Motel 6

Name is Super 7 now. I had a fraudulent charge on my CC after staying here. Never again.

Used to be a Motel 6. I kinda wish it still was. Shower stall, no tub (I hate that). Most annoying, the TV reception is so poor it’s unwatchable. (How does that happen with cable? It looks fine on the lobby TV…) Generally run down, although not more so than I’m used to and not any less than I’d expect for the price ($ 40+tax.) Positives: fridge, microwave, table, 2 chairs, good wifi. Wish I’d shown up early enough to stay at the Big 10, it’s the same price and looks nicer.

Can’t beat the price. Friendly staff. Clean rooms.

Back in my University days, this is the Motel 6 that my frugal parents would stay when visiting me. It was clean, inexpensive, close to I-​80, and there was a Perkin’s next door. And it wasn’t far from the time when the 6 in Motel meant how much a night’s stay cost.
This place is still OK, but if I want safe, basic, and relatively cheap there are other choices within Greater Iowa City. I personally like the Iowa House near Campus, which also take me away from the Coralville Strip and into some Townie civilization.

Ants. Ants. Ants… its late December and I woke up to an ant mound consuming my dogs food… gross! I don’t care how cheap a room is, this is disgusting and unacceptable.
They were nice about giving a certificate for a free night (I’ll use it at a newer one elsewhere)
The 1^st offer was for «a couple of bucks back». yeah right… there is no way this is an isolated incident.
The comforter had what appeared to be blood stains on it was well.
video here

Road trips lower your standards for just about everything.
Disgusting rest stop restroom, doesn’t matter.
Soiled motel sheets, at least they’re dry.
Diet? Doesn’t exist.
Fast food? Par for the course.
Given my current lack of standards, the first thing I want is to roll my hog into a motel parking spot. It’s that or passing out in a barn on a mound of hay with a bottle of whiskey hanging out the side of my mouth. Hey, this is Iowa! I actually try to satisfy the latter but nothing turns up. So, Motel 6 it is.
Just as hoped, there’s a parking spot directly in front of the door to our room. Good! Forget luxury, I embrace and salute this cross-​country spirit! Who needs 400 thread count?! I make my triumphant entrance into our glorious room and I have an out of body experience drowning in a scent akin to air conditioning filtered through asshole. It’s okay! This is perfect! Giles loves it. He tastes the toilet water. Delicious! Ferry loves it. «Just like the scene in No Country For Old Men! …minus the shotgun… maybe.»
Cheap TV — check.
Dirty carpet — check.
Beer bottle opener attached to sink — check.
Holy bible — check.
Needless to say, everything checks out. It isn’t until I lift the sheet when I realize I just can’t. No! I won’t sleep on these covers. I won’t nuzzle into putrid polyester! I won’t.
Even still, I don’t leave. I run to the car, grab my comforter and settle back into bed.
As I survey the parking lot from my perch along the door frame, I smile with the slow realization that there are no cars older than 2000 to be seen. So it looks like each of our traveling companions may be in the same boat, nay, car as us.
Hold that thought… that’s a gunshot!

Not the dumpiest place I’ve ever stayed– I’ve stayed in hostels in developing countries– but otherwise a sub par Motel 6 experience. The room smelled moldy, a bit like a wet dog.

While driving from Boston to San Francisco, I stopped in this little town just north of Iowa City for the night, and was pleasantly surprised by how genuinely nice and helpful the people I met here were. The staff at Motel 6 sort of embodied that good-​natured attitude; they couldn’t have been more attentive or helpful. When I asked the front desk where I could go to eat, instead of just giving me a quick, canned answer, the man behind the counter asked, «Well, what do you feel like having?» I was pointed in the right direction for a cheap, filling dinner that suited my vegetarian needs… and was even told where I could grab a good breakfast the following morning.
The rooms were absolutely spotless, and a great value at $ 30 a night for two people. If you’re in the Iowa City area (right off I-​80) and in need of an inexpensive, clean, quiet motel, look no further than this place. I have nothing but positive things to say about my short but sweet stay here.