Towpath Motel

We were promised a 2 star hotel similar to Holiday Inn or Ramada by Priceline but were given this motel which is far from a clean 2-​star hotel. First, you have to check in at a window where you slide your money under — right at the parking lot, you don’t even go into a lobby. The person taking the money was wearing pajamas and no shoes. The paint on the exterior is peeling, the building is filthy, there are shady characters hanging out in the parking lot, and it’s certainly not family friendly. They have weekly rates for homeless people. We would urge you to find ANYPLACE else besides this hotel for a safe, clean stay.

When I’m traveling, particularly sans kid, I’m just looking for a clean place to sleep and take a shower. Towpath has it. I’m Old School, They’re Old School. The guy at the desk was friendly and helpful (he tried to give me an orange when I said I couldn’t eat the stuff at the ‘continental breakfast,’) which consisted of cereal, coffee and some sticky buns, but what do you want for $ 65 total a night? I plan on staying their again, especially if I’m around for a few days, as they have a fridge and microwave in each room. Being able to fix breakfast or re-​heat some leftovers just adds to the appeal of this place. Nothing fancy, about it, but I like it. Oh, yeah. The free Wi-​Fi worked great. I guess I’m not as Old School as I think I am.

This was supposed to be a no-​frill stop on our way from Michigan to the East coast. And no-​frill it was. This is a pretty old motel, and it showed in the room, especially the bath room, but everything was clean.
We arrived at around midnight, later than planned, but I had specified «Will arrive in evening» at the online booking. When I got there to check in though the old guy behind the counter complained about waiting and waiting for us and told us next time we would be this late we should call.
I guess I don’t think of hotels/​motels without ²⁴⁄₇ front desk service, but they do still exist.
The room amenities were abundant: microwave, fridge, hair dryer, free wifi, coffeemaker, etc. I found out in the morning though that they forgot to refill the coffee, so it was useless to me.
If you’re looking for just a place to stay en route to somewhere else, this is pretty OK for a good price. I wouldn’t want to use this motel for a multiple night stay though.

When we showed up in Rochester without a place to stay,
And all the name-​brand places tried to make us pay,
We told them they could sitck their high-​priced lodging up their ath,
And had a happy, inexpensive night at the Towpath.
Family-​owned, friendly, clean, decent place at the right price. I fondly remember going out on the balcony in the morning to watch it snow, coming back to shower before dinner and watching it snow, and sitting out on the balcony with a beer in the evening, watching it snow.