Howard Johnson Texarkana

I don't say this as a knee-jerk reaction, but this hotel was really, really bad. The room was dirty, with cigarette holes in the beds, blood marks on the curtains, and dust and other items left on the floor. The bathroom was dirty too, and we could hear people in the next room talking. There aren't enough words for how miserable it felt. We seriously considered sleeping in the car, which would've been a hundred times better. Garbage. Do not stay here.

The phone in our room was plugged in but didn't work, so we couldn't call the front desk from there. When we went down with all our belongings to report the bugs and ask for a refund, we waited 20 minutes. The response was basically, "Oh yeah, we're fumigating," followed by an explanation that there was no manager on duty and the person there couldn't authorize a refund. We were told to come back in the morning. We're from Canada, so that's a long way to come back. The pleasant, helpful woman who checked us in wasn't there when we returned and couldn't address the health problems at this place. We saw several cockroaches within 15 minutes of entering the room, along with lots of dead baby roaches. There were no bedbug covers on the beds, cigarette burns and blood stains on the sheets and comforters, and cigarette ash in the sink and toilet. Gaps in the plaster along the walls seemed to be a cockroach highway into our room. If you're looking for an affordable stay, the Days Inn down the street seemed like a better bet, with reasonable prices, accommodating staff, clean rooms, and a chance to look at the room before deciding.

The king-size bed was a decent price, and the room was okay, but it had an odor. The thin, bright sheer curtains didn't block the sunlight, and during the day, especially at night, people could see through them. They also don't mention the $50 damage deposit until you arrive. You get it back if nothing is damaged. This would be a last resort for me.

This place was disgusting, and I think the health department should shut it down. We were given dirty linens three times, and nobody cleaned the room. We were so scared we stayed awake all night for two days. The staff were unprofessional and lied to us. I took pictures of everything and will report them. It doesn't deserve even one star.