Econo Lodge Inn & Suites Tuscaloosa I-20

The first time I stayed three nights, I found a decent budget-motel room, no bugs, and excellent shower pressure. Traffic nearby was awful, but having lots of restaurants, a general store, and a liquor store within walking distance helped. What really annoyed me was being refused coffee that morning. I travel for work and spend all my time in a hotel or camper. Every hotel in America has coffee available 24/7. I gave the place two more tries, Monday through Thursday, and now it’s clear that everyone working here does the absolute bare minimum. I’ve been killing roaches and won’t give them another chance.

This rundown place could look quite nice with some basic work. A little paint, bleach, fresh linens, two comforters, a new shower curtain, decent washcloths and towels, and a clean ice bucket and tray instead of the cigarette-burned ones would go a long way. Maybe add a nice rug and put in some elbow grease. For a $500-600 investment, this room could look shiny and new. It feels like the business just doesn’t care when so little is done to make big improvements.

The room was clean and smelled fresh, and I enjoyed sitting on the covered patio out back even while it was raining. Breakfast was disappointing: there were only pancakes, plus some burritos that weren’t replenished once they ran out. I’d never seen oatmeal cream pies served with breakfast before. The lobby was clean on arrival. Just be aware there’s a $60 incidental deposit at check-in and another $15 pet deposit.

We stayed two days, and room 117 had roaches. When we checked out and told the woman at the front desk, she acted like it didn’t matter. She said they were there because it had been cold the night before and we must have left the door open, but we never did. The sheets smelled dirty, the room hadn’t been cleaned properly, and someone’s food from the previous night was still in the refrigerator. We won’t stay there again.