Dover Inn & Suites — Hotel in Dover

After the experiencing the the ridiculous quoted price, crawfishing and lying of several other ‘well known’ hotel chains in the area, I chose to find something cheaper! This is an old Howard Johnson’s hotel. The male desk clerk was what I know as a typical Indian. I’m NOT even attempting to be racist, but I said, he was was what I know as a ‘typical’ Indian (the ones that buy in to places that are subpar to standardized businesses). He was wearing sandals with dirty feet and dark, unkept, wrinkled clothing, but he was VERY pleasant. He first quoted the price of $89.99, but after I told him of my previous experience, he said he was going to give me a ‘special’ rate of $75 a night. That was a price that I could live with! My room was at the very end of an unconnected building, with an overgrown lot next to it. The parking lot was clean, but who ever mowed just let the clippings go wherever. Honestly, I felt a bit uncomfortable at first, because I am a middle-aged woman traveling alone…and there were people sitting outside their room talking and smoking. I went in and locked the door! The marquee said the rooms were recently renovated. Well, they were, but it appeared to be a DIY. One wall was painted bright orange to match the trim of the outside, which was reminiscent of the old Howard Johnson’s chain of orange, sea foam blue and white. The room was very clean, with no smell. The furnishings were an eclectic mixture of new and old, but nothing was broken. The pillows were somewhat flat, but the linens were definitely clean and freshly laundered and above all, the mattress was actually one of the most comfortable mattresses that I’ve ever slept on!! The loveseat was clean and the carpeting was an industrial type, but very clean. The bathroom was clean with complimentary shampoo and a bar of lemon scented soap, as well as a shampoo and body wash dispenser in the tub/shower. It took a couple of minutes for the water to get hot, but when it did, it did it well. The pressure was a bit lacking, but there were plenty of clean towels. There are NO amenities, like a hair dryer, coffee pot, tea bags, or alarm clock, but that wasn’t an issue for me. I noticed that the door definitely needed a seal, as you could see light between the door and the frame! The clerk came to the room as I was taking my suitcase inside and thankfully gave me my drivers license that I had forgotten! Not many in this day and time would make that effort! Obviously, the clerk could tell that I wasn’t accustomed to staying in a hotel of this nature, and asked me multiple times if the room was okay, even though I assured him both times that all was fine. Oh yeah, the toilet handle does need replacing, but it was still functional and would flush. All in all, I would stay here again, just because of the clerk’s efforts, the bed and the overall cleanliness of the room!! If you choose to stay here…don’t expect anything fancy, like the coffee pot, teabags, hair dryer, an alarm clock, or breakfast! It’s the barely functional basics! There is a Shoney’s and a Bob Evans both, which within walking distance…a few hundred feet and then there’s a McDonald’s, along with a convenience store within 1/8th of a mile, so you’re not lacking for eating establishments. This area is within the ‘Amish’ communities, so there’s beautiful countryside to see, as well as loads of shopping! I highly...

Background: I’m originally from the area and remember these buildings being built in the late 70’s/early 80’s. They have had several incarnations. I was looking for an inexpensive place to stay while visiting family. I love my family very much…I adore them when I have my own little place at night and in the morning. Location: This place is right off the highway and the road that takes you to Amish country. It is within 0.4 miles of a McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and three gas stations. Walk across the parking lot and you are at Bob Evans; walk the lot diagonally and you are at Shoney’s. If your car had a problem making it, again, an AutoZone a walk across the parking lot. If you have pets like I do, there is a wonderful boarding place one mile away. Logistics: The buildings are older and showing their age. Then again, so am I, so I gave it a chance. While there are dings, dents, and bumps(mostly on the outside), it is all cosmetic. The doors locked securely, as did the dead bolt and chain lock. All of the appliances worked well. The lights were all working and all had working bulbs. There was hot water quickly and the toilet flushed with good pressure. Why 5 stars: I showed up well before my check in time and she had every right to tell me to wait as that may have benefitted her, but I was allowed to check in early; which was very convenient to me and much appreciated. I have stayed in high end hotels in the Americas and Europe and this may have been the cleanest room I’ve ever seen! It was IMMACULATE! There was not a speck of dust, a crumb on the floor, a loose hair in the bathroom…nothing! The fridge and microwave were pristine. The snowy white towels had a soft, comforting scent of bleach. Even the TV remote smelled as if it had met with Lysol. Seriously, I can not say enough about the cleanliness. What you should know: This Howard Johnson’s is run entirely by a sister and brother duo: Erin and Chaz (I’m sorry I do not know their surnames). Think about that. Every job in every hour of every day in a service industry dealing with, I’m sure, a sometimes not so genteel public falls to just two people. That is a TREMENDOUS task! And yet, from what I saw, they do it with an immense amount of hard work and kindness. I was told last year the place temporarily was handed to poor management and suffered. If you had a bad experience during that time, I encourage you to give it another try. I will stay here again because, from what I experienced, this sibling team has the pride and dedication to make this...

Worst place I have ever stayed. I reserved 2 rooms for our group well in advance. Upon arrival, only 1 room was reserved. After 15 minutes, we got the second room. We went to my room and found 2 pillows and 2 sheets on each bed, no spread or blanket. I turned down the top sheet to find a stain ( I think dried blood) on the bottom sheet. Back to the office for a clean sheet. With the new sheet on, I went into the bathroom and found the bathtub dripping to a small stream and a dirty spot on the very loose toilet seat. Clorox wiped the seat for the wife. Then saw there were no towels in the room, so back to the office. I got 1 bath towels and 2 hand towels for 2 adults in the room. Later , we brought a fresh washed towel that was clean but still damp. Lastly, the refrigerator didn't work to cool our pop. Checked and found it was unplugged and the cord was too short to reach a plug. The bathroom had a small soap and shampoo. Both were sticky and half used already the other room had to change dirty sheets and couldn't use the fridge due to something spilled and dried all over the inside bottom. This place showed recently refurbished. It was repainted. The counter person said they had recently taken over as owners, and if so, they have a lot...