ramada by Wyndham San Diego National City

The room wasn't clean when I arrived, and the pool looked dirty and uninviting. There was no breakfast or other included food, and no airport shuttle either, which made getting around harder than I expected. The place felt more like long-term housing than a regular motel. There seemed to be lots of permanent residents, loud music was common, and the thin walls let the noise carry. Cigarette and marijuana smells hung around the property, though I couldn't tell whether they came from inside or the surrounding area. People came and went at all hours. Some returning early in the morning appeared to be involved in prostitution. The streets nearby also felt rough, with people who looked intoxicated, under the influence, or possibly unwell. It made the atmosphere uncomfortable. The property seemed neglected in both management and upkeep, and the stay fell short of what I expected.

The room wasn't ready when we arrived, and they couldn't confirm it had been cleaned. Once we got in, it looked reasonably clean at first, but my daughter found a used pad inside a new toilet paper roll. Most of the staff were kind and helpful, but this should have been handled much better, especially with kids along. Parking was another mess. We paid for it each night, but one evening a man said we needed to buy a wristband to enter the lot. He then told us to go ahead without one, but there wasn't a space because something was going on there. People who weren't guests were parked in the lot, and women were walking around trying to get into cars. From the first night, there had been prostitutes on the corner by the entrance, and later some were shaking our car in the lot and wouldn't let me drive. After all that, I was still charged for parking. Management could have waived it given the disruption and the disgusting room. If you're traveling with kids, stay away. There are better places around there.

We booked two rooms for two nights through Expedia, but the problems were bad enough that we left after one night. One room had no microwave, while the other did, and the sink was clogged. The worst issue was one room's door lock. When I tapped the key card, the plastic cover over the RFID chip came off, leaving the chip loose and exposed. I spent about 20 minutes struggling to get inside. That's completely unacceptable. See the attached pic. I also tried to post this review on Expedia, but kept getting, “Sorry, something went wrong on our end.” I don't know if it was a technical problem, but it was frustrating not to be able to leave my feedback there. I've booked through Expedia many times, and this was easily my worst stay. A paying guest should get a room that's functional, safe, and maintained. This property failed on all three, and I wouldn't recommend it.

We walked in and were hit by an awful, overpowering smell. The sheets were dirty, there were crumbs and stains in the bed, and someone else's lashes were stuck to the pillowcase. There was mold on the walls, and the bathtub was disgusting. We were shocked by how filthy and unsanitary it all was. Nothing looked clean or safe to stay in. My husband went downstairs to ask for a refund. The manager, Reggie, was rude and dismissive. He didn't apologize or try to help. Instead, he threw his business card at my husband and told him to “sue them” if we wanted our money back. We left immediately.