Econo Lodge Richmond North — Hotel in Lakeside

We are Choice Privilege members and typically stay at Choice Hotels. We stayed at this particular location for one night while in town for Redskins Fan Appreciation Day. While at the training camp noticed a missed call from the hotel at around 1:30 pm. Called back and was surprised that we were asked if we were still checking in. Said yes and then was asked what time. Said in a few hours. Very odd since check-in is at 3:00 pm and I believe the room is held until 7am the next day. When we arrived was asked for a name, id and credit card for the reservation. I realized my husband had my credit card in his wallet but not my id. I passed it on to staff and was asked for id also. I said it was in the car and asked my husband to grab my purse. We were treated with suspicion and I was asked if the credit card was mine. I said of course (and refrained from saying look in your system at the credit number and the physical card I handed you along with the reservation name I gave you-it all matches). And was told again I needed to show my id. I said I realize that and as you can see my husband is headed to the car to get my purse. I was asked in the meantime to fill out a guest card. When my husband came back with my purse, staff did a thorough comparison of driver’s license, credit card, and guest card. We got our key and headed to the room. No mention by staff of breakfast, breakfast times, check out etc. Wifi signal was so weak couldn't connect laptop or kindles. When we called was told there is no password and it should connect and if it doesn’t work come down for help. Decided to just forgo finalizing a grant I had to submit and just wait until we got home. We requested a smoking room. There was a large burn hole in the bedspread and the blanket underneath. It lined up perfectly so clearly neither had been changed. There was also a burn in the sheet – it was in a different area so hopefully it really was a clean sheet. There was no coffee maker in the room. Never been to a Choice Hotel without a coffee maker - or any hotel for that matter- so did not think to check the amenities before booking the room. At about 10:20 am the next day the air conditioner started going in an out and a few minutes later died completely. We jokingly said that’s the way they make sure folks check out on time. The room was basically clean and inexpensive, but I cannot say we got what...

PLEASE DO NOT STAY HERE!

I’ve never make reviews on Google, but the experience I had has to be shared.

My family and I originally booked two rooms to divide our driving trip up for vacation to make it easier for the baby. Pretty much the goal was just to find somewhere to sleep so we could get back on the road early. When getting to the facility it took a very long time for them to check us in, but that could be due to a newer staff member working up front (not a big deal).

After getting to our rooms I checked the beds like I always do and found several bed bugs on the box, and sheets of the bed in room 102. After seeing those bugs on the bed I immediately investigated further and found that the office chair in the room was littered with small bed bugs in the fabric. Thank god we didn’t bring our luggage in! After finding these issues in room 102 we also checked our other room 101 and found blood stains on the mattress, and although we didn’t find bed bugs in there we did find several dead bugs underneath the bed (both rooms were filthy).

Finding the bed bugs were enough for us not to want to stay there period…

After bringing up the issue with the front desk and requesting a refund for both rooms they would not comply with our request. We were told to contact Expedia to request a refund since they have to pay commission fees to them and that they have no control of it. The only issue there is that we did not book through Expedia… So after arguing for 45 minutes we eventually called Hotwire who we booked through and when the Hotwire agent called the facility for a refund request the facility told them that we trashed the rooms and broke the TVs. (WHAT!?!?)

In the end we ending up booking another room at a better facility. This Econolodge will do everything they can to keep your money, and will give you the worst experience ever. This is absolutely not acceptable. DO...

Upon arrival, the lobby was locked and the lights were out. Had to ring a bell for assistance. The front desk agent that came out was very nice and pleasant and confirmed my accommodations for a non-smoking room. Upon arriving up to my room later that evening, the room(210) smelled slightly of stale cigarette smoke. It was tolerable. At first glance, the room looked ok, however, I noticed a lot of small issues with the room, which, I should’ve taken pictures of. The caulk around the base of the toilet was in horrible condition and was stained. It needs to be recaulked. There were small hairs on the bathroom counter in the corners that weren’t mine. Obviously, there is no high dusting, because the tops of the bathroom light fixture and headboards were dusty. To top it off, there was a matchstick that was sticking out of a corner guard where the bathroom sink is located at. I threw it away. Stains, both big and small, were on most of the walls. Housekeeping needs to be doing a much better job at making sure that the rooms are spotlessly clean, top to bottom. Maintenance needs to be checking rooms daily to correct issues before any guest checks in. It’s a seemingly simple formula for any innkeeper to follow to make sure that all rooms are in great working order and are spotless before any guest checks in. Obviously, this hotel lacks greatly on. With those cleanliness issues, it made me question the cleanliness of the rest of the room, and probably all of the other rooms too, which is why I didn’t bother to ask for another room, seeing the condition of the room I was in. Thankfully, I was only in the room to sleep and shower. It is obvious that this ownership is not following Choice Hotels brand standards for quality, cleanliness and preventive...