American Inn — Hotel in West Columbia

I and other American Red Cross (ARC) volunteers travelled to Columbia, SC to assist with Hurricane Hanna disaster preparedness activities. The ARC coordinator, who was not from the SC area, booked approximately 10 rooms at the American Inn for 20 volunteers as the motel was close to our temporary HQ building and the rates were reasonable. We checked in, took a look at/smelled our rooms, and immediately poured out of our rooms to the safety of the outdoors. The smell was horrible; the bathroom door was bashed in and mended with duct tape; the toilet paper and towel holders had been ripped off the walls; bugs were in the beds; a paper towel was stuffed into the front door’s gaping “viewing hole”; the microwave was covered with old food; garbage was on the bathroom floor; etc. Fortunately the ARC lodging coordinator was able to find us other rooms in Columbia…those rooms only had one bed so we had to sleep two volunteers to a bed, but that arrangement was like heaven compared to the thought of sleeping in the rooms at the American Inn. I am attaching a few pictures of my room mate’s and my American Inn room that capture only what we saw, not...

Just about one year ago, we made a reservation at Regency Inn, used to be called OYO Columbia or something like that. When we got to the hotel, the East Indian owner literally kicked us out of the hotel, claiming he is the new owner, he won't take any previous reservation. Yes indeed we made reservation on hotels dot com. We became homeless instantly even though I reserved and prepaid for it. The owner was so barbaric, not a human of any kind. However the owner of next-door American Inn was very nice and understanding, even allowing us to use their phone to contact hotels dot com. At last the phone call didn't get through, and I paid a reasonable price to stay here at American Inn. Compared to Regency Inn barbaric behaviour, we sought shelter at this motel. I forgot to thank the owner of...

I realize this is a terrible weekend to leave a review because it was the weekend of the eclipse and it's the only hotel we could find. Normally, we're a fairly discerning (spoiled) couple, so that's another consideration but come on! We didn't even get a blanket on the bed. Just a sheet and a thin piece of fabric that may or may not have been a curtain. The towels didn't towel, the soap didn't soap and the toilet wasn't properly bolted to the floor. Dirty is a kind adjective to describe the conditions. In fairness though, the air conditioning did work very well, but I was freezing! If you just need a place to crash in a bed in a cold room, this will do. If you care about any semblance of cleanliness or pleasing aesthetics,...