OMG I shoulda slept in the van!

[xmudman]

Once in a while we expediters (especially us lowly vanners) find ourselves at a motel front desk, exchanging credit card for room card. This happens when the truck falls ill, is full of freight or simply to give ourselves the luxury of being able to stretch out a little bit.

This thread is for folks to describe their worst motel experiences, and to warn others away from said motels. If you wanna make your point particularly clear, CAPITALIZE the name of the place. I will start.

HERITAGE INN, I40 exit 216, BRINKLEY ARKANSAS.
I stopped here for the night on my way east from El Paso, because my bed was folded up to accomodate the freight. Oh the crimes against tourism this place perpetrates! Damp smell (wet-dog smell). Damp bed with onion-skin sheets. VERY damp carpets. Even the tile floor in the bathroom was damp. And the coup de grace: The shower curtain was COVERED IN MOLD along the bottom. I don't care about the 1972 furniture or the 1992 TV, or the lack of a microwave/coffeemaker/etc. But this place was DISGUSTING. And BTW they charged me $40 all in when the posted rate is $29.95 plus tax, which means an effective tax rate of almost 34%.
Tomorrow, I will be discussing this situation with both my credit card company AND the Arkansas Dept of Health.

OK, so let's hear your stories

 

[scottm4211]

Always check the room first lol.

 

[xmudman]

Always check the room first lol.

At midnight after 725 miles, I didn't think of that. That's why businesses are supposed to meet standards. Do you thoroughly research every restaurant you eat at, or do you just sit & eat if the place looks decent, trusting the State of So-and-so to have approved the place? Plus, it was pay-first-then-sleep, and when I turned in the room key I noticed the No Refunds No Exeptions (sic) sign.

 

[scottm4211]

At midnight after 725 miles, I didn't think of that. That's why businesses are supposed to meet standards. Do you thoroughly research every restaurant you eat at, or do you just sit & eat if the place looks decent?

I hear you but I've been burned enough to know now.

 

[xmudman]

I hear you but I've been burned enough to know now.

Copy that, driver .

Some places are acceptable even if they're dives. I stayed at a motel on the moon (oops, eastern Oregon) a couple weeks back after pounding out 2360 miles in 54 hours. Sure the place was dusty, old, full of transients and conjugal visitors to the nearby prison, and yes I hadda drive 8 miles to find a Taco Bell. But THE ROOM WAS CLEAN. Makes all the difference.

 

[Murraycroexp]

As long as the sheets are/seem clean I sleep well. I never even turn on the TV, use the fridge, microwave, etc.
I need a clean bed and a hot shower. And, of course, sometimes the cheap motels just don't deliver either. That's why, when the option is available, I like sleeping in my van and showering at Pilot. Especially the newly renovated Pilot showers.

 

[AMonger]

KNIGHT'S INN, Indianapolis. Stayed there because it was close to the Freightliner dealership where my truck was being repaired, it was fairly inexpensive, and they allowed pets.

They were renovating, and I got the last un-renovated room, the only ones in which pets were allowed. The bed had a huge divot in it like several 350-lb big boys were sleeping in it every night. It was officially a non-smoking room but in reality, it was a smoking room, and you would have known that when you walked in.

I knew the truck wasn't going to be ready the next morning and I didn't want to suit around the lounge, so I planned to shower about 11 and leave at noon, the time the sign on the door indicated was check-out time. At about 10:55, the phone rang. It was the clerk, axing if I was checking out, and I told him that I'd be checking out at noon. He informed me that checkout was 11, so I told him, "I'm looking at the sign here and it says noon."

"Well," he replied, "there's a sign in the lobby that says it's 11."

Being that there was a discrepancy -- and it being a mistake on their part -- I figured he'd be reasonable enough to let me run through the shower and check out about quarter-after. And I was wrong. We got into a little screaming match over the phone, and I rather unceremoniously and loudly hung up on his ***. Just a second or two later, the phone rang again, and it was this blowhard, bellowing, "DON'T YOU EVER HANG UP ON ME!"

So of course, I did.

But then I figured that he, out of spite, would just call the police and tell them I was refusing to leave/defrauding the innkeeper, whatever they could djinn up. It wouldn't stick, of course, but I'd be detained in the back seat of their car, maybe in handcuffs, until they figured out it was a lie, and being me, I'd end up really being arrested for disorderly/resisting/contempt-of-cop, what-have-you, so I put the world's prettiest dachshund in her carrier and left right away. On the way past the lobby, I leaned in, said, "Hey, buddy..." And I flung the card at him, Frisbee-style. He exploded, "You know, (rectum), you're a real (rhymes with trick)!"

I've never spent another penny with Knight's Inn, and never will.

MOTEL 6, Terre Haute: Spent a month there one week while the tranny was out. Repeatedly requested the management summon the Swedish Bikini Team to frolic in the pool, and my requests went unheeded. I suppose they wouldn't have stayed, anyway, because the pool was closed all week, during a hot spell. So I spent the week dodging the insects in the room. The tranny took longer to repair than anticipated, and in the end, it would have been cheaper to rent a car and drive home until it was fixed.

ONE OF THE CHEAP HOTELS IN EL PASO: made the mistake of not insisting a room on the north side. The hot sun beat down on my room while the air conditioner couldn't keep up. Three air was cool enough, but even at its highest, not enough air came out to cool the room enough to sleep. Around 3 a.m., it got to the point where it was merely uncomfortably warm.

BEN FRANKLIN INN, OMAHA: Thankfully, this place has been razed. But it used to be the place Werner would send their drivers when they needed accommodations in town. My room was right next to a breezeway where the ice machines, laundry room, soda machines, and such were located, and for some reason, there was even a TV there. Well, drivers hung out in that breezeway, cursing, laughing, telling stories, with the TV at high volume. I tolerated it for a while, figuring that they'd be going to bed soon. Eventually, I went out there to tell them to keep it down, and they had left, leaving the TV on. I unplugged it and finally got some sleep.

 

[xiggi]

Why does it make me laugh every time amonger says the tranny was out?

Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.

 

[Murraycroexp]

LOL!! Ugh!!!!!!

 

[LDB]

Between motels.com, hotels.com and Workforce Travel Savings & Solutions | CLC Lodging you can often get a name brand or at least semi-name brand room for a pretty decent rate.

 

[cranis]

If looking for a nice room at so so rates our company puts us @http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/ Here is a cooktop stove and full frig, nice for a coupls days stay while repairing vehicles.
Also Red roof inns are upgrading so you can almost get a micro/frig in most rooms..

 

[spongebox1]

KNIGHT'S INN, Indianapolis. Stayed there because it was close to the Freightliner dealership where my truck was being repaired, it was fairly inexpensive, and they allowed pets.

They were renovating, and I got the last un-renovated room, the only ones in which pets were allowed. The bed had a huge divot in it like several 350-lb big boys were sleeping in it every night. It was officially a non-smoking room but in reality, it was a smoking room, and you would have known that when you walked in.

I knew the truck wasn't going to be ready the next morning and I didn't want to suit around the lounge, so I planned to shower about 11 and leave at noon, the time the sign on the door indicated was check-out time. At about 10:55, the phone rang. It was the clerk, axing if I was checking out, and I told him that I'd be checking out at noon. He informed me that checkout was 11, so I told him, "I'm looking at the sign here and it says noon."

"Well," he replied, "there's a sign in the lobby that says it's 11."

Being that there was a discrepancy -- and it being a mistake on their part -- I figured he'd be reasonable enough to let me run through the shower and check out about quarter-after. And I was wrong. We got into a little screaming match over the phone, and I rather unceremoniously and loudly hung up on his ***. Just a second or two later, the phone rang again, and it was this blowhard, bellowing, "DON'T YOU EVER HANG UP ON ME!"

So of course, I did.

But then I figured that he, out of spite, would just call the police and tell them I was refusing to leave/defrauding the innkeeper, whatever they could djinn up. It wouldn't stick, of course, but I'd be detained in the back seat of their car, maybe in handcuffs, until they figured out it was a lie, and being me, I'd end up really being arrested for disorderly/resisting/contempt-of-cop, what-have-you, so I put the world's prettiest dachshund in her carrier and left right away. On the way past the lobby, I leaned in, said, "Hey, buddy..." And I flung the card at him, Frisbee-style. He exploded, "You know, (rectum), you're a real (rhymes with trick)!"

I've never spent another penny with Knight's Inn, and never will.

MOTEL 6, Terre Haute: Spent a month there one week while the tranny was out. Repeatedly requested the management summon the Swedish Bikini Team to frolic in the pool, and my requests went unheeded. I suppose they wouldn't have stayed, anyway, because the pool was closed all week, during a hot spell. So I spent the week dodging the insects in the room. The tranny took longer to repair than anticipated, and in the end, it would have been cheaper to rent a car and drive home until it was fixed.

ONE OF THE CHEAP HOTELS IN EL PASO: made the mistake of not insisting a room on the north side. The hot sun beat down on my room while the air conditioner couldn't keep up. Three air was cool enough, but even at its highest, not enough air came out to cool the room enough to sleep. Around 3 a.m., it got to the point where it was merely uncomfortably warm.

BEN FRANKLIN INN, OMAHA: Thankfully, this place has been razed. But it used to be the place Werner would send their drivers when they needed accommodations in town. My room was right next to a breezeway where the ice machines, laundry room, soda machines, and such were located, and for some reason, there was even a TV there. Well, drivers hung out in that breezeway, cursing, laughing, telling stories, with the TV at high volume. I tolerated it for a while, figuring that they'd be going to bed soon. Eventually, I went out there to tell them to keep it down, and they had left, leaving the TV on. I unplugged it and finally got some sleep.

Were from Indianapolis and can testify that's a bad BAD hotel, unless.your in the market for a.hooker and some illicit substances!


Sent from my VS910 4G using EO Forums mobile app

 

[beachbum]

my order of hotel motel chains I stay at Marriott, hilton, the La Quinta (because of Landstar discount).. Heck LaQuinta's are getting just as expensive as Fairfield and Hampton inns...

 

[Dreamer]

Priceline.com




Dale

 

[fatboy1]

We were in Indy one year near thanksgiving and freightliner could get to us for 3 days went to the Clarke power service across from international dealer. Country inn and suites would send a shuttle there to pu and bring back. Room was $59 a nite was there for 6 days. Gave us a break and even took us to a rest. For thanksgiving dinner. Will stay here again.

 

[cheri1122]

I won't say which hotel/motel, because it isn't important [and they might remember me!] but if you get a room with a jacuzzi, don't put Mr Bubble in it.
Other than that, I've never had a really bad experience with rental rooms.

 

[Murraycroexp]

LOL!! My first wife and I did that in Gatlinburg about 20 years ago. Bubbles as high as 3-4 feet of the jacuzzi tub. Completely unusable. Took hours to get rid of them!!

 

[cheri1122]

LOL!! My first wife and I did that in Gatlinburg about 20 years ago. Bubbles as high as 3-4 feet of the jacuzzi tub. Completely unusable. Took hours to get rid of them!!

Actually, I didn't do it - I was in the attached bathroom getting all gussied up. When I saw the guilty party holding his drink above the foam, I said "OMG!! You're going to have water all over the carpet!!" and he said "There isn't any water in here, it's all foam!"
We bailed it out with a carton from the Beer Store and dumped the suds [not the alcohol] out the window. When I thought about how it would look from the windows below, I couldn't stop laughing, so it was a good time after all.
These days, indoor plumbing & cable tv is all it takes to qualify as a mini vacation, lol.

 

[Murraycroexp]

LOL!! Out the window!!!
My first wife never got gussied up.
My second wife gets gussied up on the regular!! That's pretty much why she's my second wife. In a nutshell. Of course there's a lot more to that story.

 

[JetAgeHobo]

Haven't had the pleasure of staying in any thing real cruddy during this career, but in a previous career had some doozey's. Was making frequent trip to Puerto Rico, usually stayed in the Marriott at the former Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla. Unfortunately, this trip the Marriott was booked a couple of the nights I wanted to stay so I tried the "La Cima" motel, I had heard it was "OK" and a lot of people in my trade stayed there. Ok then. Checked in, and got sent to the room, rather dirty, moldy and the bed was full of somebody (or something's) hair. Ok, then, ask for another room. Clerk takes me to another room, above the Chinese restaurant, whose kitchen apparently vented into the room, a layer of grease all over the garage sale find furniture. NO thanks. At this point I'm like screw it, if the Marriott can't scrounge me up a room (had stayed there a lot and they knew me pretty well) I'd sleep on a bench in the Aguadilla town square. Luckily the Marriott pulled through. Did have an argument with the desk clerk at the La Cima, they were going to charge my credit card for the night I didn't stay. I"m like... just TRY it and see what happens. Heard the place closed... Good riddance.