Hotel Budgetel Glen Ellyn (Glen Ellyn, USA)

This is a great location with easy access to many shops and restaurants.

They are fighting a losing battle here but, full credit to the staff. They are very friendly and helpful.

Depending on your view, the fact that police have a seemingly constant presence here is either re-assuring … or worrying.

Beds are hard and discourage a good night's sleep. Towels are not overly clean … and rough to the feel. Also, there's a strong smell of cigarettes throughout and there is an uneasy feeling that neighboring rooms are being used for drugs and other purposes. Music is a significant feature of the night-time hours and blasts out through corridors and rooms. Unbearable!

The light switch doesn't work. Sheets have stains and cigarette burns. Doors are ill-fitting and unsafe. Rooms have many faults … but, still, housekeeping staff hassle you to get out before the advertised time. The overall view of this place is really quite ‘dim'. It seems to be (*someone else's) constant party which degenerates into loud music, fighting in the corridors and the ultimate arrival of those police guys re: drugs and prostitution.

Fire alarms go off in the early hours. Members of cleaning staff knock on the door endlessly, clamouring to get in. Why are ‘Do Not Disturb' signs not supplied? When you initially enter a room, you expect everything to be ‘new'. Here, in the bathroom, soap is old and contains someone else's hair.