Red Roof Inn Birmingham South

The receptionist was unfriendly and dismissive, with no effort to help or show any customer service. The sheets were visibly stained and dirty, which is the most basic standard for a hotel. I reserved space for three people with two double beds, but the bed we got was the smallest “double” I've ever seen and couldn't comfortably fit us. It felt misleading compared with the listing. When I asked the front desk for a solution, I even offered to pay for an extra bed. They refused and said the only option was to pay for a whole separate room. Dirty bedding, an unsuitable room size, and poor service made for a frustrating stay. I'm at Red Roof Inn in Birmingham, and I wouldn't recommend it.

We got in around 9 p.m., and the woman at the desk was very nice. My daughter was assigned a room that smelled like marijuana as soon as we entered. She was exhausted, though, and stayed because it looked clean. While my husband and I were trying to find our room, a man was openly smoking a joint in the walkway. Our room was gross and smelled strongly of perfume, like it had just been used. The sheets and pillowcases looked as if someone had slept in the bed and then made it up again. We took photos and asked for another room. The replacement was clean, but at 3 a.m. we woke to an overwhelming marijuana smell. We won't return.

The location was perfect, and the room looked really nice, with no carpet and everything in order. The bed was comfortable, though I would've liked the shower a little hotter. For this time of year it was okay, and the cleaning could have been more thorough by my standards. The affordable price had me a little worried, but check-in came with a warm, attentive, professional welcome. Taking everything into account, it was a good choice.

There were large cockroaches in the room. We checked in at night and slept with them without noticing until morning. I reported it to the front desk, and they said they'd tell the manager, but she never offered a discount, which I thought was rude. I guess I should learn to check before going to bed.