La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Salt Lake City Airport

This older hotel has a nostalgic feel that reminded me of being home for the holidays at my family's house. I appreciate that, even though it's not glamorous or up to date. Delta canceled my flight and gave me a room voucher, so I chose this place. The shuttle got to the airport at 7 p.m., and I was checked in by 7:10. Check-in was easy and quick. My room was clean and spacious with no odd smells, and the bed was comfortable. Breakfast was decent, with bacon and eggs, toast, bagels, and two kinds of cereal. I'd stay again.

Late-night noise dominated the two hours I spent at this LA Quinta. After several stays here before, I was disappointed to be moved from one unsatisfactory room to another. The staff at check-in were friendly and helpful, but I asked for a refund and went to a nearby competitor. As I left, an employee said he had started a full refund. I asked him to confirm it was being processed, and three employees, including a manager, promised I would be refunded. The $110.67 charge was still on my card several days later. I called and was told a manager would contact me and take care of it immediately. That was December 2, and more than two weeks later nothing had happened, so I disputed the charge with my bank. I'm upset enough that I won't return, which is frustrating as a Wyndham member. I'll also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I consider the verbal promise a binding agreement, and will take further legal action if the dispute is challenged or the promised refund isn't issued. I don't care that I was there for only two hours.

The beds and all the bedding were the worst I've had in a hotel, and the airplanes weren't even the loudest part. Car alarms went off all night. My family was excited to use the pool, but it was very dirty, the skylights were broken, and there were no towels in the rack. The front desk wasn't friendly when I asked for pool towels. After swimming, the shower water ran brown for the first three minutes. The complimentary shampoo was almost empty before we used it, and we needed several towels to keep water from spreading everywhere. The beds advertised as queens were definitely full size, which was inconvenient but not a huge deal. A truck was broken into while we were there, and the front desk seemed not to care. Break-ins sound common from reviews over the past year. The owner says crime can't be prevented, but lights, cameras, and showing care when something happens can help deter it. Nearby hotels have cameras, so stay there instead. The theft issue seems so bad that employees put trash bags in their windows to stop anyone looking in. I've never met someone so against cameras who wasn't guilty of something. I'm not saying they did it, but I'm not saying they didn't either.

Our rooms were clean and the staff were helpful, but the key cards failed too many times to count, even when nobody nearby had a phone or key fob. Each time, we had to walk around the whole building to get to our room. We stayed four nights. If your car is hit in the parking lot, they have no cameras and won't help you. The pool was gross, full of hair and mysterious floaters, and the chlorine was so strong it could burn sensitive skin. The breakfast photos are wildly misleading. There's less than half of what they suggest, with old, hard bagels and dry white bread, two cereal options, and a small box of chewy, rubbery eggs with nasty ham or sausage. The hot food could take about ten minutes to refill. There's only one waffle maker, so unless you arrive an hour before breakfast ends, expect to wait roughly 10-25 minutes to make a single waffle.