Palace Inn & Suites - Newport News/Jefferson Ave

Since the new management came in, the atmosphere has really improved. It feels welcoming, almost like a community, and I feel a lot safer staying here now. The staff are friendly and seem to genuinely engage with guests. It's a great change, and I'll be back.

I came here while getting help to get back on my feet, but left after three days of a planned weeklong stay. There was too much traffic coming and going, and the owners know about it. Right when I entered, the torn floor edging stuffed with cigarettes was a red flag. There were mouse droppings in every corner and smoke smell everywhere. Then a mouse ran out through the door, which had a loose hole at the bottom. The owners showed no remorse and just sat there. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anyone. Zero out of five.

Trash was left in shopping carts on the stairs, and the room itself was awful: dirty walls, bad smells, broken outlets and lights, and broken shade slides. There were no trash containers. I saw knife stab marks on the wall and door. The bed covers had dried stains, and when I asked for clean ones they didn't have enough. The mattresses had yellow stains, and dead bugs were on the old sheets. I hope the crawling feeling I had was just in my head after seeing that.

I had to switch rooms three times trying to find one that felt acceptable, and they tried hard not to refund me. My child fell through a chair; they took it away and offered no compensation. The staff were minimal, and if you pulled up, someone would hostilely ask whether you had a room before you could even reach the office. There's an absurd no-visitors rule, and no tap-to-pay on the vending machines or place to do laundry. There was one plunger on site. The rooms and hallways were filthy, as was the parking lot and outside area. Walls had years of grime on them, floors were dirty, and there were roaches. Some rooms were falling apart, with broken or unplugged appliances, including stoves, TVs, microwaves, and refrigerators. Some rooms had lamps and TVs, others didn't; in some, mirrors and artwork weren't even hung up. No trash cans either. It's cheap, but the dirt and barely working appliances still make it feel overpriced. A guy outside asked me where he could find dog food.