Days Inn Tempe

I’ve been coming here once a year for a nearby event for the past three years, and I’m booked to return. It’s convenient and cheap, and I’ve never had a major problem. The air conditioning is fantastic, which really matters in Arizona in September. It’s not fancy, but in my experience it’s among the least gross and least noisy of the many cheap motels I’ve stayed in. One year the wireless was pretty flaky. I’ve also heard the breakfast wasn’t much, though I didn’t try it. There was a place in Paris once... I’d rather not think about it.

The second-floor hallway smelled of natural gas, windows were broken and patched with duct tape, and the place was noisy. The rooms were dirty, and turning on the water brought a sewage smell. The pool was out of order and there was no hot tub, despite what the website led me to expect. I wouldn’t stay here again. I’ve had better experiences at other Days Inn locations, but now I’m convinced they’re little more than glorified Motel 6s. Very bad.

I lucked into a large room with its own patio, though most rooms apparently don’t have one. I feel a bit more human after last night’s Day’s Inn, so I’m staying another day and hoping I can get this same room again. I’m giving the motel four stars for this room, but yours will probably be smaller and lack a patio. The TV is still an issue. I don’t live here, so I have no idea which channel numbers go with which channels, and I can’t find a guide. They need newer sets. When I turned it on, Judge Judy’s face was all red, and it’s a Zenith from the 90s with a picture tube that’s going out. I’m not mad about the picture quality; I just wish Day’s Inn would make sure the cable service included a channel guide. If guests can’t tell what’s on or what’s coming next, there’s not much point in having TVs. I just want to watch something.

The best thing here is the location. The light rail is right across the road, with downtown Tempe only minutes away and downtown Phoenix about 35 minutes away. There are plenty of restaurants around too, and for the price it’s a decent budget stay in Tempe. The motel is pretty middle of the road, neither awful nor great. The rooms are clean and have decent facilities, though the TVs need updating and the shower could work better. The pool seems to have been closed for a long time. It’s now an empty hole with junk around it, which makes the whole property look worse.