Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Tuscaloosa - Univ. of Alabama

On a football weekend, they charged over $400 a night for what feels like a one-star hotel. On an ordinary day it’s a $45 room, so that’s a 788% price jump when there’s a game in town. If you book last minute, expect to be gouged and taken advantage of. There’s a lot of traffic noise, so bring a sound machine if you want to make it manageable. The shower curtain rail sloped down and wouldn’t hold the curtain in place, letting water leak onto the floor unless you held it while showering. The tub also drained more slowly than the shower flowed, so I stood in water that kept rising. The bedding was clean, and I didn’t notice bugs, but wear flip-flops because the carpet and tile need a deep clean or remodel. The carpet was torn, too. There are entry and exit gates for safety, but they stay open around the clock, so they don’t do much.

The night manager was very nice and refunded the full amount without charging a fee. We only lasted three hours before leaving. The room was absolutely filthy and had roaches. The fence around the property is just a facade, and homeless people walked through the parking lot. Someone also tried to break into my vehicle while we were there and damaged the door lock.

For a budget room, this worked out really well for my trip. I was concerned when I saw it was right in front of Sam’s Club, but it was unexpectedly quiet. The staff were friendly and keen to help, and the room was surprisingly large. It’s dated, but clean. I missed the entrance and had to circle back, though campus, shops, and restaurants were an easy drive away.

We were so uncomfortable that we were relieved to leave early, and I’ll never stay here again or recommend it. The room was filthy, with stained furniture and a bed that clearly had been slept in before we arrived. The sheets were stained and smelled unclean, so we slept on top of the covers. The whole room smelled of smoke despite supposedly being non-smoking. There was just one roll of toilet paper, adding to the feeling of neglect. We didn’t feel safe using the shower or drinking the water.