Super 8 by Wyndham Wisconsin Dells

I heard all the footsteps and conversations from upstairs while staying on the first floor. The dirty sheets were covered in stains, so I bought my own blanket and slept under that instead. We even found a dead cockroach in the bathroom. From the moment I walked in, the place gave me a bad feeling. The hallways were creepy and the doors didn't close properly. Disgusting. Definitely my first and last time.

Getting to the hotel was easy, but the rate didn't feel worth it in the end. We booked two nights and left after one, partly because a snowstorm was coming. We were glad not to stay longer. The rooms were cramped, with banged-up furniture that looked like it came from Goodwill. The showerhead was corroded and set very low, like Buddy from Elf taking a shower. Our sheets were stained, though the bed itself was somewhat comfortable. The pillows were maybe half a normal pillow's size, and the fridge had a huge buildup of ice. At breakfast, the selection was minimal: cereal, bread, waffles, and hard-boiled eggs. The butter portions were frozen, so good luck spreading one on toast or a waffle. The toaster was broken on one side and wouldn't eject the toast. The elevator buttons were falling apart. The price looked attractive, but it wasn't worth it. Heed the reviews and look elsewhere for a place to stay.

For $50, I could live with skipping the promised in-room coffee maker and making do with a weak breakfast for one comfortable night en route. The rooms were clean, the temperature controls worked well, and the carpet was in good shape. There was a stale smell when we arrived, but it cleared once the air was moving. I liked the large statement artwork/headboard with a local feel. The linens were worn through in places, with actual threadbare holes, and the pillows should be full-sized. The hot tub was clearly marked as broken before booking, at the desk, and at the pool entrance, which I appreciated. We came in around 10 p.m. to find a staff member talking on speakerphone. He kept the call going while checking us in, with another couple also waiting. We'd booked two separate rooms, mine as lead on 1K and my mother's on 2Q. He kept insisting only one room was reserved and checked me into it, until I showed screenshots of both bookings. He found my mother's reservation, but had mixed up the rooms, so we swapped. My father has limited mobility after a stroke, and those requests were attached to the wrong room. I made separate reservations specifically to avoid this kind of mix-up. The place seemed to be at maybe 10% capacity. Since our room had no coffee maker or coffee, we went to the breakfast room. Both dispensers had Folgers, regular and decaf. Breakfast had link sausages, while the other side of the two-spot warmer was unused. There was only sliced white bread, two cold cereal choices, two yogurt flavors, and boiled eggs that were beyond rubbery. We passed. For the price, the clean and comfortable one-night sleep was acceptable, but the linens should be replaced and staff should get off the phone and focus on guests.

We use places like Super 8 and other two-star motels all the time and expect a mediocre stay. This was the worst we've experienced, both for service and staff. Nobody was at the front desk, so we had to call the desk phone whenever we needed help. The place was shabby and run down, and breakfast was stale and gross: bagels, bread, muffins, and cereal that looked like it had been left out for days. The food stayed out all day behind thin plexiglass. The internet didn't work during our stay, and the TV cable worked only on the first day. We used express checkout on the morning we left, then were charged for an extra night. Getting that charge removed the next day took a major fight on the phone. The man I spoke with even claimed we still had belongings in the room at 1 p.m., though we'd left and fully cleared it by 10 a.m.