Holiday Inn Express Sacramento Convention Center

The AC worked well, at least. The soda machine was broken, though, and the bathtub creaked so loudly during a shower that I thought its bottom might fall through to the floor below. When I turned on the hair dryer, it made a horrible noise, then caught fire and broke. The room and floors were unbelievably dirty. Walking barefoot turned my feet black, and I had to wipe down a lot of the room. The switches and baseboards looked like they had years of grime on them. It was so cruddy and uncomfortable, possibly the dirtiest motel I’ve stayed in.

The room was gross, though the bed was comfortable. There were holes in the walls, and on the second floor the bathroom and hallway had screens instead of windows. The ice machine was broken, the room was dirty, and cockroaches were running around in the middle of the night. When I complained, the person at the front desk asked, “Were they there when you checked in or did they come in the middle of the night?” I said they came in during the night. He didn’t seem surprised. I booked at the last minute late at night, but getting what you pay for has limits. A sidewalk would’ve been free and cleaner.

The beds were comfortable, and the room was clean and neatly arranged. Parking was the one drawback since the spaces felt pretty tight.

The manager was nice, and the location is handy, close to Target and downtown. It’s clean and has towels, fresh sheets, and soap. You get what you pay for, so it’s not fancy, but I’d recommend it for a short stay.