Days Inn Airport Stadium

I sincerely wish their was a way to give NO STARS. It’s not a dramatization; it’s a fact. We got this hotel through Priceline (who I’m starting not to trust at all based on the past few bookings) and while it was convenient to where our event was, there was nothing redeeming about this hotel that would ever make me want to go back there — or to even recommended it to my most vicious enemy.
First off, the check in desk is hard to find. I should have known something was up when the door to the lobby was locked at 10 p.m. and the guard had a bullet shield around the window we talked through. He informed me that there was a «free hot breakfast» in the morning from 6 – 9 a.m. Great. Since we were traveling with the kids, this is good to get them going in the morning.
Secondly, as we were unpacking the car, several… ladies of the evening passed by cat calling to us. Several cars were seen driving through the parking lot very slowly and a couple of the girls stood for a while negotiating their deals before getting in the cars and pulling out of the lot. Now, I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know what’s going down. Also, my fiancé went back out to the car to get something and a girl came up to him and asked if he had a room. He informed her he was with his family (not that if he wasn’t he would have been interested… LOL) and she said she thought they could have had some fun. Ohhhh-​kay.
The room was basic, at best. Fridge and micro, which came in handy, but the beds were about one foot off the ground and the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever slept on. The bathroom was miniature, but at least there was hot water. There was an unused panty liner stuck onto the bathroom wall behind the door. I thought that was some unusual artwork.
The pool looked nice, but we didn’t get to use it. The «free hot breakfast» was anything but. It was a dispenser of corn flakes, a pitcher of milk, hot water, coffee, bagels and mini muffins on a card table. I suppose the «hot» part was there was a toaster you could put your bagel in. Really pathetic.
The cockroaches or palmetto bugs — I don’t care what you call them, they’re gross — have the run of the place. My step son and I watched as a well-​knowing bug climbed the stairs and slipped right under the door to a room on the second floor as if he were paying the bill. The rooms on the first floor, while non-​smoking, were more than likely tainted due to the smokers standing in front of the rooms. Butts were all over the ground and you had to run the gauntlet of nicotine smoke to get to the stairs.
The clientele, as stated before, consisted clearly of transients, prostitutes, and drug dealers. We saw several «business deals» go down in the parking lot and around the property. Apparently, this is a fact known to all residents of Sarasota. Even the waitress at the restaurant where we had dinner 9 miles away knew of this Days Inn’s reputation. I suppose the «ask about weekly and daily rates» sign out front should have tipped us off.
Again, you get what you pay for and we got a good deal ($ 35 per night) through Priceline. However, there need to be more disclaimers on this property. While the pool is nice, the location is convenient, and we were able to have our kittens with us, this is NOT the place for families with kids, anyone on business (unless you’re the forementioned prostitute or drug dealer), or anyone looking for a quiet, relaxing, comfortable night’s sleep.
Epic fail. Epic. Fail. Lesson learned.

Craptastically ghetto. And that’s coming from someone who was raised in the ghetto and, at the time, didn’t care about anything more than a place to sleep and shower.
The neighborhood isn’t the safest. It’s noisy as all heck since it’s next to a highway with no noise-​insolation on the windows and doors. The rooms are out-​of-​date and in need of some DEEP cleaning. Not all of our lights worked properly. The carpeting in the corridors was disgusting to look at let alone walk on. And the parking lot was filthy.
The only reason I’m not giving a 1-​star rating is because someone else footed the bill for the room… and…if memory serves me correctly… they had free wi-​fi (or at least a LAN line).
But yeah. Avoid!

The night before I was in the shower with my –5.50 eyesight. I looked down in the shower and saw a big spot in the tub. I couldn’t make out what it was so I just thought it was dirty — not surprising for a motel. But then I looked down more closely, SCREAMED, turned off the shower, and jumped out of the tub. This was not a spot; it was HUGE bug. My friends outside immediately asked what was wrong, and I just said «HUGE BUG IN THE TUB!» I stared at it for about a minute before figuring out my plan of action, which was to take my flip flop and squish the life out of this damned thing. I don’t like bugs, but I’m not super scared of them, so, besides being completely grossed out, I wasn’t traumatized or anything. That’s not the funny part… the next morning I go to the Front Desk in the lobby to inform them of the situation. I wasn’t sure if I’d get anything out of it, but at least I’d tell them I had a complaint.
Me: Good morning.
Front Desk Lady: Hi, what can I do for you?
Me: I have a complaint.
FDL: Oh, sorry, what is it?
Me: Well, last night I was in the shower and there was this HUGE bug in the tub. I mean, huge. *fingers make a circle to show how huge* It looked like a big roach, but it wasn’t. It was absolutely disgusting.
FDL: Ohhhhh *smiles* That’s probably a palmetto bug. That’s the Florida state bug.
Me: *looks at her funny for a few seconds* I don’t care WHAT kind of bug it is. It has no business in my shower.
FDL: They appear all the time. They can go through the pipes, and…
Me: *cuts her off* Again, I don’t want information about the bug. I just don’t want them in my motel room.
FDL: I’ll have maintenance check it out.
Me: Well, I killed it last night. But, really, you should tell your manager that this is an issue. *walks away*
I’m not going back there. Even if it is walking distance to Legends Field, which was why I was there in the first place.
I mean, just say ‘Sorry, I’ll definitely have my manager and maintenance informed so they can take care of it.’ Don’t give me a lesson on what kind of bug it is…