Amber Sky Motel

The receptionist was nice, but I barely slept. The room smelled like sewage and had roaches everywhere. There weren’t bedbugs, at least. Other hotels and motels were full, but honestly, I should’ve slept in my car.

We liked having a shaded outdoor seating spot, and there was a grill we used to make dinner. The staff were lovely, and the rates were cheap. Our room smelled when we arrived, though a bit of Febreze took care of it. On the second day we spotted a cockroach wandering around the bathroom, and the rooms are dated. It seems to be a place where long-term workers stay. It’s centrally located for places to eat, and Garner State Park is only 35 miles away.

If zero stars were an option, that’s what I’d choose. I’m very unhappy with how this went, and the cancellation fee feels unacceptable given the unprofessional service. I’ve never had an issue like this with booking.com before. I called Amber Sky on Friday July 9 at 1:30pm because booking.com told me to contact the property to add a night to my reservation. I told the woman I already had a reservation and wanted to arrive early and add another night. She took my name and said I’d be considered a Walk In. When my family and I arrived around 2:30 am on Thursday July 15, I rang the doorbell twice with no answer. At 2:45am, I called from outside and explained who I was and that I’d been told I could walk in to add a night. She didn’t remember me. Even after I reminded her she had written my name down, she said she couldn’t check me in until 9am. I had nowhere to go with my family in the car, so I repeated what she’d told me, but she still wouldn’t help. We found another room for my tired family, then I cancelled the Amber Sky booking online. Because I’d previously had trouble changing dates on the website, I called to confirm the cancellation. That turned into an argument. She said I hadn’t told her my name or that I had a reservation, and admitted she was sleepy and didn’t remember parts of our conversation. That whole situation was extremely frustrating.

We checked in about an hour ago. The room smelled nice and had already been cooled, but when I moved the couch to look for outlets beyond the ones by the TV, I found a used condom and a small baggie that looked like cocaine. I told the woman at the front desk, and she asked if we wanted another room. No, I wanted my money back and to stay for free, though I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Why offer another room when it might have more disturbing stuff left behind because the place isn’t being cleaned properly?