Econo Lodge

The check in was easy. The hotel was very rough. Do not stay here pay a little more if you like nice comfy things. Stayed here one night booked it from Expedia. They rated 4.5. Showed deceiving pictures. I rate it a 1 because I didn’t see the bugs I was expecting. The bathroom was very outdated, it had draining problems, and cold. Point is spend the extra 40 for the nicer hotel. I learned my lesson.

Do not stay here.
I’m almost embarrassed to write this review as it’s an admission that I stayed at the Econo Lodge University Area.
I’ve stayed at bargain hotels before and consider myself to be pretty content with the most basic of amenities. If a room has clean linens, looks like it has been taken care of, and appliances work, I’m pretty happy. Unfortunately, the Econo Lodge University Arena fell so, so, short of this. It was absolutely the worst lodging experience I’ve ever had. I had seen the hotel before and from the outside, it looks like your typical cheap hotel but from the moment I went to check in and saw the composure of the staff, the deteriorated «breakfast» area, and the «welcome» area, I knew I was in for a long night.
I got to the room and immediately realized what a mistake I had made in booking this place. Despite it being sold as a non-​smoking room, it was clear that it had been smoked in (cigarette burns on the tissue holder, general stench). The smell was so bad I decided to leave my belongings in the car so they wouldn’t reek the next day.
So far, so bad. A look around the room reminded me of some of the frat houses I saw during college. Everything was in terrible shape. The dresser in the room was missing a handle, the bathroom and sink areas had grime around them, the air conditioner absolutely HOWLED (it was so loud it kept me up at night), the beds felt like the kind of mattress you get when you sleep on a pull-​out bed, and the deadbolt on the door wouldn’t lock because the plate around it was broken.
Luckily I was out at dinner with friends for most of the night but when it came time to sleep, the stench of the room, the horror of other reviews I read, the cockroach in the bathroom, and the loud air conditioning unit made it almost impossible to sleep. The beds didn’t have blankets, they just had top sheets and what could possibly be called a comforter. I took a look at the comforter and threw it on the ground, not wanting to cross paths with whatever its microscopic inhabitants might be.
Come 1am, I got so tired and worn down by the AC unit that I started calling other hotels in the area to see if rooms were available. Unfortunately, they weren’t so I curled up in a sheet, stuffed one of the wimpy pillows under my head, and waited for my body to pass out eventually. I woke up much earlier than I would have liked, packed my stuff, and got the heck out of there.
Upon checking out, I think it was telling that the woman working didn’t ask how the night was. She knew.
In all seriousness, this place was absolutely terrible and I hope that no one has to stay here. I understand trying to save a buck but it’s really not worth it in this case.

Well, I wasn’t murdered.

DO NOT STAY AT THIS MOTEL! Even at $ 50/​night and I knew I was just going to get a place to wash and sleep… I’d rather stayed at the rest stop on the hwy!!! What a dump… the room did have a mini fridge and microwave but no coffee maker as advertised. We had to ask for towels. 2 adults in a room need more than 2 towels! Our safe had the key broke off in it and the front desk gave me keys to 5 other rooms for me to go look for myself to find a room with a safe/key…nice service there! NONE had safes with keys! Our toilet backed up on the 1^st flush and we were offered a plunger… I decided to wait for the maintenance man the next day… yes, we’re fools, stayed 2 days! 2 days too many!!!

I have one word for you people, and it’s BEDBUGS.
I got bitten in the night, and we found the sucker in the bed. That is all.

The only reason I give this 4 not 5 is is had a slightly musty smell when I first entered the room. This dissipated almost immediately by leaving door open for a few minutes w/​AC fan on. Clean, nice firm bed, fridge, micro, tv, safe, iron, all the stuff the places that cost 2x as much have. For 50 bucks a night this place is a great deal.

For the price ($ 59 /​nigh), I suppose you can’t complain. The bed. .. well it was a bed — not terribly comfortable (and I can generally sleep anywhere), but it’s a place to lay down. The pillows, well those were just pathetic — glad I brought my own.
But, for the little sleep that I did manage to get, I was able to take a shower in the morning, brush my teeth and catch up on the news on TV. Just glad I was not staying for longer than a quick chance to get some zzzz’s.
It was sure better than paying three times the amount (for just a simple, but better appointed room), just to get some shuteye, but there’s got to be a happy medium somewhere.

Firstly, before starting off this review, lets keep in mind that this is a motel review, not the Waldorf Astoria. With this in mind, I really like this place. The room was 72/​night including tax and was perfect for my single night stopover. First off, the woman at the front desk was great. I came in late on a Friday night and asked her what the rate was and she worked with me. Got to the room and it was in good shape, much better than some of the other rooms I had stayed in previous nights. You can’t beat the location, practically on the campus of the University of Virginia. My son and I also swam in the pool in the front and even though the pool was small, it was nice to be able to take an evening dip. The WiFi signal was kind of weak in my room (1 – 2 bars), but I was able to use internet. I tried calling front desk 2 – 3 times around midnight and noone answered the phone. Other than that, I had no issues and would definitely stay here again.

At Econo Lodge, you get what you pay for. Which is not very much. But for $ 67/​night including tax, I won’t complain too much. The best thing about this place is the location near UVA’s campus.
Our room was cramped but clean. I was annoyed to realize that I reserved a queen bed and our room appeared to have only a full sized bed. There were clean towels, free wifi, and a safe available for our use.
Our maid did not come until 5pm the first day we were there, but after calling the front desk twice, she did finally come to clean the room.
We requested a 7:45am wake-​up call Saturday that never came. Fortunately, my cell phone alarm clock went off. Plan to use your own alarm clock.
Did not have a chance to try the free continental breakfast because my breakfast was provided while I was in Charlottesville.
Disappointed to find that the outdoor pool was still empty on a 90 °F Saturday May 1^st. Ah, well.
This motel is a 20-​min walk from the North Grounds of UVA campus, easy access to the business and law schools. Recommended for prospective students on a budget!