OYO Hotel St. Helens, OR

The rooms were clean, but maintenance was lacking. Some workers were helpful, while others seemed annoyed that I was there. They could do better.

I was horrified by this motel. As a professional motel reviewer, I've never had a worse stay in ten years of reviewing. We couldn't sleep, and I felt unsafe leaving the room or even unlocking the door all night. The staff and owners seem to have lost control of the place. In my view, it operates like an apartment complex for government-subsidized residents, and I can't understand how it can legally rent rooms to travelers. Noise went on all night. A bar in the parking lot had loud fighting until 1 a.m., then intoxicated patrons ran up and down the stairs until 3 a.m. We saw a couple above us having a BBQ on the walking deck at 2:30 a.m. and yelling to other tenants in the parking area. Another tenant blasted subwoofers at 3:30 a.m. Around 3 a.m., people were racing RC cars in the lot and bouncing them off vehicles. Groups of homeless people talked loudly all night in the rear motel area, below our bathroom window. I also saw other travelers arguing with tenants about the noise. At check-in, a man on the upper tier glared at me and threw gang signs. I should've taken that as an omen. The rooms and grounds were filthy, and the staff seemed exhausted, understaffed, and exasperated. Our AC unit had a four-inch gap, so bugs got into the room all night. They charge a $50 room deposit and inspect for stolen or damaged items before letting you check out. The motel is overpriced and, in my opinion, should be shut down or converted entirely to homeless housing. I've blocked all OYO motels from my travel calendar and marked them unsafe for other travelers. I added photos of the room, the bar, and the crowd across from our room. What an awful experience.

The bathroom was fine for my daughter's bath, though it had no garbage can, which seemed odd. The sink had a strange smell when we ran it, like it hadn't been used in ages. The room had a very strong men's cologne smell when we got back from dinner, and it gave me a headache. My mom picked this place for our first visit to St. Helens, Oregon, to see “Halloweentown”; Best Western was full. The bed wasn't comfortable, though still better than a hardwood floor. The pillows were unbelievably flat, and I was glad I brought mine from the car. The fan and AC unit woke me up every time it kicked on, getting louder and louder even with earplugs in. Outside, people were fighting, yelling, and being obnoxious. Kids were running and shouting on the stairs at 3 a.m. There was a big gap under the door that let the sound into the room. I've stayed in some bad hotels and motels, but this was by far the worst. I wouldn't recommend it. While we were there, a cop slowly drove through the parking lot with the spotlight on. Was that meant to warn people to stay in their rooms, or what?

The town was amazing, but we won't return to this motel. The room wasn't like the pictures and wasn't cleaned very well, with mold in the bathroom. The toilet kept filling and draining water all night, no matter how much I jiggled the handle. Everything seemed okay until 3 a.m., when the woman in room 214 started screaming and cursing at her children on the stairs right in front of our room 100, whose wall is shared with the office. She kept yelling and arguing with them until almost 8 a.m. I stepped outside and asked them to keep it down, but that seemed to make the screaming worse. I told the man at the front desk, and he wasn't apologetic. He said, "I'll have to have a talk with them again." I'm pretty sure they all live there. If you do stay, avoid a room near the office.