Our family has happily renamed the Middletown, NY, Howard Johnson Hotel the Bates Motel. We were in town for my grandparents' 50th anniversary and decided to stay at HoJo for its convenient location. We realized we made a mistake for our five day stay upon arrival, but all local hotels were booked. We had nowhere else to turn. So, we took our room key from a front desk clerk who could have easily been related to Norman Bates and went to our rooms.

First: When I pulled the car up to the outside of the building I noticed that the card-lock that was supposed to keep people out was hanging off the side of the door frame and a big rock was being used to keep the door open. We found that if the rock was moved and the door closed, the door would not open without the help of someone from maintenance.

Second: The room was a sty! From the spiderwebs in the corners to the hair in the tub that was not ours, we were disgusted. The bedspread was stained and had burn marks in it and the sheets did not smell very fresh. We opened the slider to get some fresh air and found that there was no screen in the screen door. When we called maintenance to get this fixed all he did was took the screen from the next room. It was funny, though, when my parents checked in and found that their room didn't have a screen because it was pilfered to be used in our room.

Third: When we made the reservation we were sure to ask if a crib was available for my son. We were told that one was and would be waiting when we got there. Well, after a few calls to the front desk, I guess they sent someone to the storage room to get it. There was a knock on our door and when I opened it, there was a crib in the hallway waiting for me, but the person who dropped it off was nowhere to be found. It was my job to tighten the loose screws, clean off the cobwebs, and go back to the front desk to get sheets for it.

Fourth: When I got the crib sheets I also got clean sheets for our bed. There was a hole in the sheet by the upper right side and amazingly enough, that same hole was there for my complete five night stay. Housekeeping never changed the sheets in my room.

Fifth, etc.: There's much more to write about. From the white socks that turned brown on the bottom from walking on the carpet to the puddle on the floor around the air conditioner, this was a hellhole. The worst part though was that when I complained to the manager, she didn't seem to care one bit. Even worse than that though was the response to my letter to the President of HoJo. I was told that my discover card would be credited for my stay, but alas, after months of complaining, it has yet to show up on my bill.

Word of Advice: Stay away from HOJO.

Recommended: No