Olympia Inn

The woman in the office was wonderful, kind, and very helpful. I also found the rooms cleaner than at most motels, and the people staying here were generous and kind. They seem harmless to me, though others may judge them because they don't look like Hilton guests. This motel gives people who don't have much a place to stay while they try to get better, however long that takes. I hope someone with money will stop by one day and help a person with a broken-down vehicle, or simply talk and be kind instead of reacting with fear or anger.

The room was clean, and the young man at the counter was friendly. It's also really close to downtown. I did feel a bit like an outsider, though. I think some people living there longer term may feel put out when visitors arrive and stare at them. This place has a lot of personality, and it's nothing like a generic chain motel. I usually prefer locally owned businesses, even if that means less consistency, and I'd rather stay somewhere with character than get the same room and a bored person in uniform that you'd find in a thousand cities. It may feel unusual, and some people might not feel completely safe depending on who they are. It reminded me of moving to a new neighborhood in Boston, where it took a long time for people and me to trust each other and feel at home. Eventually, even the guy down the hall with the crazy eyes and neck tattoos became a friend. That kind of thing takes time. Whether you'll like this place depends on you.

We paid when we arrived, and by then it was too late to find another hotel, so we stayed. The beds looked clean, though they weren't very comfortable, and there was no bathroom door. I worried about our car being broken into, but luckily it was fine. I wouldn't stay here again. The staff should explain what kind of place it is when people book. We got there after 6 p.m. and were told the room wasn't ready because the previous guests had taken too long to check out. That should have warned us, but we were tired and hungry from driving. After going out to eat, we returned a couple of hours later. The room was only sort of clean, and it looked like someone had been kicked out so we could have it. Someone's food, including milk and eggs, was still in the fridge, and a couple of people knocked looking for somebody else. This doesn't seem like a typical motel, and most guests appeared to be homeless or in transition.

We only stayed because every other hotel nearby was full. The location was great, with the harbor and capital close by, and a fair was going on that we could hear. That view and setting made it a nice stay, and I'd go back and recommend it. There were a few hairs in the bathtub.