I stayed at the Budgetel Inn Motel in Atlanta’s downtown district for five nights. I booked my room through Booking.com for $351, including taxes.
Tip: The best tip I can give you is to avoid this motel!
Finding the Hotel
The hotel is just off the freeway in the downtown area of Atlanta. It has free parking so if you are looking for a place to stay overnight it will be OK, but it is definitely not for longer stays.
Entering the Hotel
It was relatively easy to find the hotel – you enter through a big gate and park your car. The reception will be on your right at the ground floor of the building.
First Impressions
There were many homeless people, drug addicts, dealers and prostitutes hanging outside the hotel day and night, so it was slightly off putting at first but then after a while I got used to it.
After all I booked five nights here so I had no choice really. This motel also offers long stay accommodation so there are people staying here that have been kicked out from home or whose house was repossessed. Watch the video below to see it for yourself.
Hotel Facilities
The Budgetel Inn has a laundrette on site as well as free parking which comes in handy in downtown Atlanta.
The Lobby Area
The lobby area was very simple, with a small table and two armchairs. The armchairs were dirty with tea and various other marks on them – I wonder why they don’t get new ones?
Checking In
I got to the hotel around 7pm. The check in process went well and she gave me the room I booked: a king size bed with a flat screen TV.
Unfortunately I wanted to leave as soon as I got up to the room: it was probably the filthiest hotel I’ve ever stayed in! There were smudge marks everywhere from floor to ceiling and the air-conditioner was also in a sorry state. Anyway, I was so tired that I decided to stay in that room for the first night and just crashed out after dinner.
The Lift and Public Areas
There was a lift but I never used it as I was only on the first floor. The public areas were dirty with trash everywhere. It looked like they probably clean the corridors, stairs and lifts maybe once a year – if that! The laundrette also looked dirty and I would only use it if absolutely necessary.
Inside the Room
I was staying on the first floor in room 201 after three room moves. The first room was 211 but it was so filthy so I asked to move. She moved me to 435 but it was even worse so finally I ended up in 201 for the rest of the stay.
There were two double beds in the room and a flat screen TV but hardly any plugs. The room itself would have been nice had they cleaned it properly. I think the floor has recently been renovated but that was probably the last time they mopped it.
The room also had a big walk in cupboard, a kitchenette with a fridge, a cupboard some leftover trash and the en-suite bathroom. What made the room feel premium was that on colder nights I was able to take advantage of the heater which also functioned as an air conditioner during the two warmer days.
The Bed
The bed was comfortable although the sheets were disgusting with yellow marks on them so I requested a set of clean sheets.
The Rest of the Bedroom
There was a kitchenette in the corner of the bedroom, just past the TV and the walk-in cupboard. The kitchenette looked functional although I decided not to use it for anything.
Wifi in the Room
There was free wifi in the room, fast enough to check my mail and use youtube.
The Bathroom
In the bathroom there was a rusty sink, a toilet that regularly got blocked up and a shower that was probably the filthiest I have ever seen in any hotel. The floor was so dirty that I did not want to step on it until I wiped it up. The picture speaks a million words!
Overall Impressions
It was probably the dirtiest room I have ever stayed in! It made for a fun experience and I will probably remember this for the rest of my life as a good memory, staying in a dirty motel, surrounded by hookers, drug addicts and homeless, just like in CSI Miami!