Alecia B&B — Hotel in Atlanta

I had to take a last minute trip to Atlanta. I found Alecia's B&B on the Hopper app and decided to book it as it was the most affordable option and looked clean with good reviews. It was also in a great location, near the airport and the venue I needed.

I'm not opposed to staying in slummy motels to save money, but having had bedbugs in my apartment building before, I'm nervous about travelling. Bedbugs are not just a matter of cleanliness but it is a sign of how often and how well a room is inspected and cleaned after each guest if the business can overlook signs of bedbugs and continue to rent the space. Paying to treat a bedbug problem will negate anything you saved cheaping out on a hotel, promise. None of the reviews mentioned anything like that, so I booked.

Some things you should know, based on the few negative reviews I've seen. First, this is kind of an Air BnB situation. The woman who owns the property seems to have a day job and isn't necessarily on site. This is sort of a side business. Being said, this was not a half hearted operation! Just realize you aren't calling some 1-800 number with a team of 24/7 customer service agents. You're calling a locally owned and operated small business. The owner has only so many hours in a day and other responsibilities, I'm sure. You may not reach her instantaneously, but slow your roll, you will reach her and she will be accommodating when you do. Yes, her voicemail box was full which can be scary but I just waited a half hour and tried calling again and she picked right up. You can also text her.

Also, please read the information she provides thoroughly! So many of these negative reviews are people who did not bother to read the information. She asks that you call before you book to check for availability, this is a small property with a limited number of rooms. She also asks that you call the day before your arrival to confirm your booking. At that time she will send you the link to pay the $85 refundable fee. Most hotels will place a hold on your card when you book, in case you trash the place. This can be an issue if you don't have a credit card, but Alecia's $85 refundable fee was very straight forward and reasonable. It's usually difficult to find out how large a hold a hotel will place on your card, an issue if you're on a budget, and it's usually much higher than $85. So this was a pleasant surprise.

During that time, she will give you instructions and a code for the smart locks. They were very easy to use, just read the info.

My flight arrived early in the morning, far too early for the 3pm check in, but I was able to pay a $25 early check in fee for 12:30pm, also cheaper than most hotels. I was also able to relax and read in the common area and munch on the snacks until my room was ready. The common area was spacious, clean, and comfortable. I watched the housekeeper clean the rooms and she seemed to do a very thorough job and finished my room a half an hour earlier than expected so I was able to get settled at noon.

The bed and linens were very high quality. The room was very clean and even smelled nice. I checked the mattress for signs of bedbugs (I'm paranoid) and not a trace.

My particular room was the only room that did not have a bathroom attached, but it did have a private bathroom just a few feet from the door. The bathroom was large and the shower was just as nice as the $200+ a night hotels I've stayed in. For such a huge savings, it was well worth waddling my butt a few extra feet to the bathroom. One of the biggest draws were all the toiletries provided. There was the standard shampoo and conditioner, but also makeup remover wipes, cotton swabs, a shaving kit, etc. LOVED the makeup remover wipes!

The best part were the snacks! Your girl likes to snack. There was coffee, coke, juice, yogurt, oatmeal, granola bars, chips, donuts, pastries, you name it! I probably saved a fortune just through that.

I will definitely be...

The host for this property is non-responsive to 98% of communication. Her voicemail is always full, you cannot leave a message. I booked this property through Expedia after searching in Google maps. You are sent a message asking to pay a deposit on a site outside of Expedia (which Expedia explicitly states NOT to do, although they still allow this property to have a listing on their site), you are also asked to text your government ID to a phone number no one answers (there is no safe/encrypted place or link to upload to within Expedia). I texted the night before as well as the morning of my stay with no response from the host. I also called repeatedly and was sent to invoice mailbox that is always full. On my 4th attempt calling (2.5hrs after check in started) I was finally able to reach someone and get check-in information to access the property.

It was below freezing the night of my stay, so this made things even more frustrating. Upon entering, the property was frigid. There was only sheets, no blanket for the room I was assigned. The temperature for the property is automatically set to 62 and will return there no matter what you change it to. I could barely sleep, I was miserable. A guest in another room that was also staying the night I was staying offered me a small blanket, which didn't help much but I appreciated the gesture. Host was unresponsive for the entire duration of my stay.

I was traveling alone but there were two beds in my room. One was a mattress in the floor, which had what looked like extreme water damage and stains. It was black. 🤢 The sheets on the main bed also had marks on them. There was also what appeared to be someone else's luggage and purse in the living room. No idea who it belonged to.

"Breakfast" is donuts, cakes/muffins, & yogurt with some fruit and small boxes of orange juice and yogurt in the fridge.

Highly suggest looking at the Yelp reviews for this property along with other sites, as they give them more accurate depiction of what it's like to stay here. These Google reviews are deceptive. Would not...

The room was fantastic. The bed was very comfortable, and the snacks were very appreciated. The shower pressure felt great. The room and house was also very clean.

The area had many cameras so I felt safe and was sure no one would break into my car. There was also a fridge in the room I stayed in, so my takeout was kept fresh.

Although I did have one issue with the house itself, I spotted two cockroaches, one even fell on me. Other than that great place.

The biggest issue I had is the manager: Alicia. She was very difficult to contact, I attempted to text the number listed multiple times with questions, with no answer majority of the time.

When I did manage to get a hold of her, it was a major pain to talk to her. She would send automated messages that either didn't answer my question, or they just weren't relevant, it felt like I was speaking to a robot.

When sending my and my guests I.d. to her, she kept saying I didn't send them, even though I sent them 3 times, and when she finally did see them, she said I sent the same one, even though I sent two very different I.ds.

The instructions for the property have also changed without being updated on the info sent. The booking explained that the check in location is different from the actual location I would be staying at, when I went to the building to check in, I couldn't enter and was told through a ring camera that I'm already checked in and that the check in location is where you're staying.

I also received images on where to park, when I parked there, I was told that I can't park there, and had to park elsewhere, although not a big deal because the parking spot wasn't too far from the entrance. I would've rather been told this in the instructions I was sent.

The cost for the room for two days wasn't bad considering the quality, though I did dislike having to give a deposit of $85, I would've rathered that be including in the cost of the room.

In summary: Great place, safe area,...