Red Roof Inn Cleveland - Independence — Hotel in Independence

With two 70 pound dogs, we often find ourselves at Red Roof Inns for their “Pets Stay Free” policy. Most are ok; but this one?

We’re not exactly sure how we missed the scathing reviews when we booked the room. Either we were in a hurry and/or we mixed up this Red Roof Inn with a better one. Regardless, we found ourselves here without much recourse, and here’s what we saw during our one night stay.

Thankfully our room included clean towels and washcloths. A washcloth is especially helpful for wiping up dog dish water drips that come up along with a ton of dirt from the floor.

The toilet sometimes flushed, but sometimes wouldn’t flush, like a moody friend who occasionally ghosts you.

The microwave turntable didn’t turn, but at least the microwave had a lot of character from rusty spots and an unappetizing stench.

The TV screen doesn’t work so you can listen to audio-only while staying focused on other visual pursuits…like how to chip away enough of the ice buildup inside the refrigerator so that the door will actually close. “The nearby iron can serve as a chisel to hack away at the ice,” said MacGuyver.

The AC unit multifunctions: cools the room and provides a handy receptacle for unwanted crud. One of the louvers has been removed for easier access.

It’s always embarrassing to leave a stain on a beautiful white sheet in a hotel room, but you won’t have that problem with this room as the host provides pre-stained sheets. So go ahead and do what you will on the bed – it will blend right in. The mattress is extremely thin, but thankfully you can feel the springs which will distract you from worrying about the bedbugs you read about in other reviews. We were kind of disappointed that we didn’t see any. Maybe next time.

Some of the guests very thoughtfully left their unhandicapped vehicles in the handicapped spaces to keep them warm should any handicapped guests arrive. Preferring an unmufflered ride, one guest shared throaty revs of his engine during the wee hours. Another guest’s vehicle was conveniently leaking gas to provide a pungent odor to the adjacent parking spaces. This same guest also apparently likes to drink and drive as evidenced by the empty beer can sitting in his center console. To meet ADA requirements, the hotel features wheelchair ramps such as the flimsy plywood one pictured.

Though a 100% smoke free hotel, guests conveniently smoke weed and cigarettes right outside their wide-open room doors. They also enjoy depositing their trash and cigarette butts all over the ground. In the rarely used designated smoking area we did spot a compliant, yet shirtless guest smoking. No need to pick up your dog’s poop in the pet zone because none of the guests do. If you need a soggy, mildewed mattress while you’re there, I’m sure they would be happy for you to take one home from the handy pile.

If you want free coffee from the lobby, you might want to get some the night before. During the morning hours the front desk staff will still be barricaded behind a locked lobby door. If you shout, “Is there coffee?” through the locked door to the clerk lying prone on the lobby couch, he will jump up exclaiming, “I don’t know, but I can ask?”

We do want to share sincere kudos to the very friendly front desk clerk at our evening check-in and to the working ice machine.

If I was going to think of a metaphor for this hotel, I would best describe it as a used paper plate that’s the only plate available to you when you really need it. You’ll probably be able to get it to work in a pinch, but you have no intention of ever...

My experience at this roach-infested Red Roof Inn in Independence, Ohio (6020 Quarry Lane) on June 25, 2024 through June 28, 2024 was awful.||I arrived to the hotel on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. I was in town to visit family and was excited for this visit because I have not seen them in over a year and a half. I selected this Red Roof Inn because of its location to my family and because the hotel had a pet friendly policy.||||Upon checking in, I cannot begin to express in words how disheveled, filthy, and disgusting the room was (See the attached photos). Furthermore, the room next to mine had yellow caution tape on the door. I should have taken all of these clues and gone elsewhere immediately. Yet, I stayed....until I was removed by the State of Ohio Health Department.||||At 9:30 a.m. On Wednesday, 6/26/24, there was a knock on my room door. I opened the door to see three people, two women and one male. The male was the manager of the hotel, and the women were two workers from the State of Ohio Health Department. They informed me that all of the rooms next to me and above me were cockroach-infested and they needed to check my room. That is what the yellow caution tape was for. My room was also infested and the health department workers told the manager to put me in another room. They also told me to make sure my dogs do not get fleas due to flea infestation. They then went to the next room and told the manager to open the door. He initially said he did not want to because the room was a mess. The health department workers told him he had to. As soon as he opened the door, bugs flew out and roaches were seen.||||I immediately packed up all of my bags and went to the front desk lobby to be put into another room. There was a woman before me also trying to be put into another room because her room was also roach infested. This woman was clearly drug addicted because she was tweaking and fighting with the front desk clerk. The "high" woman started screaming and crying and getting into a verbal altercation with the front desk clerk, who was yelling at the woman trying to get another room. After ten minutes of watching this craziness and unprofessionalism, I left and went to a different nearby hotel for the remainder of my stay in Cleveland. I had to pay an additional $500 for this second pet-friendly hotel (the Residence Inn, which was fantastic by the way).||||This experience is totally unacceptable. I should not have had to get kicked out of a room due to a roach infestation, and I should not have had to pay for another hotel because the front desk clerk was too busy fighting with a customer.||If you want to stay at a hotel with roaches, substance users, and probable sex workers, this is the place for you.||||See the...

Bedbugs. I stayed in room 228. I turned out my light at 2am and at 2:45am I felt two itchy bites next to each other that weren't there when I went to sleep. I turned on the light, flipped the sheet and immediately found the bug (see picture). Bottom line: the motel is refusing to treat the room. I wouldn't take a chance, find a different motel. If you want details continue reading.

I immediately packed up my belongings, put the bug in a plastic cup and sealed in a bag, took it to management and went to a different hotel. The night manager assured me that I would receive a full refund. This is all more of a pain than just switching hotels, my belongings need to be washed and my luggage sprayed. A considerable hassle. This afternoon I received a call from Red Roof in stating that they had an independent contractor come out and they didn't find anything. (tbh I did a minor check for eggs before I even laid down to sleep because I dont normally stay at motels or Red Roof Inns, and I found nothing too. But then, I'm not a professional). I confirmed with them that this would mean the room will not be treated. They told me that since I brought "something" to the night manager they would still refund my money, but no there was nothing to treat.

And I get all that. But I don't carry around bed bugs for the fun of it and it's kind of absurd to think I would change hotels in the middle of the night just because I felt like it. And I'm a frequent traveler, I rely on reviews to make the wisest decisions. So I think people deserve to know there are bedbugs in room 228 and the motel is refusing to treat it. Bedbugs are unfortunately something travelers occassionally encounter. I could respect Red Roof if they apologized and treated the room. It's irresponsible not to do so and will only result in the spread of the bugs.

What a lot of people don't know about bedbugs is that there is only a small portion of the population who are allergic to their bites. So chances are many people have been bitten by them, they just don't know. They are more prevalent than you think. I am highly allergic to the bite, my daughter is not. The two bites (they normally bite and walk so you will often find lines of the bites) have now become one huge, hot welt on my arm. I will never stay in a Red Roof in again. You truly get what...