Baymont Inn & Suites

We have been coming here for some time now. Our room has always been clean and ready when we get here. The staff are friendly and call us by name as soon as we come in.

Booked –prepaid– through Hotwire. That was my first mistake. The hotel is dirty, the room is absolutely filthy and there appear to be a lot of homeless people housed in this place. Four days into a 5-​day sentence in this dump & the ENTIRE hotel has no hot water. The wretchedly incompetent front desk clerk lied & told me that I had to let the water run for 10 minutes, because the «hotel is old & the hot water is on a ‘loop’.» THREE HOURS later, and there still is NO HOT WATER. The buffoon at the front desk claimed that hot water would be restored «within the hour,» but she has told that lie for the last TWO HOURS. How does a ‘hotel’ remain open without hot water? I guess sanitation & public health laws are non-​existent in North Carolina. How are the employees washing their hands –if at all? This is by far the single most disgusting place I have ever had the displeasure of frequenting. Save yourself the hassle & AVOID THIS DUMP!

A moderately priced pet-​friendly hotel/​motel on Labor Day weekend in Wilmington is a rare thing to find so I was stoked to run across the Baymont in my online search. Alas, the bloom was *quickly* off the rose with this one. I’ve stayed at dirty /​skeezy motels before but this one takes the cake. IT IS NOT AN INN. IT IS NOT A BED & BREAKFAST. IT’S A MOTEL.
I pulled in to what appeared to be a cleanish and well organized hotel but soon found that the façade on the side facing Outback Steakhouse was the best view we would ever get. Walking in the door you’ll find a TV facing you from the ceiling and blaring at top volume. A smallish ‘dining’ area awaits the breakfast hordes and provides free coffee for those brave enough to try its instant flavor. Turning the corner I found the ‘service’ counter where I received clipped and lackluster service. At that point I just wanted a key to a clean room with a hot shower so I could get ready for the rehearsal dinner that was soon to come. Hoooo boy.
I pulled around to my room and left the semblance of a nice motel behind. The room faced the pool which was full of boisterous folks. I had asked for a quiet room since I had a long weekend ahead and needed what sleep I could get but I understand that not all requests can be kept. I shrugged my shoulders and started unloading to the feel of eyes on me everywhere. Looking up I found 6 people lounging on the balcony smoking ‘cigarettes’ and watching me with interest. One guy was sitting in the doorway in a computer chair listening to radio at a loud (distorted) volume. Where the heck did he get that computer chair, I wonder? Bikes were chained up everywhere suggesting that a large part of the population here, well, lives here. Now, I don’t have an issue with smoking (do it myself on a rare occasions) or long-​term motel rentals but I just paid over $ 200 for 2 nights and expected a clean hotel that felt safe and didn’t have beer and liquor bottles, cigarette butts and clothing strewn on the ground and in the bushes. And I’d like to have unloaded my truck and dogs without these guys hassling me. By this time I really, really, REALLY wanted to get in my room and decompress.
Finally, I was in the room! It was above the party dudes but luckily I didn’t hear them although the person above me decided to jump and down on the floor at 2am for some reason. Hmmm. I hope that was jumping. Don’t worry folks, I was already awake since my non-​smoking room was so full of old smoke smell that my sinuses declared a war on my head. Or it could’ve been that the whole place was damp including the carpet. I stayed at party hostels in Europe that would’ve balked at walking barefoot on that carpet. Lucky for me, it’s the beach so I had some flip flops. Or it could’ve been the holes in the curtains that allowed a good amount of light in to shine on my face. Take your pick.
Before I leave a place I always strip the bed and bundle up all the linens to make it easier for housekeeping. Here there wasn’t much to strip — bedspread (that sucker went on the floor in seconds because I never keep them on the bed after watching that Dateline special 20 years ago), blanket and top sheet then a bottom sheet and micro thin pad. The linens were thin, stained and scratchy. The mattress looked terribly old, and felt like it too, but it was surprisingly clean.
Shower was hot and forceful (KILL ALL THE GERMS) and there were plenty of towels, soaps and hair products. Cheap-​o stuff but, hey, it’s there!
Small TV but it got a good number of stations. Also had a desk, a dresser (where TV was), a plush chair and nightstands. Lighting was dim… maybe to mask the faults?
WIFI? Didn’t work for me ever. Don’t come here to do business work.
One of the few perks is that it’s centrally located to almost everywhere and there’s a bar at Outback Steakhouse next door where you can get a huge Jim Beam on the rocks for $ 7 that will help you sleep your night away and make you forget about your worries of someone stealing all your camping equipment (I’m on a long road trip right now) out of your vehicle. There’s also a gas station basically in the parking lot, a Starbucks across the road and other chain places around.
Walked down to load up the truck on Sunday morning and was met by a stairway full of piss and the aforementioned refuse. Computer chair guy was there bright and early at 9am and ready to help make my experience even better by sending a cloud of smoke my way every few seconds. Yay! I’ll take a little Baymont ‘Inn’ home with me. *sarcasm*
When I walked in to get a copy of my bill I found it was a few $ more than quoted but I just wanted my experience to end. I didn’t eat so no word on that but it looked like every hotel/​motel breakfast ever.
So, that’s my story. It’s not pretty but it’s mine. I’d never, ever stay here again but you may have a different experience. I certainly don’t think I paid a fair price for the place!