Econo Lodge Williamsburg Historic Area

A quiet, clean hotel in the heart of the historic center, with a friendly host and a great location. It’s five minutes from the parks and historic activities. We stayed two nights and I’d happily come back. A little hidden gem in Williamsburg.

For the location and price, it was fair, and the room was nice and cool after a long hot day. We had two double beds, a table with two chairs, two pillows per bed, soaps and shampoo, but no extra blanket. I’d asked for extra towels at the front desk. The big spider web dangling there had clearly been around a while. I was too tired to care when I saw it, and nobody was at the desk at checkout to mention it to. I’d stay again for one quick night and then leave.

The room was dirty when I walked in, and the floor hadn’t been swept. I had to ask for different pillows. The replacements had mold on them, so they were changed again, but I was surprised anyone thought those original pillows were acceptable.

Last year, I picked this hotel for a work trip to Williamsburg because it was the cheapest one I found on Google and I was on a tight budget. It was much better than I expected: old rooms but well maintained, with a very friendly, welcoming extended-family feel from the staff. There was a small pool, with space for only one table and one deck recliner around it. They also had guest laundry, though the washing machine wasn’t working during my stay. My only other complaint then was the old mattress, which was firmer than I like. This year, work brought me back and I paid for a weekly room. It didn’t feel like the same place. They showed me two rooms at the back for long stays. Both had dingy old carpet instead of clean tile, and I assumed they’d be fine if vacuumed daily. They weren’t. I had to ask when the room would be cleaned, and the manager said weekly rooms were cleaned once a week. He said the maid was new and I should tell him if she forgot anything. I’m pretty sure she often forgot to vacuum. She also forgot to empty my trash, so I did it myself, and I had to go to the office for trash bags and toilet paper. The fridge wasn’t cold enough until I turned it to the highest setting, and its door was stiff. In my second week I complained, and the manager said he’d replace it with one of the new fridges they’d ordered in a couple of days. I was ready to leave if it wasn’t replaced by the end of the week, but he did install one himself. The old mini-fridge was so rusty its entire bottom fell off in fragments. He swept, but I had to ask him to vacuum the smaller pieces. Even afterward, rusty bits had left a sheen on the area. It was depressing. The family running the place were pleasant and seemed to try to accommodate me. That only goes so far when they’ve lost their one excellent employee and don’t maintain the rooms.