Howard Johnson by Wyndham St. George Hotel & Suites

The location is great, with plenty of food and snack options nearby and Walmart close enough for errands. The hot tub was enjoyable, too. But the room was not worth the price, and the hotel needs to learn how to clean. We were told we couldn’t check in early because the room needed cleaning, which was understandable. When we finally got in, though, it hadn’t been cleaned at all. There was feces behind the toilet, hair and boogers in the bedding, and several smears on the walls. Dust bunnies inches long hung from most of the walls and spots on the ceiling. The room smelled musty, and after an hour even our clothes and belongings felt dingy and gross. Lighting was very poor, especially at night or with the curtains shut for privacy. We nearly bought a lamp at Walmart. The garbage bins stayed piled too high for our trash the whole weekend. The pool wasn’t heated, so it wasn’t suitable for year-round use. Breakfast was mediocre at best: cereal, bread, hard-boiled eggs, and tiny four-ounce coffee cups.

Bill was great when he checked us in, really friendly and helpful. The room was another story. It smelled like dog pee, and it looked like they’d just painted over questionable walls instead of updating them. There was a lot of mold in the bathroom. We sleep with separate blankets, so I asked for an extra. A man came to the room angry that he had to bring one, speaking broken English and pointing at the blanket already on the bed. We wanted another blanket. Was that worth yelling at us instead of just bringing it politely? We won’t stay here again. We moved to the Comfort Inn next to Culver’s, and it was so much nicer.

The hot tub was a great way to unwind after the drive, and the stay was easy and low stress, which is unusual for us at hotels. Dev, the front desk manager, was welcoming and helpful. We stayed in a spacious King bedroom, though I wished the bathroom were a little bigger. The bed was firm, but we slept fine. The pool wasn’t heated, so in October it was too cold to swim unless you like cold showers or ice plunges. Our key card stopped working on the second day of our two-night stay, but getting new cards fixed it easily. We ordered Domino’s to the door, and there were plenty of other food options nearby. We’d recommend the hotel.

The room was lovely, clean, and comfortable, and the price was great. Kind, welcoming staff made the stay even nicer. It’s also close to plenty of restaurants and convenience stores, so I highly recommend the place. I’ll plan to try the pool next time. Parking is the one drawback. There’s an entrance on either side, but both driveways are one-way. With the spaces set at 45 degrees, you can only back out one way and have to go around the building. That’s manageable until two cars leave from opposite ends at once. There’s room for only one vehicle, so neither can pass.