In The Smallest of Towns… The Ashton Inn, Formerly Super 8
Written: Jun 26 '07 (Updated Jun 28 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: OK for A One Night Stay
Cons: Dirty Bathtub, Stinking Pillows, Not Super 8 Anymore
The Bottom Line: Pass if you can, stay here only if you must.
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| susieq112's Full Review: SUPER 8 MOTEL - ASHTON |
Oh yes, for anyone not totally familiar with hotels and some not so smart hotel owners, it is never a good thing when a hotel drops it franchising. Why would I say this? Most commonly it seems that hotels tend to drop franchises when they don’t particularly want to play by the rules.
Saying that much about The Ashton Inn may tell you where I am going with this review or atleast give you a slight hint that not all is good in Ashton, Idaho.
We arrived in the very small town of Ashton, Idaho somewhat my mistake, not mistake, but it was a small detour in our vacation. After touring Teton National Park we continues north to Flagg Ranch and got interested by a gravel road called Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road or at least that’s what my Streets and Trip Map says it is called. None the less the bumpy gravel road took us from the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway plum to Idaho, a pass I wasn’t even aware of until I stumbled upon it. So the road about 50 miles and 4 or so hours later plopped us out onto Highway 20 in Ashton, Idaho.
Ashton, Idaho is tiny town with few places to go for necessities much less anything else. We headed north through town and to my surprise seen a Frostop Diner were we stopped to eat and lucky ran into the only modern hotel in town after we left. I say modern because I believe we spotted one other hotel that had been built many years ago and was in true disrepair, if even open.
The Ashton Inn lies on the north edge of town with an eating establishment and gas station near it. Our stay at the Ashton Inn cost just under 75 dollars, tax included, for a double bed room.
OUR ROOM and OUR PROBLEM WITH IT
Our room was a standard double bed room with a basic layout common in many hotels. The entrance area included the bathroom area with a toilet and bathtub with full shower behind doors on one side and a sink with vanity and small hanging closet area on the opposing side. My first major problem with this hotel began here. This night was the night my son needed a bath, but you guessed it, the tub was filthy. Being only one he of course couldn’t stand up in the tub and take a shower so I basically scrubbed soap scum and someone else’s stray hairs out of the bathtub before I gave my son a bath.
The rest of the room opened into a large area containing two queen size beds and nightstand with alarm clock and two lights, a small table in the corner with two chairs and a lamp, and a two drawer knee high dresser with a TV and telephone on top of it. Of course another sore spot in most hotels is the bedding and more specifically the pillows. This hotel got the stinky pillow award from us because they had the worst smelling pillows during our entire vacation which ended up landing us in a total of thirteen hotels total.
CONGRATULATIONS, AHSTON INN, YOU WIN!
In all seriousness, that smell just isn’t necessary, wash the pillow with bleach, if that doesn’t work, replace the things. Now back to my review.
Other than the stinking pillows and the filthy bathtub the room wasn’t that bad in all honesty, frankly I was shocked after seeing the tub. The carpets were clean and didn’t manage to turn my sons feet black like some of the others had and everything else was just as it should be. Of course towards the back of the room was a window that opened and looked out into a field and RV Park, it wasn’t glamorous but brick walls just aren’t available in this small of a town. Below the window was an AC/Heat unit that managed the room temperature well enough for us.
AMENITIES
The Ashton Inn doesn’t have much in the way of amenities. In fact I believe this was the only hotel we stayed at that didn’t have a swimming pool, but none the less we really didn’t need one. The hotel offers Ice and Vending Machines on each floor which are easily accessible and they also have guest laundry facilities which sometimes comes in handy. The Ashton Inn also serves a continental breakfast, but before you get excited, don’t. This hotel also had the worst continental breakfast during our trip also and Only consisted of cinnamon rolls, muffins or toast to eat and only offered coffee or orange juice to drink. The cinnamon rolls, which were supposedly ‘made fresh daily’ according to the lady that checked us in the day before, must have been made fresh about two or three days ago to boot. Regardless after two cinnamon rolls and some orange juice, which I hate, I walked away with something in my stomach anyway.
OVERALL
Overall we were not impressed with the Ashton Inn but at the same time glad it existed because we were tired at the end of our long trip to Idaho on a gravel road. With a few small improvements this hotel could be up to standards easily and be a good decent hotel. As it sits it has a few problems particularly with cleanliness in the bathrooms, I must assume we did not get the only dirty bathtub in the establishment. Not to mention the fact that my son found a Fisher Price Roll Around behind the two drawer dresser. We couldn’t figure out why he was a holler and pointing at the back of the dresser but when he finally pulled out a toy, that wasn’t his, we knew what he was doing.
None the less we got our nights rest, using our own pillows that we had packed, and got on our way in the morning. In the end I would probably plan far enough ahead the next time not to encounter Ashton, Idaho again, mainly because there’s nothing there, but if I absolutely had no options and was about to fall asleep driving the Ashton Inn would suffice to my needs for one nights stay, but it would nearly have to be an emergency.
Recommended:
No
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susieq112
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Procrastination ~ At this rate, I'll never finish my mini-doumentary...
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