Econo Lodge Downtown

Within five minutes of checking in at econo lodge, I booked another hotel and left. The receptionist didn't seem surprised. The place felt dirty and unsafe, and the location was very bad. I saw at least three homeless people on the property, and the room doors were open at night with no security. Look at the photos to see how dirty it was, I can't even describe it in words.

My friend and I stayed for one night and had to leave a $100 cash deposit for incidentals, which we were supposed to get back at checkout. Three days later, they still wouldn't return it. First they said the manager had to be there to open the safe, then that it was the weekend, so we waited until Monday. I just left their office, and they still don't want to give us our money back. They came up with every excuse. Nothing in the room worked properly: none of the lights, the television, and the shower had no water pressure. It was dusty too. Avoid renting here.

A wise man who could see the future told me to stay at this lodge, so I did. In my room, I found $1,000 in a briefcase under the bed and a lady with liquid gold eyes staring into my soul. It turned out I'd been given the wrong room, so I went to the right one. Nothing else worth mentioning happened after that. Truly a great experience.

I was looking for a cheap hotel and, sure enough, found one. Still, the place fell below even my low expectations. There's no mention anywhere that the deposit has to be $100 in cash only, no card. They do have an ATM, but it charges a fee, so I wondered if they get a kickback. They also make you sign a long list of rules, and breaking them means losing your deposit. Some rules seem questionable, like not letting anyone come to your room even briefly, while others make sense, like prohibiting illegal activity. They copy your license and take your car information so it won't be towed. I've stayed in nicer places with much less red tape. Once inside, half the lights didn't work, the bathroom counter was cracked, the bed was hard, and the bath faucet kept running all day and night because it wouldn't shut off. I was pretty sure I found a camera or microphone, so I disconnected and covered it. Room service never came by, and by then I wasn't sure I would trust them anyway. The neighborhood felt really sketchy, as did the long-term residents at the motel. I worried they might rob me or break into my car while they watched me. Luckily neither happened, but I'm glad I was concealed carrying. At checkout, someone went around inspecting rooms, and you couldn't leave until they finished so you could get your deposit back. I'm never staying here again. I started with low standards for a cheap hotel, but somehow this place went below even that.