We stayed here 1 night with our small dog. Booked the room earlier that morning on the telephone directly with the hotel. AAA rate plus $10 for our dog (this hotel charges tax on the pet fee). Arrived around 10:15 p.m. Lobby was okay, inviting. Girls waiting in the lobby to hang out and chat with the girl on duty. Strange local man hanging out at front desk talking to those checking in and roaming the halls (we saw him several times). The front desk attendant was pretty nice.
Went to our room and as soon as we walked in were taken aback by the smell of puke! Very strong. My husband thought maybe it was pet smell from someone else, but after he brought our bags inside, he agreed, definitely puke. Back to the front desk to let her know and she switched us to the room next door which she said was the last pet friendly room they had available. She wasn't apologetic, just went through the motions of a new room assignment.
Checked out the room and got all of our stuff moved inside. This room had a liquid air freshener plug in. It was so strong it was hard to breathe anything else. There was an underlying smell, but with the air freshener made it tolerable. In this room there were stains in the carpet, the TV was ajar from its base, There was no "on" button on the tv, it had fallen out. or something. The furniture in both rooms was very scuffed up, and the walls had scuffs and marks. Our room color was very deep purple-blue. The only plus was the bed. A variety of pillows and soft.
After a long day of driving we did go down to the "tiki bar" [ha, ha, ha should be a crime to put that name on it] to get two drinks. Luckily you can take them back to your room. The very un-tiki tiki bar was a locals watering hole. The kind where all the local boys are getting lit and when travelers walk in you get eyeballed. My drink had dirt in the ice but I just tipped the bartender and left.
Oh, and let us not forget, this exit is dark and remote. You have to drive 4 miles to the hotels and restaurants. From the map it looked like a bigger exit. The pizza delivery guy told us the State Fair competitors were staying there that night too. This hotel has some conference facilities but must be for locals or small events/weddings. Next time, we'd choose a different exit and just keep on driving.
- Howard Johnson Grand Island
- Grand Island Howard Johnson
