My first clue should have been the dirty frame on the front door to the office. I had booked a King room. Upon checking in the room had a queen bed which they swore was a King. I have a king bed at home and it is much bigger than the one in the room. I then asked to be moved to a double which supposedly had 2 queen beds. Again, they were not as stated but rather 2 full size beds.

There were broken floor tiles in the bathroom, mold on the caulk around the tub, crumbs on the floor next to the bed and a wall which they had attempted to repaint. The problem was they only rolled half way down the wall leaving a very visible mark across the wall.

Both the first and the second room had mold in the bathroom. I would think hey would be cognizant of the health hazards of having mold in the rooms.

Well I had some Marriott gift certificates for a free hotel stay so I called all of the Marriott properties within driving distance. This hotel had the cheapest deal ($39 per night for January only). So I headed to Charlotte.

The hotel is located just off I-85, so it is very convenient for travellers to find. The location near the interstate is great. There was ample free parking. I arrived late at the hotel and the hotel was nice enough to hold my room even though the time had passed for the courtesy hold to expire. The hotel has three stories and has an elevator and a luggage cart to use in taking luggage to the room.

The room itself was a standard quality Fairfield Inn room---it was of moderate size and had a private bathroom, a desk, a phone, and a TV. The
bed was comfortable. A breakfast was also included in the room rate.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel--nothing spectacular, but it gets the job done at a very reasonable price.

Despite the address for the motel being "I 85 N", it's actually situated off the southbound lane! Having driven past it twice as I was looking for signs on the northbound lane, I eventually called in. The Receptionist was very nice and apologetic (or just humouring me?).

Nevertheless, the motel is typical of the chain - clean, friendly, reasonably comfotable, value for money and fairly anonymous.

Although seeming to be out of the way, I was in Downtown Charlotte in less than 20 minutes. Other than fast food outlets, there is a dearth of decent eateries in the immediate vicinity.