The Crossroads Hotel, Newburgh

We were due to check out the next morning, so we didn’t take the evening staff up on their kind offer to move us. They were really compassionate, and I give them five stars. Earlier, though, Kathy at the front desk was rude and made things uncomfortable. When my daughter arrived with my 16-month-old granddaughter, a duffle bag and a diaper bag, Kathy questioned her and made her call us to prove she was allowed to come to our room. At 7:05 a.m., when we asked where to get coffee, she said she’d just started her shift and we’d have to wait, so my husband and I went to find a diner. Later, Kathy told me I couldn’t smoke where I was standing outside. I apologized because I’d assumed the ashtray was for cigarette butts, but she argued it was a garbage can, even though it said to insert cigarette butts there. Meanwhile, people were smoking cigarettes in their rooms and others were vaping or smoking pot on our floor without anyone addressing it. The room also smelled of cigarettes and pot when we arrived late Friday night. In the morning we found a noticeable amount of dried blood on the chair cushion. After returning from our day out with the kids, we found more blood on a lamp, inside it, down the wall, on a picture frame and on the curtain. Maybe that’s why the other lamp was missing its shade. It looked like someone had been injured in the room before us. I hope it gets a deep clean before anyone else pays full price and finds these biohazards.

The receptionist didn’t argue when I asked for a full refund, but by then I’d already changed rooms twice and decided to drive the two hours home. The first room looked nice at a glance, then I found people already staying in it. In the second, the hallway was musty and smelled of cigarettes and weed, with severe water damage across an entire wall. The room door stuck, the room itself smelled musty, and there were stains on the curtains and walls. When I turned on the AC, I saw a live roach on it, then found another in the toilet. I’d also heard another guest complaining while I checked in. I couldn’t find another nearby hotel because they were all full, so I drove home. Definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

We stayed two nights for a wedding. When we came back on the second day, everything in the room had been pulled apart and tossed onto one bed. That might be fine if it happened during everyday cleaning, but we went to the front desk to make sure nothing was wrong on our end. The person there was arrogant and rude, telling me, “Honey, you aren’t listening, I’ve been in the hotel industry for many years, here that happens.” Then came a bogus excuse and blame put on the housekeeper. Terrible management. I’ll never return or recommend it.

We were able to park our rigs safely and get some rest before heading out the next day. There was no breakfast, but it wasn’t too bad overall, especially with a truck stop across the way. We didn’t run into the dirty carpet or mold problems mentioned in another recent review from around the time we were there, thankfully. Still, people seemed to be living at the hotel. When we arrived, a group was gathered outside listening to music. I first thought it was a family reunion, though seeing people sitting around in front of a hotel like that felt strange. We also saw someone delivering Walmart groceries there, which made it seem like the hotel was their permanent address.