Old Kentucky Home Motel — Hotel in Bardstown

Important to note that I have a "thing" for old, one-off motels and have long wanted to stay in a place like this but never seem to have an opportunity. This review is based on the expectation that I would be staying in one of those place and NOT in some huge corporate chain motel. If you want to stay in a room like you'll find at a Holiday Inn Express or Fairfield Inn, etc., read no further and keep driving. ||||But, if you're looking for a trip into the past where motels were run by the owners and you can park in front of your own clean, comfortable room and use a real key to open the door, then you'll love this place. From what I could tell, the only thing missing was the paper strip across the toilet seat that says "Sanitized for Your Protection." And, it was all real - not decorated to simulate an old, roadside motel for your nostalgia experience. An actual old, road-side motel. ||||Late check-in does require summoning the desk manager by ringing a bell outside the office, but the manager showed up quickly and got us checked in without any glitches or delays. (Which was good because it was a little cool outside for my taste.) He handed us our room KEYS (yes, actual keys on those old elongated diamond-shaped key rings with your room number on them!) and told us the direction to our rooms. We had three rooms. Not much else to say except that all three rooms were clean and comfortable with updated climate control and flat screen TVs (so not 100% authentic, but good luck finding an old tube TV that still works). And, this motel is in the heart of Bardstown so every convenient to everything in the area. ||||I do not recall seeing a guest laundry or ice machine - we were only there for one night, but those may have been tucked away down the hall next to the office where the vending machines were located. No breakfast. In fact, there's no food service on the premises, but there is a restaurant right across the street. This motel is not for everybody (which is good because I hate it when I place that I like gets over-run) but if you're looking for an old-fashioned motel which is still reputable and clean,...

This isn't where I intended to stay, but we were making up our itinerary as we went, and because we only decided to stay in Bardstown a couple of days before we got there, my first choice was fully booked. We needed two rooms for three nights, this place had them, and it was inexpensive. What could go wrong?||||Those are famous last words. There's really no limit to what could go wrong. In this case, nothing did; it all went right. I knew from the pictures that the furnishings were retro ("old," my son would say) and this wasn't a modern facility. But the rooms were clean, cozy, and my daughter immediately fell in love with the plaid bed coverings, which she decreed "soft and cozy." There was no breakfast included, but at the price, I wouldn't have expected any. There was no pool and no hot tub. But there was a swinging bench and chairs on the front lawn, we were an easy walk to the city center, and most important to my son, there was internet. The bathrooms were clean and in good repair.||||I'm tempted to give it only four stars; the young man working the front desk, while very efficient, seemed inexplicably annoyed. We stayed two nights, and his annoyance never seemed to lift. But he was polite, and he had us supplied with extra towels when we asked, and for all I know, he had four flat tires on his car the day we checked in, so I won't hold his annoyance against him. And I really did like the place. I'd stay there again. ||||I wouldn't eat breakfast at the buffet across the street, though. It was overpriced and not very good. If I remembered its name, I'd review it separately, but I'll just warn you here: Don't eat there if you want good food at...

DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!! We booked late for our trip to Bardstown and boy did we pay! The room is outdated, carpets are black, room smells, nothing is cleaned well. Bathroom is even dirtier . No coffee maker, no fridge. Room is dark . Tv is old and a tube and volume did not work (made loud buzzing sound so you could not hear anything) Everything was is disrepair..with attempted repairs made with duct tape. Out door handle to the storm door was missing and was replaced with, you guessed it, duct tape. The employees were trashy, rude and lived at the motel. The husband was drunk and walked around with a beer in his hand and the wife was extremely rude! Every other word out of the employees mouth was F this and F that. Anytime I asked for anything or had a question it was answered with a nasty response and was made to feel like I was a burden. If anyone says this place isn't that bad is lying to you or is used to living like a filthy slob. Avoid this place at all cost. If you book late and this motel is your only option..cancel your trip or sleep in your vehicle. I have never felt so depressed from being in such a negative environment. Steer clear of this motel aka hell...