Oregon Trail Motel

The room stayed unbearably hot all night after a 100-degree day. The AC unit looked like it was from the 1980s and didn't work, and even with the door and window open, it never cooled down. I barely slept. I'll never stay here again. They take a deposit whether you pay by cash or card, but at checkout I couldn't find anyone to return it.

This was just a place to sleep during our trip, and it was fine, nothing special. The Internet worked well, and the fridge kept the things we carry in our motorcycle cooler cold overnight. Our nonsmoking room didn't smell of smoke. The bed was clean and comfortable, the sheets and bathroom were acceptable, and we had hot showers. Everything was clean, though very worn, with furniture that looked decades old. There was an ice bucket but nowhere to get ice. The room faced busy SE 2nd street, so we wore earplugs and weren't bothered. Our bikes were visible from the road but not from the office, so we put a special lock on them for safety. The walk downtown under the railroad tracks the next day was easy but scary, and it led us to a really good coffee shop. The room at the Oregon Trail Motel was well worn but clean.

The outside looked a bit sketchy, but the room was really nice and clean. It had recently been refurbished with tasteful decor, and the bathroom was modern and sparkling. The manager, or maybe the owner, was very nice and seemed proud of the place. We chose a local motel because we wanted to spend little on a one-night stop, arriving late and leaving early. We'll use it again on our annual trip to visit our daughter in upper Idaho.

We weren't impressed with the room or the owner's response when we asked for a refund. We paid $210 for two rooms for one night, but the carpets were filthy and one bed's sheets had cigarette burns, even though the rooms were supposed to be nonsmoking. We went to ask for our money back as soon as we saw the rooms. The owner showed us a smaller room that still wasn't clean. We'd come expecting a good place for the night, and I wish it had worked out better. There were no vacancies elsewhere in Ontario, so we had to drive to the next town.