OYO Hotel Salem-Roanoke I-81

We were stuck driving three hours home after a concert in Blacksburg because there was no one to check us in at 12:40 am. The confirmation email said check-in ended at midnight, so I called that day to ask what would happen if traffic made us late. The woman assured me it would be fine, said there'd be a bell to ring, and mentioned several other concertgoers would be late too. She thanked me for letting them know and said there'd be no issue if we arrived after midnight. But there was no bell and nobody around. We knocked and got no answer. Everything else was fully booked. This place is a joke. If late check-in wasn't possible, she should have said so instead of assuring me it would be fine.

The room was filthy and nothing like the photos online, though I could have put up with that. What made the stay awful was the staff, who acted like I was bothering them just by being there. They also charged me a $50 deposit after I’d already booked online. Worst place I’ve stayed in all my years of travel. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!

The room itself was decent, and the location was far out but not terrible. The owners’ treatment of guests is what ruined the place for me. I was in bed without clothes when they came in at 10:35AM, even though I’d already booked another night online. They turned on all the lights, shut off the air conditioner, left the door wide open, and kept demanding I pay the new price of 65.00$ or leave, 25 minutes before the posted checkout time. Their attempts to charge an outrageous price in person didn’t work on me. I still haven’t received my 50$ deposit, and I’m looking into pressing fraud charges because they have no reason to keep it. The owners were rude and came close to harassing me. They need to learn how to treat people. If they know you’re in a bind, THEY WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU. I’d rather sleep on the street than ever give them another dollar. I wouldn’t recommend this place even as a morgue with these owners. It’s sickening, and they’re horrendous. Beware.

The staff were mostly friendly, though sometimes hard to understand. I enjoyed seeing birds outside, including what I think was a Northern mockingbird and an eagle. Dixie Caverns is down the street, which is pretty cool. As for the room, ours was supposed to be non-smoking but smelled of years of cigarette smoke. The sheets had such a strong chemical smell that I asked for replacements, and they argued with me about it. There wasn’t a phone or a closet in my room, though I think some rooms may have a clothes rack. Spackle was all over the walls, and the place wasn’t very clean. Those little details made it seem like nobody cared. You have to go to the front desk to ask for anything, but that wasn’t a huge deal. You get what you pay for, and maybe less. If saving money is all that matters, you could book here. If you want cleanliness and some value for your money, avoid it. The other reviews are right, and if you can spend a bit more, maybe stay somewhere else.