Why I may never utilize Mo-Hell Six Again.

Don't get me wrong -- I am a big fan of places that can take care of your most essential needs when you are in desperate times. And over the years, I've stayed at my share of Motel Six locations.

However, there is no question. I will never stay at the Alexandria, LA Motel 6 again -- and I'd advise you to steer clear as well.

It all started well enough. Back in April I was searching out reservations for the four of us. Problem is, we couldn't find a room with two queen sized beds for under $100. After scouting and scouring and searching, I did find out that I could acquire two separate rooms at the Motel 6 for less. I tried to book online but got a message that I needed to contact the hotel direct. So I booked them at the bargain price of $44 for two people for two rooms for two nights. Fair enough.

Around 10am I called the Motel 6 and asked what time I could check in at. And while I was at it -- was everything okay with the reservations? The clerk refered to me by name and told me everything was in proper order.

We arrived around 6:45pm. As we're coming in the door, I hear lots of grumbling. I waited my turn in line and presented my ID and credit card. The guy at the desk asked me for my name. I told him, and waited for him to look it up. He tells me there are no reservations under my name.

This irritated me to no small point. I pointed out that I made these reservations back in April AND confirmed them earlier in the day.

Finally, a woman who appeared to be the manager appeared. She asked me to repeat my story, told me there must be some mistake, and was giving us two of the three remaining open rooms. She rung up everything and walked off.

The clerk had me sign off on the slip. He told me I'd have to come reclaim the keys later because rooms were still being cleaned. And I was just about to go when he stopped me and asked me to sign ANOTHER slip.

I told him this didn't add up -- $44 a night didn't equal nearly $300 dollars... and he told me no, I was being charged $69 a night -- the rack rate.

The manager came back, told me it had already been rung up, and I would have to wait for a credit in the morning.

At this point it was past 7:30. My husband was tired, I was tired, and we were both hungry. We left with our receipts and went to dinner.

We got back around 10:15. As I walked in the door, the lady at the desk started yelling at me...

"No rooms. No vacancy."

"But --"

"No MA'AM -- no rooms, no vacancy."

"But --"

"Ma'am, you're going to have to leave."

"I've already paid for my rooms."

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

She knew my last name -- and tried to hand me THREE packets of door keys (and if I'd realized at the time what was about to happen, I would have kept them). I corrected her. She claimed my husband had come in and purchased another room.

After straightening that out, we went to our rooms on the back side and discovered we were on the second floor (my husband is ill and we had requested the first floor). And the first room we tried -- the door didn't open. I was thinking "heck, they didn't key the cards." And then I caught a glance through the window.

This room hadn't been TOUCHED by the cleaning staff. The coverlet was off the bed, there was a yellow stain on it, the phone was on the corner of the bed, there were no pillows... ugh.

My husband suggested I try the other room -- which happened to be across a walkway. That room? Door opened, and the bed was made -- but the room REEKED.

I called the front desk and asked what happened. The woman there told me I had to come up to rekey the doorcard for the other room.

This? Was not a happy walk. I made it up there, and was met by the blond clerk from earlier. He was pulling out a cleaning satchel and headed back with me to try the door.

The door, by the way? Handle broken -- so the only way to enter was to pull the handle upward. Yeah, after being up since 4am, no way I'd have guessed that.

I didn't hassle him, because he started stripping the bed himself. I thanked him, and went to my room to crash.

This would have been irritating enough. But it gots worse.

Around 2:30am, three of my friends who had also reserved a room at the hotel, called me from the front to say their reservation (which was pre-paid) couldn't be found.

I had them drive around to the back, topk the keys to the other room and opened it up. Our traveling companions had not yet arrived, and I didn't want to wake my husband again.

We all ended up on phones -- two of my friends calling the 1-800 number for Motel 6 and the other calling other hotels for availability. All the other hotels in the area were booked for a convention.

We determined from the people at the national reservation desk -- that the hotel had cancelled the paid reservation around 8pm. This was not going to work.

After going back to the front and talking with the hotel clerk and presenting what the national reservation desk had told us, the clerk managed to locate a room -- grumbling the whole time about how he should start checking credit cards and throw out someone who couldn't pay.

They got a room. Not a great room -- it was still dirty, too. But a room with two beds.

About this time our traveling companions arrived -- and we discovered to our mutual chagrin that, just like our room, the bathroom had not been cleaned. Yuck.

We all went to bed -- since we had plenty to do the next day.

I got up around 6:30am, prepared for my day and went to the front. There I met a clerk who couldn't have been 20 yet. Bless her heart, she's obviously a product of the Public School System and has three gold teeth. But she's courteous.

What she can't help -- is that she's not helpful. She doesn't know anything about a credit, and I'd have to talk with the manager about that.

After a long day, we head back on out to the motel, where none of our door cards work.

I once again make the trek to the front. Methusula himself is at the desk. I hate to say it that way, but he's ancient. Bless his heart, he re-keys my cards and looks on the computer -- and notices that we've been charged 45 percent tax on our rooms. He promises to look into things and have us our credit in the morning.

By the time we get to bed, it's 12:30am.

Bad enough yet? Just wait.

I finally get off to sleep, despite my husband's congested snoring and the hard bed.

Just after 2:30, a car alarm went off right below our window. For a few moments I layed there, just hoping someone would hear it and turn it off. Then I heard the yelling.

I jumped up and peeked out the window. A very irate woman was screaming in the parking lot, brandishing a beer bottle, and standing right next to my car.

Needless to say, I was awake.

She started beating on the car next to mine -- apparently she's what set it off. Then she walked off.

I sat on the edge of the bed and tried to calm my nerves. After a few moments, I felt it was probably going to be all right. The car alarm even went quiet.

Then I heard the shouting again, and before the car alarm went off I heard the sound of breaking glass.

This woman had busted out the window in the car next to mine. She was still hollering. I called the front desk and spoke to Methusula -- who told me what he knew. He said she found her husband's car parked at the motel, went up front and demanded to know what room he was in, and left. And that he called the police.

A police officer came out and took her into custody. By this point, it was nearly 3am and I was wide awake.

By 7am I had given up any hopes of sleep and started to get my stuff together. That's when I notice the corner of the sheet had pulled away -- And it was quite clear something had gnawed off the padding at that end of the mattress.

Well, there was one saving grace. The little girl who'd been at the desk Saturday morning was in there with Methusula... I didn't have the heart or strength to gripe about things. She already had my credit receipt filled out, and all I had to do was sign. Methusula kept going on about that crazy woman... apparently the husband had come up front and offered money as thanks for not ratting him out.

From what I can tell about this hotel, it's crap. A few of the workers are good people who deserve to work at a better place than this, but the quality and condition of this hotel aren't worth $44 a night -- much less the $69 a night they attempted to charge me!