Rodeway Inn & Suites

Every sheet had big, unpleasant stains, but the front desk clerk insisted they were clean because they'd been washed. I kept asking for sheets and pillowcases and was repeatedly given dirty ones. The clerk wasn't pleasant about it, and the housekeeper said that if I didn't like the ones they were about to give me, I could go somewhere else, then offered to give my money back. It's upsetting that they considered this acceptable.

Hotwire listed this as a 2 1/2-star hotel, which I just can't believe. The room was filthy, with hair everywhere, and the beds and bed covers were old. My family was scared to stay, so we left and found a room at another hotel. Worst hotel experience I've had.

When I finally reached the Rodeway Inn manager, he was rude, yelled at me, and hung up after I asked him to speak respectfully. He said they had a 24-hour cancellation policy and wouldn't listen. I later called Choice Hotels again. They still couldn't solve the problem, but the customer service representative was friendly and sympathetic, and I was at least able to complain about the manager. My brother and I needed a place near Ft. Lauderdale. He's an older senior and booked through "Choices Hotels," entering Ft Lauderdale in the search. He didn't notice that the good price was for Ridgeway Inn in Orangeburg, SC. The reservation was in my name but charged to his card. When we got to Ft. Lauderdale, we were told there was no reservation. The front desk lady at the Ridgeway Inn there was attentive and helpful. After I gave her the confirmation number, she spent a long time figuring out that we'd actually booked the Roadway Inn in Orangeburg, SC. We were exhausted, and I immediately called Choice Hotels to cancel. The line was busy, then I waited at least 20 minutes to speak with someone. The man said they couldn't do anything and told me to contact the hotel. When I called the Rodeway Inn in Orangeburg, the front desk person barely let me explain and wouldn't help cancel, telling me to call Choice Hotels instead. I called Choice again, waited through the busy line, explained the situation and urgency, and asked them to prevent a charge on my brother's card. Again, the man said the Orangeburg hotel had to cancel and gave me the manager's name. It was Saturday, November 5th, and the manager wasn't there. We had arrived in Ft. Lauderdale before 1 pm, and by then it was 4 pm. I begged the front desk man to cancel; he again said he couldn't. I asked him at least to note that we'd called early that afternoon and requested cancellation without a charge. He said he'd write it down and speak with the manager. I left my number and was told they'd call before charging us. It was a nightmare. The card was charged, and nobody called. We made the booking mistake, but Choice Hotels wouldn't help, and the Rodeway Inn service was awful. I regret not booking with Expedia or another company that respects customers and honors reservations without charging before check-in. I still don't know how to avoid the charge. My brother's big mistake was not just choosing the wrong place, but booking through the wrong site.

The smoke detector had a plastic bag over it, there was a hole in the bathroom wall, and the AC/heater didn't work. The ice machines were broken too. There were no signs explaining that you have to check in at the EconoLodge to get your room at the Rode way Inn.