Magnuson Grand Hotel & Conference Center Tyler

The room was average, fine for a budget hotel, and seemed clean. It came with a fridge, microwave, TV, and coffee maker. The shower leaked and had a strange showerhead, but the hot water was good. We booked through chase travel for a medical school interview with my wife, arrived around 8, and check-in went smoothly. I'd stay again.

After my exam I couldn't take it anymore, so I wrote off the second night, checked out at 9:30pm, and got on the road. I wish I'd taken pictures or video. Avoid this place. The owners need to sell it quickly and cheaply or someone should bring a match and 10 gallons of gasoline. Stay at your own risk. Before I could even get to that point, they wanted $20 for checking in one hour early, at 2 instead of 3, saying they'd have to clean a room early despite not being full. I went to eat and came back at 3:03. A handwritten sign said the clerks were changing and someone would be with me. Then I waited through two employees arguing about a missing dime for about three minutes. Check-in was basic apart from a full page of rules and fees for extra people, pets, and smoking, plus fines if they found any. I was alone, didn't smoke, and had no pet. The room was a standard motel room, with a microwave and small fridge, but the AC was very loud. The online listing showed a wardrobe with the TV in it, plus a table and chair, but the room was missing furniture. The TV sat on the table, which wasn't convenient since I was there to study and take a test. The bathroom was dirty. There was enough black and blonde hair in the shower drain for a four year old, and the plug didn't fit, so a bath wasn't an option. The water never got hot, even after five minutes, just a little warmer than urine. The sheets were scratchy and the floor gritty. I'd been in the Army, but even I couldn't take it. I've stayed in nicer places in Kandahar for half the price.

The breakfast was laughable, and only the front desk staff spoke English. There was construction going on just above us. The place was very dirty and didn't seem to have had a proper cleaning in a long time. I hated booking through priceline because there was no way to get our money back.

The room smelled awful and musty every day. Maybe the AC filters or curtains need replacing. The towels didn't smell fresh either, and daylight showed all around the door because the seal was missing. Outside, trash cans by the stairs were overflowing, and the grounds needed mowing, trimmed bushes, and litter pickup. Inside, there were ants and a cricket. The floor was nice but dirty, the pillows and bed were hard, and there was no bedspread or extra blanket even after I asked. The room had no Kleenex. We had to ask for a coffee pot and then for packets that fit it. I was told extra towels had to be requested by 11:00am, but the landline wasn't connected to the front desk. I called several times before anyone answered, then had to go downstairs to get the things I'd asked for. There were missing outlet covers where we needed to plug in phone chargers. The vanity light didn't work at first, and the toilet fill tube was stuck so it kept running. My man repaired both, and the light worked better and the toilet was fine afterward.