Red Roof Inn & Conference Center Lubbock  

Reserving a room at the Red Roof Inn Lubbock for was totally wrong, notwithstanding the lowest price in town. Checked-in late on Monday night and learned there was little left in one-bed options. First room the wife and I looked at was on the 3rd floor. The elevator for that section was out-of-order, requiring the stairs. A late-night hike with ample baggage didn't appeal, even though the desk clerk offered to help. Half the rooms looked right into the hotel lobby, along with the AC units. My wife noticed some unusual markings on the commode, which turned her off. Option One rejected, the persuasive desk clerk asked us not to leave for another hotel, but to look at a two-bed option on the 1st floor. One bed was passably comfortable, but the 2nd was comfortable as a set of box springs. The windows/AC here again faced the indoors: the front desk, lounge, and pool, an ethical and architectural no-no. High props to the desk clerk, a certain Ms. Chris, for her unflappability. She gave us the key to her last option. Hopefully, we headed up to the 3rd floor of the hotel wing where the elevator did work, and tried the door, which didn't open. Back down the elevator that did work. Chris said the maintenance guy had obviously keyed the wrong door, and told us to use the door labelled "Private" rather than the door with the room number on it. This would work, revealing a two-room honeymoon suite, complete with a hot tub. My wife described the effect as "seedy-looking," but the bedroom contained a presentable bed and bathroom. For $39, we took the bedroom that night and ignored the rest of the suite. I dropped a vitamin pill on the carpet and got out my flashlight to look for it. Didn't find the pill, but found evidence of many prior connubial parties. Bedside lamp was broke; WiFi didn't work, so no late-nightreading. It was all about the bed: the last night of a 3000-mile-long car tour. I missed breakfast the next morning, over at 9 am, and check-out was at noon. Glad to see Lubbock in the rear-view mirror! My wife and I agreed that this was probably the worst hotel we had ever been to. Best things: the price; Ms. Chris. Worst things: my foot stuck to the carpet by the bed; trash in the curb outside the back door; unchaperoned, young kids sitting by the back door at 11 pm; 200 AC units warming up the lobby with their exhaust; the broken elevator; and however nice they were, it insulted me that the desk clerks were all white women with blonde hair. Call me a bigot!