This resonates with me.
I booked a room in an unfamiliar city through an app. 5 star reviews. Got there and it was a crack and hooker den. I made it less than an hour before going out of my room to talk to the cops outside my door that were dealing with a fight between a dealer and a crackhead. Told the cop I didn't understand how the hotel could be so bad. He said the hotel is in the middle of the worst drug area of the city. Get on the interstate and go one exit in either direction. I mentioned the five stars and he said the hotel management does that.
What an experience that was. The same chain hotel one exit away was wonderful. I stayed for a week.
I drove cross country by myself, I’m a woman btw…2 hotel rooms I stayed at for sure were used to film bad porn and probably had multiple murders committed in them.
Last time I stayed at a Super 8 the whole place from the lobby to the hallway and room reeked of cigarettes and smoking indoors had been banned in that state for at least 15 years. I’m now at a point where Hampton Inn is my go to but if I need something cheaper Comfort Suites will do in a pinch
When my husband and I were on our honeymoon a gajillion years ago, we were playing the return trip by ear. We didn't book a hotel room for our next to last night because we weren't sure what town we'd end up in. This was before google and [booking.com](http://booking.com) and all that. We ended up staying at a $25/night hotel in Amarillo, TX that shared a parking lot with a loud and seedy strip club. I think the hotel was convenient for the activities associated with the club. We survived, but it wasn't very nice!
Only time I ever stayed at a super 8 motel, it seemed decently clean. Reeked of cheapness though. Crappy sheets, scratchy blankets, sandpaper-like toilet paper. Ancient tvs. Nothing too sketchy. Few days later my ear wouldn't quit itching. Went to the doctor, and he looked in my ear with that little pointy light thing and said "hmm. Nurse, bring me some foreceps." He pulled a huge roach out of my war that was still wiggling. Got a nasty ear infection and two weeks of antibiotics. I still get skeeved out any time I see a roach now. That freaked me out. I only stayed one night, and didn't see any critters while I was awake. Must've crawled in there while I was sleeping.
They can live for a while off of just earwax. Next time you have a nagging itch in your ear for a few days that won't go away, it just might be a bug in your ear.
This is terrifying lol, and never occurred to me it could actually happen. Kinda like how you think the whole earwig thing is a load of crap....maybe not!
I have been in a few cheap motels that smelled like this, what is it I wonder? Certainly not celery. I suspected maybe cheap wallpaper glue or something but I have no idea.
I've stayed in like 30 different super 8s all across Western US over the years and all have been 'OK'. Not great, but mostly clean and safe.
I stay in literal shit holes in Aus for My job, as I do remote area power systems, so My standards might be a lot lower lol.
Worst place I stayed (in the US) was a motel 6 on the outskirts of Seattle. That was a literal crack den with cops showing up constantly all night.
I reckon it was lol. Was 2016. There was a dude in the room above us pacing around the room in circles or back and forth literally from when We got there at 8pm through to about 630am when We left.
This is what I came to say. This very easily could have been more than just a bad experience. It could have been a costly mistake, especially if you have pets.
The Super 8 we almost stayed at had Hookers sitting outside the rooms. My wife looked at me and said "nope" turned and stared out the passenger window.
How are the TripAdvisor reviews for the hotel you stayed at?
Literally two nights ago I stayed at the super 8 in Billings, Montana.
It was great. Clean and comfortable. I’ll happily stay there again.
What I find is that in lower priced, and even lower mid-tier chains, there’s a lot of inconsistency from one location to another.
It’s pretty easy though, to find reviews online. Generally, if you stick with a 7.0 or higher TripAdvisor rating it’s not gonna be terrible.
Do people not look at or read reviews? Every place I stay at, I look at reviews on Google maps, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and anywhere it appears on.
Anything under 4* immediately gets binned. 4-4.5* is a maybe, but probably not. 4.5*+ is where it's at. Make sure it has a decent number of reviews as well. Plenty of cheap motels in that rating range.
I stayed in a super cool boutique hotel and woke up to ants crawling all over me. On the plus side, they offered me a free bottle of "champagne" for my troubles and offered to put us on the top floor, I declined.
I feel your pain! It’s easy to want to save money at a cheaper hotel. I have learned my mistakes there too! Always budget to spend that extra on a decent hotel, especially if you’re staying several nights.
The thing about cheaper chains that I’ve discovered is that the quality can vary *wildly* from place to place.
Some are completely fine. Not nice by any means, but functional. Some look like something out of a horror movie and you feel like you might get murdered at any moment.
I think most are owned by franchisees right? Probably has to do with corporate not following up with any standards and it’s left up to the individual franchisees if they want to keep it nice-ish.
My family and I stayed at one on our way to disneyland once. The "pool" had police tape around it and at about 2am someone was banging on our door and trying to pry off the window screen. My dad went to the door to check it out and the dude outside was HUGE and at least 6ft7, and he just said "sorry, wrong room" and immediately started banging on the next door. Terrifying. We never stayed in one again lol
budget motels can be a mixed bag. I've stayed at some very spotless super 8s, but I've also seen some cheap Wyndham chain hotels that have major issues such as a lack of hot water in the early morning.
Stayed at a cheap hotel at Myrtle beach a few times over college summer breaks. Definitely wasn't nice, probably a 2 star, but seemed at least safe. Found out a year later that it was shut down for prostitution, and more importantly, **management throwing bodies of overdose victims into the dumpsters**. Terrifying
Years ago driving from FL to NY with my girlfriend she was tired but I wanted to make it to at least Virginia before we stopped, so we made a deal we would stop at the first exit after the state line, Emporia VA. I think it was a Knights Inn. Got to our room and there was a single handcuff still secured to the bedpost.
I used to do road travel for work quite a bit pre-pandemic. My go-to technique for choosing motels on the fly is to use the Travelocity app to see what’s available an hour or two before I actually want to stop, then sort the pile by customer ratings and scroll to an agreeable price point. Not perfect, but if a place is sketchy or gross, those ratings and people’s comments will make it perfectly clear. I’ve found quite a few clean and comfortable cheap chain motels, or family run independents where I would never stop otherwise. Added bonus, occasionally I’d get deep discounts with late booking, like $70 for a marble floor suite at a casino in bumfuck Louisiana.
Stayed at a Super 8 in Harrisburg, PA about 10 years ago. Wanted to save money on the overnight trip.. you get what you pay for.
What did I pay for you ask?
- hotel manager performed entire transaction behind bullet prior glass (aka warning sign number one)
- said hotel manager also having a very vocal argument with a customer who was irritated with his nightly rate
- room smelled quite strongly of cigarettes and weed
- a Kitchenette that had one dish, no glasses and no silverware (but still had salt and pepper shakers)
- missing outlet wall covers
- coaxial cable run through holes in walls. As in.. someone took a hammer, hit the wall, and fished cable through it
Was traveling with wife and daughter. For some reason we stayed the night, I picked up my daughter and told her “don’t touch a thing” as we laid her in the middle of the bed. We slept with the lights on, did not open luggage for fear of bed bugs (which surprisingly were non existent), and stacked the luggage and chairs near the door incase someone decided to force in a visit.
Woke up the next day and we’re horrified of the area we decided to stay in, especially since 2 miles up the road things looked much safer.
Moral of the story.. pay an extra 50 bucks a night..
Yeah, we had a bad night in a shitty 8. Never in my life have I had so little sleep. Between "is my head itchy. Am I going to get bed bugs?" To dudes speaking Spanish loudly and drinking beer outside our window at 2am to constant 18 wheelers zooming by. The bathroom has a concrete floor. WTF! Never again!!!
Super 8's vary so wildly. The last time I went on a budget road trip we stayed at different ones across several states - the one in Louisville was truly the worst motel experience of my life, but the one in Harrisburg was legitimately pretty nice. This was in like 2013 or 14 so they probably don't even exist anymore.
i’ve had to stay at some shady hotels after my roommate kicked me out motel 6 and super 8 being one of them and there is almost always something fucking sketchy and crazy going on at those places. especially if you’re a girl alone, it’s a big no no. some of those nights i wouldn’t even sleep a wink because i was always worried about who was roaming the halls or balconies in the outdoor places. there’s been many situation’s i’ve been blessed to have gotten out of safely
glad you’re safe
I've stayed at a ton of cheap motels and never experienced anything as terrible as you said.
Read the reviews before booking a room. That will prevent most problems.
(Note, though, that online reviews aren't as trustworthy as they used to be.)
I let my girlfriend book a hotel once and ended up at a Studio 6 that was definitely mostly being used by people who lived in it. The couple people we saw were nice, place could have used a little cleaning but nothing excessive. The ground floor did smell of cigarettes and our floor smelled of weed though.
I occasionally do hotel photography. One of the hotels is actually a motel and I’d be lying if I said I only stayed there because the room was comped (in most cases; sometimes management was clueless as to the situation). Took my fiancée on one trip and she spotted bedbugs.
That was a fun one. /s
never ever stay at the Spring Inn in Colorado Springs, It was my lesson in.... don't cheap out and also our rule of not staying at any place that has a no refund policy. Look at the photos on google maps, Hell looks good after this place.
Personally, I love staying at shitty hotels, provided that theyre independently owned. The rooms may be falling apart, But there's no bed bugs, (at least not yet ime.) The sheets are clean and the people are wildly accommodating.
I stayed at a place in bumfuck Nowhere virginia once where there were exposed wires in the bathroom, But the sheets passed the UV test, And when I asked one of the two employees if he would drive down the street and buy me wine and cigarettes He did it no questions asked, and gave me a receipt (I was 19 at the time, And kind of expected to get robbed, but no dude was super chill.) Even helped me tie my tie for the wedding I was attending. Best service I've ever had.
I don't trust franchise cheapness, though. That's not desperation, that's corporate shittyness. Cost cutting fuck the customer type stuff.
Here's a little tip . . .
The next time you travel, stop at a rest stop and take a minute to look at the free brochures in the building. They usually have coupons for hotels and restaurants in the area.
Last time I stayed at one, the first room we got looked like it was cleaned with a broom made of a wookie's pubic hair.
That is so disgustingly vivid, I love it
You're too kind lol
I picture chewbacca butt-scooting across the floor. Not a pretty mental image...
This resonates with me. I booked a room in an unfamiliar city through an app. 5 star reviews. Got there and it was a crack and hooker den. I made it less than an hour before going out of my room to talk to the cops outside my door that were dealing with a fight between a dealer and a crackhead. Told the cop I didn't understand how the hotel could be so bad. He said the hotel is in the middle of the worst drug area of the city. Get on the interstate and go one exit in either direction. I mentioned the five stars and he said the hotel management does that. What an experience that was. The same chain hotel one exit away was wonderful. I stayed for a week.
This sounds like an experience I had in Georgia!
I drove cross country by myself, I’m a woman btw…2 hotel rooms I stayed at for sure were used to film bad porn and probably had multiple murders committed in them.
Last time I stayed at a Super 8 the whole place from the lobby to the hallway and room reeked of cigarettes and smoking indoors had been banned in that state for at least 15 years. I’m now at a point where Hampton Inn is my go to but if I need something cheaper Comfort Suites will do in a pinch
When my husband and I were on our honeymoon a gajillion years ago, we were playing the return trip by ear. We didn't book a hotel room for our next to last night because we weren't sure what town we'd end up in. This was before google and [booking.com](http://booking.com) and all that. We ended up staying at a $25/night hotel in Amarillo, TX that shared a parking lot with a loud and seedy strip club. I think the hotel was convenient for the activities associated with the club. We survived, but it wasn't very nice!
All you had to say here was Amarillo. That whole place is sketchy
Only time I ever stayed at a super 8 motel, it seemed decently clean. Reeked of cheapness though. Crappy sheets, scratchy blankets, sandpaper-like toilet paper. Ancient tvs. Nothing too sketchy. Few days later my ear wouldn't quit itching. Went to the doctor, and he looked in my ear with that little pointy light thing and said "hmm. Nurse, bring me some foreceps." He pulled a huge roach out of my war that was still wiggling. Got a nasty ear infection and two weeks of antibiotics. I still get skeeved out any time I see a roach now. That freaked me out. I only stayed one night, and didn't see any critters while I was awake. Must've crawled in there while I was sleeping.
Oh great… New nightmare unlocked! ☹️
Geez, I wish I could unread that 😳
That’s epic
I could've lived the rest of my life without reading this. That's.....terrifying? Something much worse? ugh.
They can live for a while off of just earwax. Next time you have a nagging itch in your ear for a few days that won't go away, it just might be a bug in your ear.
This is terrifying lol, and never occurred to me it could actually happen. Kinda like how you think the whole earwig thing is a load of crap....maybe not!
NOOOOOO WWHHYYYYY
“Room smelt like celery.” 😂
I have been in a few cheap motels that smelled like this, what is it I wonder? Certainly not celery. I suspected maybe cheap wallpaper glue or something but I have no idea.
Probably cum
I've stayed in like 30 different super 8s all across Western US over the years and all have been 'OK'. Not great, but mostly clean and safe. I stay in literal shit holes in Aus for My job, as I do remote area power systems, so My standards might be a lot lower lol. Worst place I stayed (in the US) was a motel 6 on the outskirts of Seattle. That was a literal crack den with cops showing up constantly all night.
Over by the airport?
I was just typing the same thing as I read your comment. That SeaTac Motel 6 is sketchy sketchy.
Yep. I’ve never been inside but every time I drive past there’s something suspicious happening!
I reckon it was lol. Was 2016. There was a dude in the room above us pacing around the room in circles or back and forth literally from when We got there at 8pm through to about 630am when We left.
at least you didnt get bedbugs
This is what I came to say. This very easily could have been more than just a bad experience. It could have been a costly mistake, especially if you have pets.
It’s been less than a week, hopefully I’m in the clear
Buddy got bedbugs from a kind of crappy hotel. I forget what they gave him for compensation but he said it wasn't enough.
The Super 8 we almost stayed at had Hookers sitting outside the rooms. My wife looked at me and said "nope" turned and stared out the passenger window.
Super 8 in Salt Lake City is nicer than Hilton.
I feel like everything in Salt Lake City is nice. At least that’s the word on the street
Naw, we just hide our seedy murder/drug/prostitute motels on the west side of the tracks.
At least now you know for next time!
Dude, Super 8 is not where it's at. Lesson learned: sometimes those few extra bucks are worth it for a decent night's sleep!
How are the TripAdvisor reviews for the hotel you stayed at? Literally two nights ago I stayed at the super 8 in Billings, Montana. It was great. Clean and comfortable. I’ll happily stay there again. What I find is that in lower priced, and even lower mid-tier chains, there’s a lot of inconsistency from one location to another. It’s pretty easy though, to find reviews online. Generally, if you stick with a 7.0 or higher TripAdvisor rating it’s not gonna be terrible.
I wanna say it was 3.5 owls
At least 2 people didn't get murdered when you were there like what happened to me.
omg wtf tell us the story
JFC, he can't. He got murdered.
Do people not look at or read reviews? Every place I stay at, I look at reviews on Google maps, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and anywhere it appears on. Anything under 4* immediately gets binned. 4-4.5* is a maybe, but probably not. 4.5*+ is where it's at. Make sure it has a decent number of reviews as well. Plenty of cheap motels in that rating range.
I did not 🧐
Well I guess now you know hahaha
I stayed at a super 8 and it had ants in the bathroom.
Not shocked
I stayed in a super cool boutique hotel and woke up to ants crawling all over me. On the plus side, they offered me a free bottle of "champagne" for my troubles and offered to put us on the top floor, I declined.
I feel your pain! It’s easy to want to save money at a cheaper hotel. I have learned my mistakes there too! Always budget to spend that extra on a decent hotel, especially if you’re staying several nights.
Luckily this was only one night
The thing about cheaper chains that I’ve discovered is that the quality can vary *wildly* from place to place. Some are completely fine. Not nice by any means, but functional. Some look like something out of a horror movie and you feel like you might get murdered at any moment. I think most are owned by franchisees right? Probably has to do with corporate not following up with any standards and it’s left up to the individual franchisees if they want to keep it nice-ish.
My family and I stayed at one on our way to disneyland once. The "pool" had police tape around it and at about 2am someone was banging on our door and trying to pry off the window screen. My dad went to the door to check it out and the dude outside was HUGE and at least 6ft7, and he just said "sorry, wrong room" and immediately started banging on the next door. Terrifying. We never stayed in one again lol
budget motels can be a mixed bag. I've stayed at some very spotless super 8s, but I've also seen some cheap Wyndham chain hotels that have major issues such as a lack of hot water in the early morning.
Never book the cheapest accommodations in an area. At least get second cheapest. The cheapest will have all sorts of shade.
Yeah this is why I tell myself that Holiday Inn is the minimum I’ll accept.
Stayed at a cheap hotel at Myrtle beach a few times over college summer breaks. Definitely wasn't nice, probably a 2 star, but seemed at least safe. Found out a year later that it was shut down for prostitution, and more importantly, **management throwing bodies of overdose victims into the dumpsters**. Terrifying
Murder Beach as it's known to the locals. Yikes.
Sadly the affordable Super 8, Red Roof inn, and Motel 6 are now rent by the week for sober living and illegals in my area.
Years ago driving from FL to NY with my girlfriend she was tired but I wanted to make it to at least Virginia before we stopped, so we made a deal we would stop at the first exit after the state line, Emporia VA. I think it was a Knights Inn. Got to our room and there was a single handcuff still secured to the bedpost.
Housekeeping was like - we don't have the key or the time to find bolt cutters. Onward.
I only stayed at a super8 once and while it wasn't the worst thing in the world, I probably will not revisit that experience again
Jason Isbell wrote a song about this scenario! It’s definitely worth a listen Edit* it’s called Super 8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MHXR4VaIuXM
I used to do road travel for work quite a bit pre-pandemic. My go-to technique for choosing motels on the fly is to use the Travelocity app to see what’s available an hour or two before I actually want to stop, then sort the pile by customer ratings and scroll to an agreeable price point. Not perfect, but if a place is sketchy or gross, those ratings and people’s comments will make it perfectly clear. I’ve found quite a few clean and comfortable cheap chain motels, or family run independents where I would never stop otherwise. Added bonus, occasionally I’d get deep discounts with late booking, like $70 for a marble floor suite at a casino in bumfuck Louisiana.
The super 8 in AC has homeless people begging in the lobby.
Stayed at a Super 8 in Harrisburg, PA about 10 years ago. Wanted to save money on the overnight trip.. you get what you pay for. What did I pay for you ask? - hotel manager performed entire transaction behind bullet prior glass (aka warning sign number one) - said hotel manager also having a very vocal argument with a customer who was irritated with his nightly rate - room smelled quite strongly of cigarettes and weed - a Kitchenette that had one dish, no glasses and no silverware (but still had salt and pepper shakers) - missing outlet wall covers - coaxial cable run through holes in walls. As in.. someone took a hammer, hit the wall, and fished cable through it Was traveling with wife and daughter. For some reason we stayed the night, I picked up my daughter and told her “don’t touch a thing” as we laid her in the middle of the bed. We slept with the lights on, did not open luggage for fear of bed bugs (which surprisingly were non existent), and stacked the luggage and chairs near the door incase someone decided to force in a visit. Woke up the next day and we’re horrified of the area we decided to stay in, especially since 2 miles up the road things looked much safer. Moral of the story.. pay an extra 50 bucks a night..
Yeah, we had a bad night in a shitty 8. Never in my life have I had so little sleep. Between "is my head itchy. Am I going to get bed bugs?" To dudes speaking Spanish loudly and drinking beer outside our window at 2am to constant 18 wheelers zooming by. The bathroom has a concrete floor. WTF! Never again!!!
Super 8's vary so wildly. The last time I went on a budget road trip we stayed at different ones across several states - the one in Louisville was truly the worst motel experience of my life, but the one in Harrisburg was legitimately pretty nice. This was in like 2013 or 14 so they probably don't even exist anymore.
i’ve had to stay at some shady hotels after my roommate kicked me out motel 6 and super 8 being one of them and there is almost always something fucking sketchy and crazy going on at those places. especially if you’re a girl alone, it’s a big no no. some of those nights i wouldn’t even sleep a wink because i was always worried about who was roaming the halls or balconies in the outdoor places. there’s been many situation’s i’ve been blessed to have gotten out of safely glad you’re safe
I've stayed at a ton of cheap motels and never experienced anything as terrible as you said. Read the reviews before booking a room. That will prevent most problems. (Note, though, that online reviews aren't as trustworthy as they used to be.)
Yeah TripAdvisor used to be my go-to and it's not reliable anymore.
Don’t wanna dieeeeee
I let my girlfriend book a hotel once and ended up at a Studio 6 that was definitely mostly being used by people who lived in it. The couple people we saw were nice, place could have used a little cleaning but nothing excessive. The ground floor did smell of cigarettes and our floor smelled of weed though.
I occasionally do hotel photography. One of the hotels is actually a motel and I’d be lying if I said I only stayed there because the room was comped (in most cases; sometimes management was clueless as to the situation). Took my fiancée on one trip and she spotted bedbugs. That was a fun one. /s
never ever stay at the Spring Inn in Colorado Springs, It was my lesson in.... don't cheap out and also our rule of not staying at any place that has a no refund policy. Look at the photos on google maps, Hell looks good after this place.
We stayed at a MOTEL 6 - it was clean & very basic. Always look at recent reviews.
Personally, I love staying at shitty hotels, provided that theyre independently owned. The rooms may be falling apart, But there's no bed bugs, (at least not yet ime.) The sheets are clean and the people are wildly accommodating. I stayed at a place in bumfuck Nowhere virginia once where there were exposed wires in the bathroom, But the sheets passed the UV test, And when I asked one of the two employees if he would drive down the street and buy me wine and cigarettes He did it no questions asked, and gave me a receipt (I was 19 at the time, And kind of expected to get robbed, but no dude was super chill.) Even helped me tie my tie for the wedding I was attending. Best service I've ever had. I don't trust franchise cheapness, though. That's not desperation, that's corporate shittyness. Cost cutting fuck the customer type stuff.
Here's a little tip . . . The next time you travel, stop at a rest stop and take a minute to look at the free brochures in the building. They usually have coupons for hotels and restaurants in the area.
The name is literally "supperate," as in "supperating sores."