Have you ever experienced something so bad that you think back before your experience & you think that you never even would've imagined that it would've been that bad? Welcome to my night at the Days Inn in Bedford, VA. I was only there 14 hours, but it's something I won't soon forget.
To catch you up, the first week of March I signed up for a training happening in Bedford this week. There are only 3 motels in Bedford - Super 8, Bedford Motel, & Days Inn. I checked out pictures online through the websites & chose the Days Inn. Hotel booked, class booked, ready to roll. Fast forward to Saturday. On my way home from a separate work trip, I was all over Yelp & Trip Advisor checking out my motel. (Why did I wait until the last minute?? I don't know, that's just what I do.) -- I start reading reviews about "bugs" - "scary" bugs, "smelly" bugs. First bug that comes to my mind when I think of a motel is roaches. I start to get a little nervous. But as I read on, I see that these people are talking about stink bugs & they're from so far out of town they had never even heard of these things. I said to myself, "I can deal with stink bugs - that's no big deal". So I read on.
Next, I notice they're talking about the place being "outdated". Well, I've never known a Days Inn to be high quality, & I wouldn't imagine Bedford to have a state of the art motel. Outdated I can deal with. I continue reading on...by the end of it all, I decided I'll just take my own pillow/blanket & flip flops for shower shoes, just in case. NOW we're at Sunday evening. About 6:30pm I roll into the motel parking lot. Just from the outside I can see that the pictures were stock pictures - not pictures of this actual hotel. But no big deal - the outside of these motels are typically about the same anyway.
I check in & the man tells me I'm in room 36 on the other side of the building. I drive my car around & park in front of my room. It's a one level building with the doors that open to the outside. Awesome. Straight out of a scary movie, right? I take a look around & head into my room. As soon as I open the door, I'm met with a musty stuffy smell. Outdated is a compliment when I see what I've gotten myself into. The place is a dump - old wallpaper peeling off in random places. Dirty baseboards. A flyswater readily available (for the stinkbugs, I assume?). The fridge is dirty & the microwave looks like it's from the 50's. The bathroom is dingy & when you turn the light on, the fan sounds like a jet landing. The place is such a surprise that I actually start to tear up. If you know me, you know I'm not that dramatic - so tears are a big deal over a stupid motel. I call mom immediately. (Of course! Not only is she my mom, but she is an accountant at the office - someone who can help save me from this place!). I tell her how horrible it is & she knows it's not like me to cry over something so silly - so it must be pretty bad. Then I call Ross, he can't believe it can really be that bad but I assure him it is. Of course there's nothing that can change until morning, so I have until my alarm goes off at 7am to deal with this...
The sheets aren't even fitted, they're regular sheets poorly tucked under the stained boxspring. I put my blanket on top of the sheets so I can't even touch them. I watch TV, read, & play on the computer. I decide I can't actually sleep in this place so I'm going to have to stay up all night long. I start smelling cigarette smoke around 1am & peek out my window - the man standing 2 doors down is outside smoking. I look to my door to see a gaping opening where some type of seal should be. This just keeps getting better. Around 2am, I start thinking about Criminal Minds - you know the episode where the guy at the creepy back woods motel has a back entrance into the room & attacks the couple? Yea, I knew my obsession with crime books/shows would bite me in the butt one day. I start thinking that could so happen at this place. Nobody would even know if someone went missing from Bedford. The cabinets under the sink would be a great entrance into the room. Now I'm just freaking myself out - right? Ugh.
Around 3:30am, I seriously contimplate sleeping in my backseat. So seriously, in fact, that I peek outside the window to see what it's looking like out there at this time. I stand there for a second thinking about it, but decide that my tint isn't dark enough. I sit back on the bed. I read & read until my eyes start getting heavy. Then my air unit starts making howling noises every time it turns on - jolts me every time I shut my eyes. FINALLY my alarm goes off at 7am & I can get ready to get out of here! Overnight I've decided that no matter what happens - I'm not staying in that place another night. I'll pay for it myself if I have to. I get up to reluctantly get in the shower (thank God I brought flip flops!) & the water doesn't turn on. SERIOUSLY?! I go to the front desk - tell him I have a class to attend & I need to get ready. He comes back with me & jiggles something around to turn it on. Gee, thanks. I take the quickest shower ever & get ready so I can leave.
I get to my class & the subject of motels comes up - where is everyone staying? A representative from a nearby agency (won't call out names) tells the class if anyone is staying at the Days Inn or Bedford Motel - they need to move. ASAP. There was a prostitution ring busted at the Days Inn "not that long ago". YUCK. Seeing how at work I deal with the very people that I picture being involved in that drug/prostitution cycle - I'm ready to leave class to get my stuff right away. I call my mom again & update her on the situation. She says the office is going to get me out of there. By 11am, I have the go ahead to get my stuff & check out of the Days Inn. I went during lunch & I didn't even turn the car off - I had it packed up in less than 5 minutes! They got me a room in Lynchburg which is a little drive - but I'd drive 100 miles every day before I spent one more second in that room. My room now is amazing & safe & clean & I can't wait to actually SLEEP tonight.
