Motel 6 Pekin, IL

I was really disappointed, and so were the dozen or so other people staying there. The place is starting to fall apart and needs regular maintenance. Around the pool fence there were holes, and my small child got a leg stuck in one, though thankfully he wasn’t hurt. Some pipes or drains also stuck up beside the interior sidewalk, with flies buzzing around them. The pool had been closed by the health department. At Thursday check-in, we were told it should open Saturday morning, but another worker said it wasn’t expected to reopen for a while. The room itself was clean, but the AC barely worked and its filter had a thick layer of dark gray fuzz, possibly including pet hair. Staff said those rooms get warmer because they’re in the sun all day. The toilet seat shifted so much I nearly fell during my morning routine, the shower backed up unless I kept it to three minutes, and the fridge had a puddle inside from leaking. I’d stayed here before, when it wasn’t in this condition. I booked months ahead, and I think this points to an owner maintenance problem more than a staff problem.

There was fighting among other guests all the time, which made it hard to sleep, and nobody replenished the toilet paper while I was working nights. I had to ask for more. The bigger issue was my room: I’d booked it for three days through Friday and had asked whether I could keep it longer if my job ran late. I was told yes, but on Friday morning they said it had been sold out from under me. I had to rush to collect my things and find another hotel. My reservation showed as canceled when I arrived, and the woman at the desk made a big deal about it. I wouldn’t recommend the place. I’m a boilermaker and told my coworkers not to stay there when they came for the job. At least six rooms could have been rented for a month, but weren’t, because of my experience.

The staff were helpful, and housekeeping went out of their way to bring the right number of towels. That’s the only reason I’m giving this one star. The rooms they call newly remodeled were still in rough shape. One was dirty and had a stove that didn’t work; another smelled bad and had cobwebs and bugs. The tub faucet was corroded, and the water pressure and temperature kept changing. There was no cold water at the kitchen sink, just scalding water for washing dishes. The ceiling patch was coming apart, the plumbing was awful, and the toilet barely flushed. One night the fire department was called because the outlets were a fire hazard.

We had a quiet long weekend in a fairly new room, with comfortable beds and a kitchenette that came stocked with everything, so we didn’t need to buy dishes or anything. The full-size refrigerator was handy too. The front desk was great, and I’ve already booked another stay for next month.