Express Inn - Spring

I’ve stayed here on and off over the years and have always had good service. It’s very quiet, and the owners at the front desk are really good people. If you want a good price and clean rooms, come here. It’s the only hotel I’ll spend my money at.

The rooms have been very clean so far, but there’s no breakfast, which is a downside for me. Breakfast matters when you’re getting up and heading out, and I think offering some kind of breakfast would bring in more business. Since the hotel is on the side of the feeder, you have to drive all the way down one end and back up to get food. The ice machine also needs cleaning at the bottom. There’s a lot of green buildup there, so I’d be very wary about taking ice from it. I’d have given the place five stars if breakfast were available.

The room stayed uncomfortable from Friday until Sunday morning. It felt hot when I walked in even though the AC read 72, so I turned it down to 61 and waited, but the room never cooled enough. I’m cold natured, but this is Houston in summer, and I always bring a large floor fan because you never know. I was glad I’d prepared. I got this room because it was cheap and I had to make an emergency trip to Spring, so I settled. I didn’t realize how far down I’d settled until I saw it. There was a roughly 3/4-inch gap under the door and a 1/4-inch gap around it. I found hairs on the shower stall ledge, stains on the carpet, and burn marks on the comforter. The mattress was hard, though not rock hard. The fridge has no control to make it properly cold. I put cans in when I arrived, and they were only cool when I left Sunday. I always bring alcohol spray to clean things when I arrive, and a bedside rug so my feet don’t have to touch the carpet. I was grateful I’d packed both. The website says there’s laundry, but that’s misleading. It’s next door at the Red roof Inn, and the Express Inn and Red roof Inn seem to share one washer and dryer. I had to carry my laundry over and get a key from their office. The dryer was full of dog hair and reeked of cigarette smoke, so there was no way I’d put my clothes in it. I don’t know where the owner gets the toilet paper, but it could double as light-grit sandpaper. There’s no breakfast, which I was almost grateful for after seeing the room and laundry situation. The TV has hundreds of channels but not a single one I’d want to watch, and moving between them means scrolling about 100 channels from the last one that seemed mildly interesting. It was worth $54 to avoid sleeping in my car, but that’s about all I can say in the place’s favor.

It’s better than sleeping in a car or on the street, but the toilet paper the manager picked out is about the cheapest, roughest stuff they make. The advertised free breakfast is a lie, and neither the room phone nor the TV remote works. Less than five minutes down the road, there’s another place for the same price with fitness center access and a very nice complimentary breakfast. The staff there are friendlier and more accommodating too.