America's 10 worst hotel chains - A pair of surveys released this summer suggests that travelers pay a price for staying in budget motels and hotels.Hit the road
Most Americans aren't looking for much when sleeping away from home: cleanliness, a comfortable bed and a few amenities to make them feel pampered.
But, unfortunately, a handful of hotel chains have a tough time satisfying even the simplest requests. Two surveys have recently come out about the quality of stays in America's hotels -- one in the July issue of Consumer Reports and the other from J.D. Power & Associates -- and many national chains fell well below par.
At some locations, guests have reported finding cockroaches and bedbugs, stains on the sheets and odors they couldn't identify.
Though both surveys found that, overall, customers have become happier with their hotel experience in recent years -- likely due to the fact that many chains have updated their rooms, added pools and included more services like breakfast options, laundry facilities and workout rooms -- many chains nevertheless failed to improve customer satisfaction.
In the Consumer Reports survey, one-fourth of respondents had at least one complaint, the most common being uncomfortable beds, noise, unsatisfactory heating or air conditioning and décor.
The cost of a hotel stay has also risen in recent years. One night's stay was expected to increase to an average of $107 this summer, up 5% from last year and close to the peak of $108 in 2008. Despite rising prices, a few hotels have maintained value with customer satisfaction. Microtel Inn & Suites, for example, received top scores in the Consumer Reports survey and also scored well in the J.D. Power survey.
The following rankings are based on Consumer Reports' data and are taken from the experiences of 22,481 readers during 34,352 hotel stays at 44 chains, from January 2010 to January 2011. The five categories -- value, upkeep (condition and cleanliness of rooms and grounds), comfort (quality of the bed and linens), service and check-in -- were scored "very satisfied," "fairly satisfied," "neutral," "fairly unsatisfied" or "very unsatisfied." All scores are out of 100. The following chains are ranked from bad to worst.
Baymont Inn & Suites
Baymont Inn & Suites received mediocre scores in all categories except check-in, which received a positive review, and below-average scores in everything except "cost & fees" in the J.D. Power survey.
Guests at the Alexandria, La., location complained about a broken air conditioner, rude front desk attendants, mildew in the bathroom and cockroaches.
Quality Inn
Quality Inn, a chain that's in the "mid-scale" category and offers full-service restaurants, lounges, room service and conference centers, received negative reviews in value and upkeep in the Consumer Reports survey but positive reviews in the check-in category. In the J.D. Power survey, it fell below average in five out of seven categories.
TripAdvisor reviewers at the chain's Williams, Ariz., location reported that their rooms were far from "quality," with mold smells, worn-out mattresses and missing linoleum in the bathroom.
Clarion
Run by the same company as Quality Inn, Clarion Hotels received negative scores in value and upkeep in the Consumer Reports survey and mediocre scores in comfort, check-in and service. The chain received "worse than the rest" reviews in five out of seven categories in the J.D. Power survey.
At the New Orleans location, reviewers complained of being charged for services they never used, cleaning personnel that never showed up and carpet stains. And reviewers at the Fort Myers, Fla., location complained of rooms being double-booked, broken elevators and bedbugs.
Red Roof Inn
In the Consumer Reports survey, Red Roof Inn received negative reviews in every category except check-in, and 13% percent of respondents described the bathrooms as cramped.
A reviewer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reported broken plumbing in the bathroom and observed drug dealers and homeless men in the lobby. Another reviewer said there were "bugs splattered on the walls" in the room.
Super 8
Super 8 received negative scores in everything except the check-in category. Its Estes Park location in Denver also made the "Dirtiest Hotels" list on TripAdvisor, with one customer complaining that the "pillows smelled like smoke and greasy hair."
Ramada
Though the Ramada chain is supposed to be a step up from the "budget" category of hotels, it received lower scores in the Consumer Reports survey than a number of budget chains like Super 8 and Red Roof Inn.
Ramada performed the worst in the "upkeep" category and received less-than-satisfactory ratings in value, comfort and service.
In the J.D. Power survey, it received a "worst than the rest" rating in all categories.
Days Inn
With the "best value under the sun" as its motto, it's ironic that Days Inn received one of the worst ratings in the "value" category in the Consumer Reports survey.
The chain also received poor reviews in upkeep, comfort and service.
TripAdvisor reviewers in Cave City, Ky., complained of cobwebs, dead bugs in the room, grime on the carpet and cigarette burns on the bedding.
Motel 6
Founded in 1962 by offering $6 per-night rooms, Motel 6 has never promised luxury. But the chain received poor marks in everything from upkeep to comfort in the Consumer Reports survey and did only remotely OK in the check-in category, where it received a neutral score. TripAdvisor reviewers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., complained of holes in the sheets, worms on the floor, hair in the shower and a "high" receptionist. "You'll sleep better in a Dumpster," wrote one reviewer.
Econo Lodge
Econo Lodge received very low scores in upkeep and value in the Consumer Reports survey, with less-than-satisfactory scores in comfort and service. But on the J.D. Power survey, it received an "about average" rating in most categories.
Last year, the chain's location near the airport in Newark, N.J., landed on TripAdvisor's "America's Dirtiest Hotels" list. A couple who stayed there complained of mold and stains on the carpet, "something sticky on the comforter" and bug bites.
America's Best Value Inn
Founded in 1999, this "value" hotel chain received the lowest score in the Consumer Reports survey and was one of the lowest in J.D. Power's survey.
On TripAdvisor, guests complained of bedbugs, smoky rooms, cockroaches, the smell of cat urine on the carpet, broken faucets and faulty microwaves.
A customer at the Brooklyn, N.Y., location reported people "renting rooms by the hour."
"America's Best Value Inn is 'best value' in the same way as Milwaukee's Best is to beer," wrote another reviewer.
But one customer in Charlotte, N.C., did give a thumbs-up to the free Krispy Kreme doughnuts at breakfast.
Title: America's 10 worst hotel chains
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Post by 4:28 PM
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Post by 4:28 PM
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