We would have immediately checked out after seeing the room and bathroom - if it was not so late, the baby wasn't crying and everyone wasn't so exhausted. We cut short a vacation in Maine and headed back to Virginia due to a family illness. We stopped in Sturbridge because it was getting late and we needed to get our 6 year old, 8 year old and 3 month old fed and into bed. We arrived at the office to check-in and rang the buzzer for service. The front door knob coming off should have been a clue to look elsewhere. The owner arrived wearing only a pair of shorts. He was pleasant and greeted my sons. He said that he still had a room available. We told him that we found the motel on TripAdvisor and that they had good reviews. He said that he was surprised to hear that and even gave us an additional discount.
After checking in- we unloaded our luggage in the room. The filthy trash cans outside of the room should have been another clue that things were not up to par. Inside the room the smell of mold was very strong. Damaged ceiling tiles told the tale of a leaking roof. In the bathroom I found a used dirty towel hanging on back of the bathroom door. The shower was covered with mold. The filthy toilet, dirty walls, dirty floor, dirty sink, charred outlet, damaged blinds, missing slats for the blinds, opened window, missing floor tiles told another tale of no maintenance and lack of proper housekeeping.
At this point I was still determined to get the kids fed and called a local restaurant to order food. I planned to pick up the food and bring it back, but my wife did not feel safe after seeing another gentleman sitting out in front of the room next door. The gentleman was talking on the phone. His crude language and being half dressed did leave a good impression.
The food arrived after 9pm and we got the kids fed and into bed. We had to skip the showers becuase of the filthy conditions in the bathroom. I used disinfectant wipes that we carried with us to wipe down the toilet and sink areas (My wife originally thought I was silly to bring the disinfectant wipes- but I told her we may need them at some point) and used one of the bedspreads to cover the window in the bathroom for privacy.
The kids fell asleep quickly because they were exhausted and although I took a couple of Benadryl tablets, I did not sleep well on the old worn out mattress. We got up early and vowed to not make the same mistake again.
We made sure to stop early enough and check out the room at the next motel before checking-in. The Mill Stream Inn at Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania was the following night was an example of how a motel should be maintained and operated.
The Sturbridge, Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce should have a division to check out hotels and motels to make sure the hospitality industry does not give the town a bad name. Our one night stay in Sturbridge will always be remembered for the filthiest motel we ever stayed in.
I have tried to post some of the photos taken at the Heritage Motel, but could not get them to load while writing this review. I have tried to load the photos from a different page on TripAdvisor. Hopefully, they will post the photos. The Heritage Motel is in dire need of renovations. I have to ask if the good reviews were honest reviews. If the photos are loaded- you can see for yourself the truth of the matter.