Garden Inn

Engine trouble on I-​70 stranded us in New Castle from Saturday to Monday when the local Chrysler Dealership opened up. There are three hotels on Indiana #003, by the Walmart, all very close to each other. The Garden Inn looked the newest and cleanest. It was mostly clean, comfortable bed, 7 channels of HBO on a 32″ TV. The A/​C worked fine, the bathroom is clean with clean towels. There’s even a hair dryer, which made my wife happy. If I’m ever back, I’d stay here again.

I stayed four nights in May at the Garden Inn. After the first night I made a reservation at another hotel for the following week. The Garden Inn was one of the worst hotels I’ve stayed at in the Midwest.
First the Good: The tv worked well and was a flat screen. The bedding seemed clean and the toilet flushed.
The Bad: hot water is not available during all hours. My work dictates early starts and a hot shower would have been nice. No such luck. I don’t know about peak hours but luke warm showers and shaves are a big negative. I was afraid to try the breakfast due to the overall cleanliness issues in the hotel. The pool was «closed for maintenance» and from the yellowed tape holding the sign had been for sometime. This may be a blessing. The website says «free USA Today» newspaper. When I enquired about the paper I was told that the nearest papers were at CVS. The air conditioning doesn’t cool the room. The room is dark due to very small CFL bulbs, making reading difficult. I could go on but you are getting the picture.
The Ugly: the room was filthy. Corners are filled with a collection of miscellaneous dust and dirt that has evaded numerous «cleanings.» the windows are opaque with collected grime over a very long time. And finally, the room smelled as if there had been a fire extinguished with urine.
I believe this had once been a Holiday Inn Express. I understand why it lost the franchise. Pickings are slim in New Castle but I would sleep in my car or under a bridge before the Garden Inn.
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If you have to be in New Castle and you have to stay in a hotel, it’s slim pickings. We chose this hotel because it was a recent construction and has a pool. I was shocked to see mildew on tables and chairs at the pool, which was like a cold air steam room, meaning your hair will look disgusting if you sit there while watching your child. The room was clean enough, but the mirror started to fall apart when the high school kids in the room next door started thumping the walls. The hotels are basically here for visiting sports teams, and trying to sleep in quiet or trying to get anything at the continental breakfast is a pipe dream. Internet is NOT wi-​fi, so bring an ethernet cable or hop over to Café Royal down the road with your laptop. There is an off odor, perhaps coming from the smoking rooms upstairs. I have stayed at the other two motels on the same strip, and this one is a tiny bit better as the Steve Alford Inn lacks a pool and the Raintree Inn room we had before smelled of mildew so badly that we had to send everything to the cleaners, including the luggage. If I had to stay for more than a night or two I woudl look for something more corporate in Muncie or Indianapolis. For New Castle it is okay, and that is as good as it gets in this town.