American Best Inn By I-35 Perry

We arrived for a reservation we’d made back in September, only to be told there was no room for us. We had booked through a third party, received confirmation, and even got reminders that day. The clerk couldn’t find us in the system. Our family members, who had also booked in September, ran into the same problem. We ended up scrambling for a last-minute hotel at more than twice the rate we’d reserved here for. It felt like our rooms may have been sold to someone else for more money, though the third party was told the hotel was having booking issues. I showed the clerk my confirmation and reminders, but she didn’t seem to care. No apology, either. They still charged me for a room I never stayed in. The third party says I should get a refund within 30 days. What a horrible way to do business. Be careful, you could show up and have no room, even with a reservation.

We got a great price, and the stay was just right. The room had a king bedroom plus an open room with a queen bed, and the refrigerator was bigger than usual. Everything was clean and comfortable.

There were cats roaming all over, and our room smelled funky and had roaches. The location is handy, right by HEB and on the way to Port Aransas. For a small roadside hotel, I wasn’t expecting much.

The floors were filthy, and my kids’ feet and socks turned black. The only real plus is the location, about five minutes down the road from the ferry to Port A. The front office smelled disgusting, like sour body odor, and the staff were rude and no help. I booked the first night online and check-in was fine. The next morning, on Labor Day weekend, I booked the same room online for another night since the kids had Monday off. Before checkout I went to the office, and they found the new reservation right away, but said I still had to pay $120 in person even though I’d just paid $133 online. I asked to cancel and get a refund, but they said no. With my three kids there, I felt pressured to pay again and deal with it later. They still haven’t approved the online refund. At 10:30 a.m., half an hour before checkout, they also tried to charge the debit card I’d used in person $60. After I checked out and was driving to the ferry, a man from the hotel called, screamed that I’d taken his blankets, and threatened to call the police. I hadn’t taken any. I bring my own blankets and pillows for my kids whenever we travel. He kept yelling, so I hung up. An hour later they tried charging my Cash App debit card another $60. I hadn’t used that card for either booking. I’d handed it over by mistake while being made to pay again, but noticed within a minute and asked if he’d charged it. He said no and gave it back. Somehow, they got the card details in that short time. This whole experience was ridiculous. I’m disgusted and will report them for attempted theft and harassment.