AmericInn by Wyndham White Bear Lake St. Paul

We left before the night was over because the building didn’t feel safe or comfortable for our kids. The marijuana smell spread through the lobby and hallways, and by later that night it was so strong that our eyes burned and our throats felt irritated. We’re in town for a youth sporting event, and now all our clothes smell like smoke. It threw off the trip completely. There were basic problems in the room, too. It looked clean but didn’t have enough supplies. Around 8pm, while getting the kids ready for bed, we found there was no bedding for the sofa sleeper, just a fitted sheet and two very thin flat sheets, with no blanket or pillow. When we asked for more towels, the desk said they were all in the laundry. There was no hot water either. We let it run for 30 minutes, and nothing changed. The front desk said several rooms were affected, the manager wasn’t responding, and they had no estimate for a repair. The door only locked some of the time when we left, and its interior security latch was broken. With kids along, that was a serious concern. We had checked in at 4pm Friday after completing pre-check-in the day before, but had to give all the same information again. That was frustrating, though not a huge issue by itself.

My husband was shaken and bruised after rolling his car in a crash while driving home from work in the middle of the night. We live hours away, so he was stranded nearby. He checked in at 3am, and we expected to pay for the full night. What happened afterward was awful. I tried to get to him by the 11am checkout, shoveling three feet of snow in 67mph winds during a blizzard, but the roads were too bad and I couldn’t make it in time. The front desk refused a late checkout, so he had to pay for another night. They wouldn’t move him to a cheaper room, either. We eventually found help getting him home, and when he checked out at 3pm, they said there would be no refund. That came to $460 for a stay of less than 24 hours. After everything he’d been through, and with so little time spent in the room, they showed no compassion or willingness to return any of the money. Maybe the hotel is fine if you expect to stay, but don’t count on kindness or understanding from the front desk. The clerk was a jerk from the start.

The front desk service made our stay especially pleasant. The woman there was so welcoming and kind, and we felt well looked after. The building is tucked away in a quiet spot, and our room was spacious and comfortable. The air felt a bit dry, probably because of the season. Breakfast had a nice range of choices and was a convenient way to start the day. We had a good stay at the AmericInn in White Bear.

Breakfast was my one small disappointment. The scrambled eggs came as little bland, formed circles, and the sausage patties were greasy and didn’t taste like much. They also had diced fried potatoes, but I didn’t try them and they didn’t look very appealing. Apart from that, the choices were a limited set of the usual processed foods. The rate seemed fair for current prices. The lobby looked clean and neat, and our room was clean, spacious, and nice. Shops and places to eat were nearby, which made the location convenient.