We stayed at the Knights Inn in South Portland in early October 2011, and it was a surprisingly good stay for the price that we paid. From first appearances, it looks a bit sketchy; however, our impressions quickly improved when we saw the room.
Upon arrival, we were checked-in relatively quickly at the Inn's main office; the Inn is such that the rooms are accessed directly from the parking lot in motel style. There are two buildings, one painted blue, the other yellow. Our room was in the yellow building, and when we entered our room, we were very pleasantly surprised. For a motel it was quite spacious, the furnishings all appeared to be brand new (except for an older-style CRT television), and the walls seemed to be freshly painted. The only thing unpleasant about the room that we could tell was a slight smell, probably an indication that the room was once a smoking room (it was now a non-smoking room). Otherwise, everything in the room was great. The television and cable worked well, there was a wireless connection available, and there were numerous lamps around the room.
We hardly heard a peep from any of our neighbors (though we noticed that there were no vacancies, and the parking lot was full). The cars on the highway could be heard when the bathroom window was open, but when closed we could not hear those cars at all. The only odd, occasional noise was that emanating from the air conditioner. This, however, did not keep us awake at all, and the room temperature remained comfortable for the entire night.
As for the staff: at check-in, a bit moody, at check-out, quite pleasant! In addition, there is a Dunkin Donuts immediately across the street from the hotel; very convenient for breakfast.
Overall, a good stay for a very cheap price. If in Portland again, we would consider staying here again.
