I Love This Hotel. Five Stars!!!!!

My fears that I reserved a shitty hotel have been completely unfounded.  Well, OK, there is kind of a smell here I can't quite pinpoint.  It's kind of remote, too; I have to drive half an hour whenever I go into St. Louis.  But that latter point is a small price to pay for a safe and quiet area and a clean room.

First off, the area.  This is a hotel that houses travelling contractors.  I see a bunch of supply pick-ups in the parking lot.  (See some cars filled with items in the backseat, too, which means a couple of these people are unhoused.  But that's another blog post.)  But, besides from tonight, where the lot is oddly empty for a weeknight, it has been jampacked.  And yet, there have been no problems -- no weird people asking me for money, no loud noises at night.  This is part of a footprint that includes a Taco Bell, a Cracker Barrel (went there for lunch last/Tuesday night for the first time ever -- yummy!), a BBQ joint and maybe a cantina.  (The footprint is small enough that these establishments share the parking lot space.)  But once the sun goes down, barely a peep.

Second off, the room.  I have this thing where I take pictures of my hotel room from every angle.  It's been a while since I've been in one.  But I miss these types of hotel rooms where there is a huge king-sized bed and I have ample room for anything.  This place has a desk, a table, a couch (with Murphy bed), ample floor space, and even an ironing board.  The sink is not in the bathroom; it is right next to the front door, to the left when you come in.  You know, that's where I would want my sink to be -- out of the bathroom, available to me as soon as I enter my space.  In fact, if I ever get into a situation where I have to live out my life in a hotel room, this would be the perfect floor plan -- huge bed, places to work, floor space to put all my crap, and a shower/bathtub and toilet that works.  I feel safe and happy here.

Finally, the customer service.  I love the fact that the front desk is staffed 24/7.  Moreover, I think they actually care about doing their job.  I believe that they are proactive in making sure everything in the hotel is in working order and that the outside is safe for their guests.  I want to say that most of the workers appear to be from the same family.  If so, that is ample reason why this hotel is so well run: This is their main source of income, maybe even their version of the American Dream, and they want to do well with it.

I am so impressed that, if I am vacationing back here again, I may very well make it a point to stay here.  Hopefully nothing will change when it comes to the area or the hotel room or the ownership.  But I think I truly found the last best cheap motel -- in the STL, if not the world.