Motel 6-Rapid City, SD

I wouldn't stay here again. The parking lot was covered in scattered garbage, with dumpsters overflowing across the property. Inside, there was a beer can under the bed and such a thick layer of grime that it looked like the bed hadn't been moved in months, maybe years. Hair covered the bathroom floor, and I wouldn't let my kids walk barefoot in the room. Before checkout, while we were still asleep, a woman banged on the door and nearly walked in. This was the most disgusting hotel stay I've ever had. I'd rather sleep in my car in a Walmart parking lot.

After a ten-hour drive, we arrived to learn that the room we'd reserved months earlier had been canceled. They found us another one for twice the price, which we accepted. The room was filthy, with no toilet paper or towels, and the bathroom light was on the floor and didn't work. We bought those supplies, then went back out for bedding because what was there looked frightening. I'm pretty sure the mattresses had come from a dumpster. The air conditioning didn't work, so we bought fans too. There was no fridge, microwave, coffee maker, or hangers, and we were lucky if the TV worked. Our vacation was meant to run through Thursday, but we couldn't put up with it any longer. We'd planned this trip for a year, and it was a huge letdown.

The bed was surprisingly comfortable, and the woman at the desk was sweet. When I asked for towels to mop up the water, they gave me some, though the tags were still on from Walmart. Beyond that, this was a disgusting horror movie of a stay. I've stayed at Motel 6 plenty of times, usually cheap but clean. This place smelled even worse than it looked. With a major event in the area and every room sold out, I would've demanded my money back and left if I'd had another option. In the first room, a puddle about a foot wide and three feet long sat in front of the sink. I really hope it was water. The floor tiles were black at the edges, peeling up, with black holes throughout. There were mystery splatters on the wall and lampshade, plus a smoke detector sitting on a shelf that didn't work. Holes in the wall and ceiling exposed wiring, and there were huge stains that looked like something had been glued there. The second room was supposed to be nonsmoking, but cigarette burns covered the walls, furniture, and sheets. Dirt was piled visibly across the floor. My father said he'd only seen more flies in a slaughterhouse. The pool was drained and closed, and the ice machine was out of order. It was awful.

At 5 pm, there was a line in the lobby as guests checked in, then came right back to say their rooms weren't clean. A few employees also seemed to be having a verbal fight there. I still hoped our room would be okay, but it wasn't. We passed around ten other rooms in the same state, with stripped beds, trash, no cleaning, badly stained mattresses, and holes punched in the walls. I felt bad going back to the lobby because some of the staff were clearly working hard and struggling. I asked a manager for a refund. She told me I'd booked the cheapest room in town and shouldn't expect anything better than a small room and stained linens, or expect the Hilton. I wish I'd taken a photo to warn people. Unfortunately, the negative reviews were right.