University Inn

The rooms were beautiful, comfortable, and quiet, and I found the hospitality a bigger deal than the condition of the grounds. The staff were accommodating and handled problems quickly, with apologies, even though some facilities weren’t working. It wasn’t the cleanest place I’ve stayed in around San Marcos, but it wasn’t dirty either. This has become one of my favorites in the area, and I’ll definitely return.

Getting out of there was a relief. The place felt sketchy when I arrived, and residents stared and seemed quick to judge. My room looked messy, the AC didn’t work, and the shower stayed cold even with the water set to maximum heat. The towels were disgusting, covered in mucus and feces, and the toilet had brown stains and looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. As I was packing to leave, housekeeping kept banging on the door even after I said no and asked them to wait. I don’t usually write reviews, but this one deserved a very negative one.

The pool was closed, though I’d called to ask when it would be open. Swimming with my family was the main reason I booked. I paid $70 for a disgusting room and wish I’d gone to Airbnb. Avoid this hotel and its management. See the photos for reference. At check-in, a man who seemed uninterested confirmed my reservation for a double room for four people but gave me only one key card. He said extra cards cost $5 each. Room 112 smelled bad and was very dirty. The floor hadn’t been swept, and there was a large hairball near the bathroom in plain sight. Under a creaky old desk chair, spiders were feeding on small bugs, with dried insect bodies on the floor. The bathroom floor and toilet hadn’t been cleaned. There were urine streaks in the toilet and strange hairs around it. The air conditioner creaked all night, sounding to me like rats scratching. At checkout I showed the photos to another man at the counter. He shrugged and apologized, then said he’d tell management so they could tell the cleaning crew to clean the room. I asked what he planned to do about the situation, and he kept repeating that he’d pass it on. When I asked for an email address to send the photos, they said they didn’t have one and he’d just tell them what I’d said.

I stay in hotels more than 200 nights a year for work, and this is the worst one I’ve stayed in. The room was very dirty, with an unswept floor, dead roaches, backed-up sinks, and a strong odor. Everything shook when the door closed. It looked family-owned, but was still pretty bad. Someone booked it for me for four days on the wrong dates. I missed three days and never got a call or email asking where I was. When I asked if anything could be done, they said no and wouldn’t meet me halfway or offer even a little good customer service. I asked about an upgrade too, but that was a no.