La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Northlake Fort Worth

When I stayed here about a year ago for a week, it was decent, even if it wasn’t the best. This time was a huge decline, and I don’t know if management changed or what. For a clean, restful stay, I’d strongly consider somewhere else. The room was filthy: stains and sticky patches on surfaces, hair on the sink and towels, carpet with big sticky spots that looked like they’d never been properly cleaned, and a constant musty smell. The public areas were dirty too. For three days in a row, the same trash and dried spills sat in the hallways and elevators. Everything smelled of bleach, like it was covering up other odors. I didn’t see much staff around besides someone at the front desk, though that’s not a complaint in itself, it may explain the mess.

The beds were comfortable and the rooms were fair enough. The location is great for race weekends, but they really gouge guests on those dates. We stayed four nights, and housekeeping never came. We had to go downstairs for towels, and the beds weren’t made. I wasn’t expecting five-star service, but given what they charged during a big weekend, they could’ve put in a little more effort. Maybe they figure the rooms will rent either way. Customer service should matter more.

The one bright spot was breakfast: the eggs were amazing, a rare find at a hotel. If you’re coming for good eggs, welcome. We arrived expecting a normal stay, but the lobby air was overpowering, like a sweaty, sour high school locker room after a heatwave. The hallway smelled fresh, so I thought things might be okay. Then we opened our room and got hit with a mix of feral carpet and old aquarium water. We went straight back to the desk and got moved. The next room was somewhat better, not like a litter box, but it smelled musty, like mildew that had given up. We were too exhausted to keep fighting with the smell. The carpet looked worn, the furniture was scratched up, and the remote seemed like a biohazard. We left at dawn and didn’t come back until late, since the parking lot had more ambiance than the room. One star. For legal reasons, I have to give at least one.

The second room we booked across the street at Home 2 Suites cost the same, and the difference was drastic. La Quinta was zero stars, Home 2 Suites twenty, not even comparable. We won’t waste money or time on La Quinta hotels again. As soon as we entered, the atmosphere felt off. When we opened our room, it smelled like a sewage plant. We turned around and asked the front desk for another room, but after waiting ten minutes with no one showing up, we left the keys on the counter and left.