Quality Inn Pell City I-20 exit 158

The rewards app made check-in and checkout easier. We were just passing through and stayed one night. At $89, the price seemed fair compared with the Choice and Hilton hotels next door, so you get what you pay for. There isn't an elevator, and the carpeted stairs looked stained. The hallway seemed dirty and smelled like an old hotel. The room looked recently updated, but it still had that old hotel smell. The sheets were stained, there was hair in a washcloth and towel, and the headboard had handprints. The coffee maker hadn't been cleaned in a long time. The floors felt sticky, the TV remote was nasty, and cable channels were limited.

The receptionist was friendly, but the dirty room put us off breakfast. The bed was the only clean thing. There was hair all over the bathroom, water sitting in the tub drain with a bad smell, and the room floors were dirty and needed sweeping and mopping.

It was Talledega week, so there weren't many options under $300 a night. The room was clean and well maintained, and otherwise it was a typical Quality inn. But the mattress in room 116 had a very noticeable dip, like a gorilla had slept in it several times.

After a 12-hour drive, arriving very late with my boys, we were exhausted and just needed somewhere to stay. We were already having a lot of bad luck with our move from South Carolina to Texas. The young woman at the front desk showed so much patience, kindness, and hospitality, and went above and beyond. I wish I'd gotten her name. She was there around 12am 3/1/25, and from my first phone call through arrival and getting the room key, every interaction with her was unforgettable. I can't thank her enough. We'll talk about that night for years. A+++++