We needed a cheap motel in Minneapolis in the middle of July, and the Econo Lodge seemed like a great deal. Got a room for considerably less than the average price shown here on tripadvisor.com, and over the phone and upon check-in, the staff was very professional and courteous. We started to worry a little when we drove over to the room, and noticed that the colors of the exterior were tan, red and purple. Still, one doesn't expect Chanel when one is staying at a budget motel.

We were given an second-floor room, which ended up being kind of a pain because we had a lot of bags to move and there seemed to be no elevator. Perhaps there was one in the lobby, but that was at the other end of the building from our room. When we got to the room we found that it was dark and sweltering hot (it was in the 90s and humid), but as we were just dropping off our bags before heading out for the evening, I cranked up the air conditioning and left in hopes that it would cool down in our absence.

We returned at 11 PM and found that the room was still hot. At that point I hoped that perhaps now that the sun had set it would cool down a little. Nature did not cooperate. I found myself sitting right next to the A/C unit to get any relief, but this was frustrating as the unit would blow out slightly cool air for about three minutes, then just hot outside air for another eight before the cooling kicked back in. I considered calling to the front desk to ask for another room, but as it was late at night and we'd been checked in for several hours, I just presumed that they would not let us do that. I admit that this was my choice, and the reader should bear in mind that the management was not given an opportunity to address this issue. Still, there were other problems with the room that made me suspect that this wasn't a fluke.

The toilet seat in the bathroom was cracked. This resulted in my getting several very painful pinches and a couple of small cuts to my posterior before figuring out a workaround. There were cigarette ashes in the corner of the bathroom (it was, as I had requested, a smoking room), pieces of what I think had been food at some point in other corners of the room, and while it was clear that the sheets had been cleaned, they had some dingy stains that were set into them. One of the faucets in the shower was broken, so a stream of water ran the entire time we were there. Overall, the room wasn't filthy, but I got the idea that things were just kind of swept into the corners and forgotten there.

I didn't get very much sleep that night, as I slept sitting up in a chair next to the air conditioner for most of the night, even though that wasn't much help. At around 4 AM I laid down in the bed and slept for another four hours, but upon waking up, I was ready to get out of there as fast as possible.

Again, I want to stress that I didn't do my part in notifying the management that the room was unsuitable because I felt that if I were to do that, I should have done it right after checking in. This motel has taught me my lesson though, and from now on, I'm giving every motel room I stay in the thorough once-over as soon as I get there, as it seems that many tripadvisor.com users do. I got the impression from dealing with them earlier that they would have been responsive and at least tried to deal with my concerns, had I presented them in a timely manner.

So if you are in need of an ultra-cheap room in Minneapolis, close to the University, the Econo Lodge might suit your needs. To be honest, if we had been visiting during a time when cooler temperatures outside allowed a more tolerable inside climate, we would have had a much nicer stay. Yet I advise that you thoroughly check the room out first before accepting it, and don't expect too much even then.