Red Roof Inn

Recently, I have stayed in many Red Roof Inns and have had some good experiences, some so-so experiences, and some bad experiences but none so bad as my most recent and I, for the first time, am requesting a refund. I can put up with a lot and have a pretty good understanding and threshold, but the experience at this hotel far surpassed that threshold. It is, quote literally, the worst experience I have encountered at any hotel. I initially drove all the way from Kalamazoo, MI, to the Red Roof Inn in East Lansing because I’ve never had a horrible experience with them — compared to some other places, they have super clean rooms and it’s quiet. Which is important to me, as I am doing a lot of studying in these rooms for a masters program. I also go there because their website says two dogs. When I got there on Monday shortly after check-in time, a new guy at the front desk said he was still waiting on a clean room. Almost two hours later, waiting in the car, he discovered and let me know that the whole cleaning staff had walked out and there weren't going to be any ready rooms. So I called Lansing West, nervous about not having anywhere to go and asked how strict they were on the one dog policy, as I have two tiny chihuahuas. The lady at the counter, who is super nice, said that she could let it slide if they are tiny (both of them combined indeed are far less than one dog in weight still), which was such a relief and I was greatly appreciative. I checked in and the room was quite dirty — an old sock and various crap strewn under the bed and filthy surfaces. Which can be a bit scary if the wrong thing is laying on the floor (pills, gum, grapes, candy, and so on) for people who have a dog that scavenges. But I double checked that none of it was anything that could hurt a dog and picked up what I could by hand and just put up with it. The second day/night into the third night/day, were all completely sleepless due to a woman next door with severe emotional regulation problems. This woman was screaming constantly at a guy and a dog in there. Throwing things. Pounding on things. Slamming things. I heard a dog yelp. I believe there was some physical violence, too. One day I stepped out because it was so loud and people on the other side of the breezeway were standing outside trying to see where the screaming came from. I am positive whoever the man was staying in 219 at the time would verify this. That second day, I talked to a woman in the office and she said to let her know when it’s happening so she can go up and try to take care of it. Had we not disconnected when I called before I walked to the office, she would have heard it on the phone. The lady was completely unhinged. Something should have been done that day, but there wasn’t. I went back up to the room hesitatingly and the woman was intermittently loud through the evening and night and so I put ear plugs in and finally drifted off somewhat at 4-something in the morning, only for the screaming to immediately start and her startle me awake. That morning a woman in the office moved me, which I also appreciate. And because she was accommodating, I hated to complain again, but the room I was moved to was even worse, was unbearably filthy. So filthy it looked like it needed a check-in from the health department. Even the privacy door tag had a nasty sticky film. I traded the top bed cover for the one in the room I was initially in because the one that was in the second room was full of stains and cigarette holes. The other bedding below the cover was stained as well. The floors were beyond filthy. There was all kinds of mess under the bed. The towels weren't clean. Nothing was clean. There was a missing lamp according to the first room. The coffee maker was busted and I attempted to make coffee in it and had to throw it away because it tasted awful and I don’t know what went through that coffee maker prior, but I had a slight burn in my throat that was chemical like. I tried to take a shower (which also wasn’t clean and had pubic hairs in it) and got out and my feet were quickly brown. As I wrote to the manager pacing in what had been clean socks, I heard the unstick of every step when I lifted my feet. I really don’t believe the unsanitary conditions are healthy for dogs or people. I asked the manager what could be done. I told her there are not a lot of hotels that let dogs stay or let them stay for free and I didn't want to end up in my car with my two dogs that night, though I gladly would have stayed in my car had I known what was to come. Then I asked her if the Red Roof Inn in East Lansing got their cleaning staff back and if they were taking people again. I asked if I could be transferred back there if so, since that's what I wanted being that when rooms were available, it's been tried and true — I know it to be clean and quiet. I have the email showing that I requested to be moved. And the quiet part is important to me, as I'm sure it's important to a lot of people, because I'm studying. I pay for quiet to get through a master's program, which is a heavy work load. I sent photos to the manager and she was apologetic and said she'd upgrade my room if I give them another chance. I figured that maybe another area of the building would be more quiet than the raging woman I spent the first nights next to. And the room was beautifully done for the most part. Except for old food in the refrigerator tray and pubes in the towels – I actually went to buy myself a new towel so I don’t dry myself with others’ bodily leftovers. As otherly clean as it was, I did not even get to enjoy it at all, as it was also restless/sleepless due to noise and violence. The place houses a certain kind of demographic it seems — I was kept up due to, on top of other inconsiderate chaotic noise, a domestic violence problem upstairs that the cops had to be called on for. A man was beating on his girlfriend with a child in the room. And I was even wearing ear plugs and put a fan noise on my phone to add to the in room fan to try and help drown out the noise. It didn’t help. My opinion as a result of this hotel is that if a hotel is housing a certain demographic, and that demographic as a result of poor education or upbringing or general frustration from their circumstances or any other number of systemic variables generally has zero respect or consideration for their surroundings and those around them, then that hotel probably should not be advertising vacancies to the general public. Meaning, from what I can tell, this hotel is housing homeless people and drug addicts which, thank goodness they have a place to go — but anyone else staying here will not get any rest. It can be a homeless shelter or it can be a hotel, but it sadly can’t be both due to lifestyle preferences and behavioral differences. Much of the general public is looking to pay for clean and quiet and a business person, a student, or someone working remotely, or just looking for a clean, quiet place, is not going to get that here and so the contract is void. Plus, the hotel knowing that these kind of people are staying here but still advertising to a general public which, it goes without saying and is common sense is a general public wanting a clean and quiet and considerate space, there’s a little bit of a false advertising element there. I remember having a road travel job where the CEO limited hotel rates to economy level and if we had landed here, our long drives would have probably ended up unsafe due to a lack of rest. My drive after this was unsafe. I was so unrested for so long that it’s a wonder I made it back — I turned the wrong way down a one way, read “grand ledge” as “baton rouge” and the highway looked like a slide. All I wanted was some good sleep and quiet days as I am in a master's program with quite a heavy work load and I am now several days with no sleep and have fallen behind in my work and the things I've needed to get done due to the environment at Lansing West. Between room moves were people on the balcony yelling on the phone and at each other and calling each other filthy names, smoke smell permeating the air despite it being advertised as smoke free. That place is not smoke free. The last day/night as I attempted to study, there was a skull-splitting loud bass coming from some other room. I didn't get any sleep even on the fifth night and was long before very, very much looking forward to checking out. This time I put fan noise on both my computer and phone to try and help drown out the noise and put ear plugs in and that did not help either – I could still hear people yelling and banging on each other’s doors and fighting and blasting their TVs and stereos and bass. I will never be back, even despite the manager kindly telling me my rate would be lowered should I visit again. It is not a hotel. The complete lack of sleep and rest isn't worth it. I couldn't be paid to stay there again, despite their kind efforts, due to the people who stay there. I actually physically ache from exhaustion at this point. Plus, that environment is triggering on top of it all as someone who escaped a chaotic and violent upbringing and consciously stayed out of those cycles – being around that caused horrible anxiety and panic. And the lack of rest is not just in the violence and the noise, which is terrible and ongoing, but it's also in other things, such as the fact I have never seen a hotel ground littered with more dog poop in my life. I have stepped in it, my dogs have stepped in it — a good portion of the time has been cleaning my boots and washing their feet. I had to search for a clean safe place to let my dogs relieve themselves. Like I said, for whatever reason, this hotel is chocked full of a certain type and that type is very angry and generally not respectful or considerate of those around them. And, looking at reviews now, I see these are long time complaints of others who drop in here also hoping for something clean and quiet, like most people do. They could have long enforced strict noise rules or poop rules and such. Could have done something to help this long time problem, as “sketchy people” and violence, it turns out, have been complained about at this location for years, but clearly nothing is done. It’s been complained about for years and nothing is done and yet the place is still advertised to the general public who is usually looking for clean and quiet. I actually went to the office the last evening, as I wanted to do the night prior, and told the woman there that I'm on the fourth day of no sleep and while they've been great and I appreciate their efforts, there's now someone blasting their bass and it sounds like it's in my room and I really just can't afford another restless night. Her response was, "Yeah, this isn't really the place you want to be if you want to study." Which I could have been told that days prior when I had asked to be moved to the other hotel, since I had made it clear that I am studying before. But furthermore, it should in the least be a place to sleep and one can’t even get that. I asked her if I could leave and not be charged and she said I'd have to check with the manager the next day. I told her I don't want to leave and risk being charged anyway. She told me if I check out the next day before noon, I can talk to the manager. Bottom line, I've had bad experiences at Red Roof Inns and have let it go because it happens here and there, but this has by far been the worst and unacceptably so. I am not doing well at all due to the exhaustion I feel as a result of this completely sleepless/restless stay and did not get what I paid for and am requesting a refund. A last night refund does not make up for five nights lost, work lost, and several following days of exhaustion.