Motel 6 Peoria, IL

The app quoted me 61 with my dogs, but when I arrived, the woman said that wasn't the right price because they charge per person and pet, bringing it to 120. That's not Motel 6 policy. Then she said I had to put down a cash deposit. I asked her to charge my debit card instead, and she said no, they'd keep it if they saw smoking. She still demanded 50 dollars in cash, with no proof that I'd handed it over. Stay far away.

The hallway lighting was great, and they were repainting and fixing things up. The room was fine, though the area felt a bit sketchy and the back parking lot looked like homeless people were staying there. The man at the front desk was helpful and sorted out the issues quickly, though he didn't speak English. They need to clean up the grounds.

motel6 is extremely affordable, and their free pets policy makes them my champion. This one loses a little because it isn't really a "motel" setup: you enter through a front door and walk down a shared hallway. Not the end of the world, but it's a hassle to go that extra distance with heavy cats. The room felt clean and fairly private, though I heard neighbors occasionally in the hallway. The smoke-free room was smoke-free as promised.

The location was great, but that's about all I could give it credit for. The whole place smelled like weed, even though we don't smoke it and had asked for a non-smoking room. There were cigarette burns in the bedclothes, a cracked microwave, and no room service for towels, soap, or anything else. When we came back for the second day I'd paid for, we couldn't get into the room and weren't even sure our things would still be there. After a long, stressful family ordeal, that was the last thing I needed. I'd give it a 2 for location, but not much more.