Howard Johnson Express Wichita

Every time I visit home I try to stay here. I have never had a problem and the people are always friendly. My stays are restful and pleasant. Been staying here a lot throughout the years.

I was headed to Hutchinson for business and due to some flight mishaps, needed a place to stay for the night.
tl;dr
This place isn’t fancy and doesn’t have the bells and whistles, but get’s the job done for a night, which is what I needed.
Full:
Steve, the manager, was abel to get me a room over the phone while I was at the airport. He told me to catch a cab and the hotel would settle when they got here. Not that the trip was too expensive, maybe $ 5 or so, it’s only a couple miles away. Steve also mentioned that if I needed to get back to the airport the next day, I could let them know a time and they would cover a cab fair back to the airport, when needed.
Now, before I go on, know that Steve isn’t your fast talking, hurry, rushed hotel manager. He’s very precise and deliberate in his actions. Just be patient and let him do his job and you’ll get exactly what you need. If you are in a rush or stressful situation, that can be hard, but he’ll do what you need, trust him :).
The hotel is situated right next to the highway, and has a couple restaurants within walking distance, Texas Roadhouse and a Chinese restaurant. They offer free WiFi (password at checkin) and also have a continental breakfast. I didn’t eat from it but looks to have both dry cereal, milk, juice, tea, coffee, some breads, and oatmeal.
The room was your typical 2 double bed room (they didn’t have any 1 bed rooms left). Apart from the typical things it had a sitting chair, flat-​screen TV, mini-​fridge, and microwave.
It’s safe to say the furniture hadn’t been upgraded in a while, but again, it got the job done. My only complaint was that the TV was in a hutch and I couldn’t see it from the desk (I work off the computer so was on it for a good amount of my stay). The shower didn’t have a lot of water pressure and you could see that some of the humidity was taking it’s toll on the metal fixtures (plumbing and towel racks). Didn’t really affect my stay though, just more of a observation.
When it comes down to it, the staff, and location were exactly what I needed for the night and Steve took care of me and got me in and out the door for ~$ 77. The other hotels were looking at double that cost, and I’d surely be paying for amenities I wouldn’t use in my short stay.
Some of the other things I noticed at this hotel:
Laundry Room (didn’t look at cost)
Vending and Ice
Has iron and ironing board on the wall

All in all this location isn’t awful, rooms were clean but a bit on the old side. Beds were comfortable and clean, bathroom was nice overall.
Of the Howard Johnson’s I’ve stayed in this one is prob one of the better ones hands down.

Run as far away as you can from this place. You are putting your health at risk by staying here.
Every inch of this joint is dirty and I don’t mean dirty it’s filthy your bare feet stick to their carpet in the rooms and the smoke in the air is worse than any bar I’ve been before.
I feel sorry for the staff they are nice people but you have better choice elsewhere for sure.
This place should be closed down it is bad :(

Came here for 3 days. Very friendly and worth the price. Next to the airport. Clean and okay breakfast. Not a bad stay if you are here for a few days.

We just moved back to Wichita but for the nearly five years we lived out of state we’d almost always stay at the Howard Johnson while we were in town visiting family. It’s not my favorite hotel but it is the best place to stay in Wichita for several reasons.
First, the Howard Johnson is the least expensive hotel in town that’s not scary. We’ve stayed for as little as $ 40 a night and have always felt it was well worth the money. Similar hotels in the area charge upwards of $ 100 a night.
Second, the rooms provide everything we need. Each has a small refrigerator and a microwave, which can’t be said about some of the nicest hotels in town. The windows open, again something that’s hard to find, so you don’t have to breathe in the stale air the last person left behind. The bathrooms are completely respectable and the beds are reasonably comfortable.
Third, their overnight desk guy is a really nice person who will bend over backwards to make you happy. Every single time we’ve stayed there he has been there and he always remembers us. His name is Stephen Colbert, and no, I’m not making that up. I’ve seen him deal with some very difficult people and show them the same courtesy and patience he gives to everyone else. Also, if you get stuck waiting behind those difficult people he will almost always make it worth your time with either a room upgrade or some money off your bill without you even asking.
My one complaint about the Howard Johnson is its carpet. The carpet in the rooms is gross. It doesn’t look bad but it will turn your socks black and sticky the first time you walk across the room. We learned long ago to always wear shoes, which is probably a good idea at any hotel but a necessity at the Howard Johnson. In my opinion, wearing shoes is better than paying an extra $ 60 a night to stay across the street.