My Worst Hotel Stay While Traveling in the Midwest

Recently, I was traveling through the Midwest and had theworst hotel stay. Now, I’ve stayed in so many places, some more luxurious than others. 

But I know this chain more for customer service and cleanliness. I’ve stayed in them all over the US, so I knew what to expect. 

Although I’ve had some subpar hotel stays throughout the world, this was quite an experience. I’m sharing what happened, in case you’re in a similar situation.

My Worst Hotel Stay

I was staying in an area that didn’t have many options, so I was happy to see one of my favorite hotel chains. It was built in the last couple years, so I expected everything to be pretty nice.

But I’d find out it wasn’t being maintained and cleaned like I thought. I ended up getting a refund, which you can read about too.

How I Found It

When I arrived in the area, I actually had reservations at another hotel in a neighboring city. It was a little cheaper, and the staff was nice, but a bit farther out.

So, staying closer to where I needed to go made sense. Plus, that hotel was older, and it needed a renovation for sure.

Looking online, I saw this newer hotel and read the reviews. Well, half of them were good, and the others were bad, with nothing in the middle. 

The prices fluctuated between $114-$180 per night, depending on the day of the week. 

We drove past it, and it looked clean on the outside. So I booked a stay and moved out of the first hotel into this one. 

Checking In

Upon walking through the doors, the lobby looked clean like the pictures online. There young lady sitting at the desk who looked like she wasn’t happy to be there.

But, we all have those days, right? 

I checked in and found my room on the top floor. It looked decent until I walked around a little bit.

The shade was broken, and the electricity panel behind the phone was off the wall. The phone didn’t work. 

I went to the gym, and the water shot out of the water fountain like a water hose. Seriously! It splashed all over me and onto the floor.

I reported those things to the front desk, and they thanked me. I stayed one night and then traveled somewhere else and stayed at a casino resort for a couple nights.

Then I came back to the hotel. Before returning, I checked around for other hotels, but they were further out and the prices were very high.

Again, I checked in with a lady at the front desk who didn’t seem happy to be there. This time, they gave me a different room and I’d have to stay a week. 

Things Not Working

When I entered my room, again, it looked nice on the surface. Then I walked around and discovered some things. 

I wanted to put my food in the refrigerator to find it didn’t work. When I tried to call the front desk, yeah, the phone didn’t work.

So, I went down there to report the issues. The lady apologized and said I could keep my food in their fridge.

Ahhh… nope. I didn’t know them. Plus, that defeated the purpose of having a fridge in my own room. 

That’s what they advertised online, I mentioned. Then she said someone would fix it in the morning. 

The Bad Smell

When I returned to my floor, I noticed a bad smell coming down the hall. Another guest passed me and asked if I had noticed it.  

A few rooms had put garbage outside their doors, but we pinpointed where it was coming from. Honestly, it smelled like a garbage truck on a hot day in NY.

Well, she said she was on her way to report this to the front desk and said I could come too as a witness. So I did.

The front desk lady said someone would take care of it. In the morning, I walked down the hall to find the garbage bags still out. 

Miscommunication

I went down to the desk to inquire about the refrigerator. The lady said someone would come up and fix it. 

After I ate breakfast, a man came up and swapped out the fridge. He told me that it wouldn’t fit in the cubby because they had ordered new refrigerators that were too big. But he said they had many new ones in stock. 

Then I wondered if they checked if things worked in the room or just waited until guests complained. Anyway, I felt bad that he was lifting all this heavy stuff by himself, and gave him a tip.

Then I left for the day, and housekeeping was supposed to clean my room. But I came back, and no one had.

I went downstairs to the desk, as the phone still wasn’t working. Then the lady told me it was “in the system” and didn’t know why no one cleaned my room, but gave me new towels at my request.

She told me to put the dirty towels outside my door, and someone would pick them up that night. In the morning, I came out and the towels were still there.

Things Went Missing

A couple days later, I left out for the day in the early afternoon. I came back around 8 p.m., and my grocery bag with all my snacks and vitamins was gone. Disappeared. 

Mine you, they were next to the fridge, so it’s not like I put them near the trash. 

Then I went through my luggage, hoping nothing else was missing. But luckily, I had taken the most valuable items with me (laptop, sunglasses, electronics, etc.) 

I went down to the front desk to report it to the lady at the front desk. She said, “Oh, I believe you,” as if this had happened before. 

Then she stepped away to “speak to the manager.” After a few minutes, she returned, saying they needed to talk to housekeeping and find out who was in my room. 

She said the manager would sit down with me later and discuss either replacing the items or reimbursing me.

She said they’d call my room, and I told her the phone still didn’t work. Well, she didn’t say they’d fix the phone, but rather call me on my cell phone.

Checking the Cameras

I received no call, and the next day I went down to the desk to ask about an update regarding my missing things. There was another lady at the desk, and she said she’d talk to housekeeping and have the manager call me.

I left for the day and returned to find the previous lady working at the front desk. She told me that she called last night, but I didn’t answer. 

I told her she never left a message. Then she said, “I figured you’d come down to ask about it.” 

Then she told me that they “checked the cameras” and didn’t see anyone take my grocery bag. She said all housekeeping took were dirty towels out of my room. 

I asked if there were cameras in my room to see this. She said they looked at other cameras. 

Then she told me I could make a police report and they’d let the police review the camera footage. Although she promised I could talk to the manager during that prior conversation, she wouldn’t let me now.

But she told me I could email the manager. Now she was singing a different tune. 

So I went to my floor and found security cameras that were 35 feet and 65 feet away from my door. From the angle, I already knew what could be seen.

Not that my snacks were worth thousands of dollars, but it’s the principle of it all. And vitamins aren’t cheap.

The person cleaning my room either took my stuff for themselves or threw it all away. Plus, she took the tip I left her. What a slap in the face.

Meeting the Manager

The next morning, a hotel staff member approached me in the hall to ask if my issue had been resolved. I guess the news had spread among the workers, because I had never spoken to this lady before.

I told her no. She advised me to speak to the manager. I said that the people working the desk kept telling me that the manager was not around.

She said that the manager was, in fact, working at the front desk today, and encouraged me to talk to her. Well, I was checking out anyway, so I made my way down there.

When I approached the front desk, there was the manager alright. She saw me and spoke to me in a defensive tone right away.

I told her which room I was staying in and that my stuff was taken. Her face flushed and she said that they checked the camera and saw no bag. 

Presenting the Evidence

Then she took out her cell phone to show me a screenshot of me checking into the hotel. I guess this was from their surveillance camera at the front desk.

She told me that I never had a grocery bag. Yes, there I was, checking in at the counter, and you can’t see all the luggage I brought with me.

Mind you, I got the grocery bag later on during my stay. I even had pictures of it in the room with my luggage before it was taken.

And that was her evidence that no one took my grocery bag? Wait, it gets better.

Then she raised her voice and proceeded to tell me that I could call the police. I stood there bewildered but calm, as she puffed up like a rooster. 

She rolled her head around in circles, staring me down. I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Well, I told her that I had taken pictures of everything I needed. And then I walked away with my receipt.

What I Did Next

You might wonder if I called the police next. Nope.

I could have. But, I’m sure they have better things to do than to track down my missing stuff.

She thought she had some convincing “evidence” that proved nothing, but what she didn’t know was that I’m a journalist.

I documented everything. I took pictures. I had names, dates, and times in my notebook.

So I wrote out my whole experience there, about the wires coming out of the wall, phones never working, and other things I reported.

It was a long list. Half of the electrical outlets didn’t work. The chair in my room was stained, and I put a comforter over it to sit on it.

The smoke alarm had a very bright blinking light, like a strobe. There was mold around the bathroom faucet, and it was leaking water. Rust ran down the handle in the bathtub. 

Old coffee grounds sat in the coffee maker the whole time I was there. I was given scratchy towels with stains on them. 

The comforter and sheets had stains too. I found other people’s hair in the pillows and linen—I’m not a blonde, so I knew it wasn’t mine.

There was stuff splashed up on the wall near the trash can. There was brown fluid near the bed and on the carpet.

I found dust on the lamps and bedboard. The air conditioner vent rattled, and after looking closely, I saw a big rock in there.

I Called Corporate

I know, I know, the manager told me I could call the police. But this is the better route.

Like I mentioned in the beginning, I know this chain. I stay in their hotels because they’re welcoming, friendly, and clean.

So I went to their website and read their guarantee. Basically, it stated that they want their guests to have a nice stay, and that they’ll make it right.

Then I found their customer service number and called. I calmly told them about my stay and what went wrong. I told them about the condition of the room, my stuff disappearing, and how the manager treated me. 

Guess what? They heard me out. 

And they did make it right by deeply apologizing and compensating me.

Final Thoughts

This was such an awful hotel stay, but as I reflect, it could have been worse. When you’re promised one thing and get another, it’s never fun.

I’ll continue to book stays with this chain in the future because I know this was a one-off experience. Yeah, and maybe next time, I’ll have to consider locking up my precious vitamins too!

More About Travel

I have other posts about related topics on my blog. You might want to check them out. 

• You’ll also want to read how I got a partial refund for my bad hotel stay.

• What about reasons why you need to take time off to travel?

• Find out about the surprising travel education I got in elementary school when my teacher quit. 

I’d love to hear about your travel adventures!

Originally published: October 8, 2025