Spartan Motel

The best thing about this motel is its location. Several wonderful restaurants are within walking distance, and it’s a cost-effective option in Rochester. The owner and staff were relatively nice, too. We arrived at 1 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, and someone was at the front desk to help us check in. My family booked two rooms in advance. The room I stayed in had two beds and was well equipped, though the TV looked ancient, the beds were a bit stiff, and the blankets were scratchy. The AC and heater worked really well, and the pillows were nice. In the second room, the toilet leaked, the front door had to be slammed to shut properly, and the bathroom door wouldn’t lock.

The newly renovated place has a pleasant first impression, but my first night was rough. The walls are paper-thin, so conversations and TVs in all the neighboring rooms are clearly audible. The room has one small table with four legs of different lengths, and it can’t even hold a cup of water. The bathroom sink won’t drain. The microwave is so small that popcorn can’t rotate while it cooks, so it burns every time. Internet is awful, barely good enough to browse shows, and the picture keeps dropping in and out between low and terrible quality. There are no do-not-disturb signs, so expect housekeeping to come in unannounced. Very few amenities. New management, but it feels like they spared every expense.

The towels were stained, the linens had cigarette burns, and the mini fridge froze everything before stopping altogether the next day. During my month-long stay, they cleaned the rooms or brought fresh towels only once, despite repeated requests. The front desk was unattended, with just a number to call. The person who answered didn’t seem interested in helping. One employee quoted $1,200 for a month, then another told me the actual monthly rate was $1,000 the next month. The owners seem cheap and put nothing back into this motel.

The motel is in a great downtown Rochester location, but it’s run down and I wouldn’t feel safe staying there. It seemed like some people were living there, and they didn’t seem like A-listers. The room I was given was supposed to be non-smoking, but it smelled so strongly of smoke that I left immediately and checked into another motel. I couldn’t stay the night. I hate leaving a bad review, but this place is dreadful. They’d have to raze it and rebuild to get rid of that intense cigarette smell. If you’re already a heavy smoker, maybe it would work for you. Otherwise, run away.