Royal Inn (Albany) — Hotel in Albany

First of all, I strongly suspect that the owner has negative reviews removed, so beware! Family members or friends may also have written false reviews since they all claim the same things about cleanliness, which was NOT our experience. I recently stayed overnight with my friend at the Royal Inn. In booking we were fully aware that this was an older, family owned motel. Outdated is one thing, but simple things like washing the walls to remove the handprints in the bathroom, replacing the stained and yellowed lampshades, spackling the holes in the wall, regrouting the loose tile in the bathroom floor, and perhaps relocating the noisy AC unit so it isn't directly above the bed would do wonders for this place. The carpets smelled of mildew and the furniture was badly beaten up. While the room was marked as no smoking I'm not sure it has always been that way, so those sensitive to stale odors should take note. My friend was asked to inspect the room upon check in with the male owner. She was taken by surprise and felt put on the spot but agreed to the room (I'm not sure what would have happened had she declined/refused it since her credit card had already been run). When she later pulled back the covers of the bed she found stained sheets and hair on the pillow. She went to the office and requested fresh linens with the intention of remaking the bed herself. She was asked who the housekeeper had been and came back to our room upset that she had been made to feel like an idiot for wanting new linens. The owner's wife arrived shortly afterwards and remade the bed. We could not wait to get out there in the morning, only to open the door and be hit by the very strong stench of the dumpster right in front of the motel- at this point it was like a comedy of errors. I practically threw the key through the open office to door so we could leave. I am not a picky person but if I'm spending a hundred dollars to sleep somewhere for the night I would like the room to be at least as clean as a state park campground bathroom or a youth hostel. I absolutely would not recommend to even the most desperate of traveler (which we were).

Pros: hot water, decently comfortable bed, large tv Cons: expensive for what...

Hi. I stayed for a week in late January 2022. Was in the area for business and just needed a place to sleep, shower, use the internet, etc. I'm a medical doctor, and consider myself to have some fairly high standards. Pete Patel, the owner, is very friendly and helpful and thoughtful. The room I had was very clean and bright, the king sized bed was comfortable and had 4 very nice pillows. The room had a perfectly clean and great working refrigerator and microwave. The heat and ac worked well. Shower had plenty of very hot water. The WiFi worked great. Logged on easily and it stayed on (I didn't have to log on every day). I don't watch TV, but there was a very large and nice Flat Screen TV in my room. This is not a five star Hilton on a beach somewhere, but for the price and considering the location in a small KY town, it's a great place to stay, especially if you're just passing through or if you want to spend some time fishing in the area. This little town is between two of the best fishing lakes in the state, Lake Cumberland to the north and Dale Hollow to the south. There's a McDonalds just a quarter mile away in one direction, and the local hospital is about a half mile away in the other direction. I couldn't have been more pleased, and I saved a lot of money compared to the big chain motel, Best Western, a few miles away. One other thing to consider. If you have some baggage and supplies to carry in, your car is only 6 feet away from the door. I stayed as some bigger chain motels recently in some other KY towns, and had to walk about 400 ft to get to my room. This makes a big difference if you have more stuff than you can carry in one trip. Do yourself a favor and check this place out. If you're like me, discriminating and frugal at the same time, you will be...

This is an older “motor court” style motel reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s. Don’t be put off by the exterior look. While old (if you’re of retirement age, you’ll find it down right nostalgic), it is very, very clean and the beds are excellent. Given the quiet location, it pretty much gives you all you need when staying in small town America. ||I like the convenience of parking right outside my room. A refrigerator and microwave are provided in each room. Lighting is good. The bathrooms are small but that’s a common malady, even with many modern motels. One nice benefit of an older property- you don’t have to worry about those stupid super low flow shower heads. You can actually get a good shower!||The current owner bought this small motel (about 24 rooms) around a year ago. He has been diligently renovating it, room by room. Our room had been freshly painted and newly floored with nice faux wood vinyl flooring like that being used in new hotels a lot these days. The room and it’s accouterments is basic, but it provides what you need. And the beds really are good. ||After the cleanliness and great beds, the next best feature is the owner’s diligence in making sure you’re happy with your accommodation. This is no absentee owner. He’s there, on site, making sure you get what you expect. ||I expect this property will continue to improve as this new owner continues his...