Travelodge by Wyndham Wall — Hotel in Wall

I’d first like to say that my husband and I just completed a 2 week road trip. This Travelodge in Wall, South Dakota was the final property that we stayed in. We were both exhausted and ready to be home - my husband had gotten quite ill with exacerbated symptoms of some of his chronic health conditions during our trip and it made everything more complicated and stressful. We have a high level membership with another larger chain and had planned to stay at the Wall location but, long story short, the manager wasn’t incredibly helpful and we were unable to book a room on short notice.

When I called Travelodge and the manager, Laura, answered, she was immediately kind, compassionate, and helpful. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do yet and she assured me she’d be there and ready to help if we chose to stay there. When we pulled in, I’ll admit, we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. This property is mid massive overhaul and they chose to focus on the inside first as that’s what would keep their guests most comfortable, which, after staying there, I can attest was a WISE choice! Anyway, don’t let the outer appearance fool you, they’ve worked so hard at getting this place in shape for the upcoming season and I promise you’ll feel it if you stay! I walked into the office and was greeted by the manager (who has the sweetest southern accent that I adore!), she finished getting my reservation in order while I looked around and we chatted. Freshly painted walls, new/modern/rustic decor hung on the walls, classy leather seating, free popcorn, coffee, and donuts (my husband is still raving about these! They’re the best packaged donuts we’ve ever had!). She gave me my keys and we unlocked the doors and my husband immediately exclaimed “Oh, sh**!!” He was THRILLED at the large, flat screen tv on the wall - the biggest we’d seen in any property, even in the “executive suites” we’d stayed in that cost over double what this room did. Brand new paint and decor as well. Almost all new furniture (I especially loved the little leather bench, it’s not a piece I would expect to see in a hotel, but it just made so much sense with getting ready and going through luggage and packing/unpacking), brand new mattresses, bedding, power “strip” (but they’re square) doo dads with USB built in, so convenient! They bathroom was small but extremely clean and either newly renovated or well kept! No leaky toilet, no hair in the shower, every single towel was pristine. Such a breath of fresh air after the run of properties we’d been through. The shampoo, conditioner, and lotion smelled absolutely delicious! Brand new mini fridge and microwave. They have a single serve coffee maker with delicious coffee and all of the “fixings” available in each room. The pool wasn’t in use yet, but we wouldn’t have had time to use it, anyway. It looked nice, though. And very deep! There’s a nice, wooden play system for children to play on that’s central to their properties. We were also given the comp drink and breakfast vouchers for Badlands Saloon and Grille, as well as a coupon for their shop. We had the French toast and it was delicious! The owner was who took my order at the bar and he was also very kind, generous, and friendly. All in all, this Travelodge in Wall was, BY FAR, the most comfortable and welcoming hotel that we stayed at in the entire 2 weeks! We wished we had more time to stay and definitely plan to bring our business back there! *I’ve seen a few complaints about the ice machine situation and I just have a few things to add. 1. There is a brand new ice machine and it will likely be in use by the time anyone who reads this stays there. 2. I “had to” walk across the parking lot (not the street as many have claimed) to get a bucket of ice for our room from their other property. It was honestly a shorter distance than many hotel hallways I’ve had to navigate searching for an ice machine. I think the bottom line is that some people just feel the need to complain. Take a few steps and walk it off, you might not be so...

I do NOT recommend this hotel, for a very good reason, I was charged twice for 1 room for 1 night and the manager is refusing to issue me a refund for 1 of the 2 charges. Don’t trust ANY staff you speak with.

I only received 1 email confirmation and 1 receipt yet they are charging me twice for 1 room!

If you want the details, hang in there and keep reading so this doesn’t happen to you at this hotel OR any other Wyndom location where the billing system is in control of the hotel mgmt and not Wyndham.

The management and staff can NOT be trusted in this location, Wall, SD…hang in there with me as I share my story.

We were traveling through the Badlands, SD and decided late that afternoon we were going to stay in Wall, South Dakota. I was not able to get great reception trying to book a room online using Wyndham points in the park and it was also confusing that I had to pay 50.00 for a cat when I had a dog (dog fee is lower at 35.00) so I called the hotel, talked to the individual who answered the phone at the hotel desk and explained the situation.

We decided it would be best to hold the room with my credit card because the hotel staff called the manager and indicated she was not able to assist the reservation over the phone with Wyndham points.

Fast-forward, we arrived to the hotel later that day and I spoke with the same gal who answered the phone when I called from the Badlands earlier. Remember, this gal spoke with her manager to OK the scenario to hold the room with my credit card so I could book online with my Wyndham points when I arrived and had better access to an internet connection. This would have saved approximately $100.

I asked the front desk staff upon arrival to verify that I was only charged once and she said she needed to contact her manager again and then gave me the green light to book the room using my Wyndom points to save money.

The only thing great about the room itself was the bed, the phone didn’t work, the hairdryer didn’t work, and the refrigerator was dirty. When we called front desk about any room concerns it was always…”let me check with my manager”. It was like they had minimal control over any decisions , for example, the hair dryer.

Upon check out, I clarified that I was just getting the one charge, and they indicated yes. I asked them to print receipt from my stay and I got 1 receipt printed and via email - for the reservation I booked online using my Wyndom points to save some money.

Two days later I have 2 charges on my credit card and I’m very upset because I was told that I was only charged once for the room.

I try to have a conversation with the manager, it did not go well, clearly she was not about customer service, but her own pocketbook. She said with 2 reservations I was holding up a room for another guest. How could that be? I held the room and when I got there with permission from front desk staff I could book room online with Wyndom points. I did that when I was in the office with the hotel desk staff with me.

I proceeded to call Wyndham customer service to file a customer complaint, they assured me I should get the refund for the first charge from the hotel.

Wyndham customer service said the manager would be providing the refund for me, they were not able to assist because this particular hotel manages their billing.

I tried to call the manager back and have another conversation with her and she told me that I was lying and that she had it on video and that she was not going to give me the refund because I was creating a scenario that was not good for her business?

I called Wyndom customer service AGAIN and they said it was out of their hands. They said I needed to request a refund from the manager. Argh!! Travelodge and Wyndom don’t really care about their customers. I will never stay at a Wyndom property again and after reading other reviews from a variety of review platforms about this location, I’m not the only one who has not been happy with the staff...

When we got to the room, it had a strong smell of urine, broken vanity sink (stopper was stuck in down position), and the crumbs in the bed. It was late, so we made it work. The next morning we left to visit a nearby national park and put the do not disturb/do not clean sign on the door handle. When we returned that evening, the sign was still on, but our room had clearly had someone in it. The trash was gone, and they even threw away my hotel cup that was on the sink (it contained my dentist prescribed and made mouth guard that cost me $350). We noticed that the two cases of alcohol that we had sittng on the floor were gone, and some of our souveniers were missing. We went to the front desk to let them know that housekeeping had stolen from our room. They got very defensive and confrontational with my boyfriend and I. and even stated ‘…it’s just masks…’ It appears that others in the hotel that day had things stolen as well. Bc we were not there for masks. The co-owner showed up and was extremely rude, and said that they had new housekeeping staff and that ‘just happens sometimes’ and basically said it is to be expected. He even said “It’s just alcohol’ It wasn’t just alcohol. It was the other things I mentioned, and my feeling of security and personal space, and respect. The co-owner then typed on the computer for a while and then stated “there. I refunded you $28. 72 (not sure on exact cent, as I never actually saw this refund) for your alcohol.” I went to my room and started packing things up, as I was not going to stay at such a place another night, especially since it was not good to begin with. I told him I wanted a refund and he would not give me one. The police were then called upon the co-owners suggestion. He then said he would refund us for one night (since we were no longer staying the second night) And he refunded me 88.93 even though I paid 106.49 per night. Not only did they rob us of our things (ESPECIALLY my $350 mouth guard that they threw out), but they robbed us of our time that we had set aside to explore the area. (3hrs) It was difficult to explain to my 10 year old son why we couldn’t do all of the fun things we promised we would do after the park. Never again will I stay at...