Moon-Lite Motel — Hotel in Versailles

This is a tough review to write. We knew we were taking a risk by staying at this place, but there were many surprises -- some good; some not so good. We had family business to conduct in Osgood, and you either stay here or 20 miles away. We love the B&B in Osgood, but wanted to give the Moon-Lite a shot since we don't always want the "guest in somebody else's house" experience.||||First of all, according to our connections in the area, there are new owners since the previous reviews. Room rates have gone from $36 to $45 (including tax). However, we were offered one of the "newly refurbished" rooms with a queen bed for $54 (including tax), so we took it.||||The new owners are at least as friendly and conscientious as the comments from others indicate for the previous owners. They also obviously work very hard. I really liked these folks, so my criticisms are hard to levy, but hopefully will help them continue the work they have started.||||THE GOOD:||The "newly refurbished" room had some obvious improvements. Fresh paint on the walls; new carpet and I think they even must have replaced the acoustic ceiling tiles because there were no leak stains like you normally find with that type of ceiling tile. The bed linens were of pretty high quality, very clean and fresh smelling. The towels were also very clean and fresh and of good quality. The bathroom had vinyl flooring instead of tile (which is okay -- flooring looked pretty new). I think the shower walls had new covering too -- again not tile but some sort of stainless steel. It looked pretty grim until I got inside the shower, and saw it was obviously clean and really not as unattractive as it looked from an angle outside the shower. The room was very clean and no musty smell at all. There is an old-timey wall heater in the bathroom that looks ancient, but it can pump out some heat quickly. They even had four nice pieces of wall art hanging in the room in pretty frames. I think they must have taken some time to find these pictures. Also, they've added free wifi.||||THE BAD:||The room is very small and also weirdly shaped (and not in a way that helps with space). The bathroom is especially small (but your knees do not nearly hit the sink as one reviewer said). I've been in larger showers on a cruise ship though -- very uncomfortable and dark inside shower. Sink is very small and it is impossible to dry off after a shower in the bathroom. (It's difficult to wash your feet in the shower stall since your knees hit the shower wall if you bend much at all.) The shower water temperature is difficult to control (goes from lukewarm to scalding in about a milimeter). The caulking job in the shower was really bad and unattractive.||||The bathroom really is the biggest problem, but it is only about size not cleanliness. The bed was basically comfortable, but it was a full-size bed, not queen as promised, and that was uncomfortable. All of the furniture in the room (except the bed) is old, cheap, flimsy and basically useless. There is no real closet either, but a bar from which to hang clothes.||||No toiletries at all are provided and there is no ice machine. The owners change towels and empty trash daily, but no real daily cleaning service or making of bed. We were there three (3) nights, so I imagine if you are there longer, you would get an occasional full clean. Otherwise, there is no way they could keep the place as clean as they do.||||The new paint job in the room doesn't cover cracks in the wall. The room heat is very difficult to control and the room had a constant draft from under the door (there is a screen door that doesn't latch). The overhead fluorescent light is quite harsh and the lamp fixtures are old and dated and not very bright. (I think they would have been better off replacing the lights rather than buying the wall art, but that is their business.)||||Work continues on the place which also created a small inconvenience. When we arrived all the outside lights were out because of electrical work being done. There is some sort of curb (covered in black tar) that is quite a tripping hazard even in daylight, and we really couldn't see it at night.||||OVERALL:||The new owners are trying hard and are very helpful and responded to our requests for directions and use of a tool we needed to borrow. This place is so old, it must be difficult to keep clean, and I have to say that the place is clean. Some of the old grout is stained, but I can promise that they place is clean. We never had any kind of "ick" feeling, and the neighborhood seems safe too. I'm betting the owners did a lot of the refurbishing themselves. For $54, it is about half the cost of any hotel 20 miles away, so travelers simply have to weigh...

Stayed eight nights. Had booked the reservation a month ahead of time for the national matches in Friendship. Used to stay there before management/ ownership changed several years ago. I stayed in the new section. The old section appears to have some permanent residents staying there - witness the stack of used tires out side the front door of one apartment. The new section is nice to look at, but does not bear close examination. Thin walls allow easy, unavoidable - and annoying - access to neighbors intimate conversations. Housekeeping is virtually non-existent. In eight days - EIGHT DAYS - the bed was not made once nor were the sheets changed. Fresh towels were not provided unless requested every day. The trash was never emptied. Air conditioning is controlled by the management (no individual thermostat in the room, ditto for the hot water heater), so in 90+ degree heat for three days the A/C was rarely sufficiently cool enough to provide comfortable sleep and the hot water was tepid at best. This used to be a nice place, but not any more. Not worth the 78 bucks a night...

I traveled to Versailles for business in September and stayed a couple days at the Moon-Lite Motel. Have traveled here since the late 1990s and the motel has never looked better thanks to major renovation work by the new owners. You must know this motel was built around 1948 so it is a throwback to that era of "motor hotels" where inexpensive overnight accommodations close to the main roads was the main requirement for travelers. This is the only motel in the town or else you must stay 20 miles away in Madison or Lawrenceburg. The room was small - again from that era ; not a problem - but very clean with new appliances (refrigerator, microwave), sinks, bathroom, and a flat screen TV with great reception and lots of channels. The owners are very friendly and accommodating. This place is a great deal! I give it an "Excellent" rating for being a wonderful, old fashioned motor hotel with clean rooms and...