I almost always check reviews on Trip Advisor before booking a hotel. In this case, I almost decided not to stay at the Red Lion in Yakima, but I'm glad I did.

This hotel is a fine hotel and a good value for the price I paid on Hotwire.com.

The staff was very professional and helpful. The room was clean and exactly what I expected from a Red Lion. The location is convenient to downtown Yakima and close to the freeway for wine tasting trips.

Internet was free and reliable...not always the case.

My only complaint is that the sound proofing wasn't great. We heard footsteps in the room upstairs all night long. We also had a slightly weird interaction with a guy asking for money in the back parking lot. The hotel is on a very busy street and the neighborhood didn't seem the least bit dangerous, but I would probably recommend staying out of the secluded back parking lot just to be safe.

All in all, I think this is a fine hotel and a good value if you can find a good deal.

My daughters soccer team participated in a tournament in Yakima, WA May 16-18, 2008 and we were placed at the Red Lion Yakima Center Hotel. Initially, when we arrived the front desk staff was friendly and we were able to do a Pre-checkin because our room had not been cleaned yet. We went for lunch, and when we came back there had been a staff change, this is when everything went downhill. First we were told that the room that we had already checked into was not available and we would have to take a room at the other end of the hotel but it would only have one King bed in it, we had 4 people. After finally getting the desk staff to understand that room would not work for us, we were told we could be put into a room that wasn't clean yet, so we would have to continue to wait. Surprisingly enough it was the same room that we had already be pre-checked into........ Our team had a block of 9 rooms with 2 queen beds in each, and we had confirmation numbers for all 9 rooms. As other families began to arrive, they were also being placed in rooms with 1 King bed or were told they had no reservation at all. After almost an hour of standing at the front desk, being ignored by the clerks, we were finally able to get someone to straighten out the rooms, so that everyone at least had adequate sleeping arrangements, however the rooms were spread all throughout the hotel. Our reservations were made three months in advance, and our team rooms were supposed to be in the same section of the hotel, a specific request that was made at the time of booking. We finally were able to get into our room, and the air conditioning was not working, and the refrigerator that we paid a $15 fee to have was also not working. We had two phones in the room, one did not work at all. The temperatures in Yakima that weekend were close to if not over 100 degrees, so the air conditioning was a big deal. Called the front desk and asked if someone could check it out, so they sent someone while we were gone. We had a note on the bed when we came back and said that it was working fine.......it never got below 85 degress in the room the entire weekend. We had to sleep with the sliding door wide open, just to get a slight breeze. The refrigerator kept things cool but not cold. Housekeeping left us 3 towels, (we had 4 people) and then argued with us when they had to bring us more towels, and complained and told us that our kids didn't need to shower after using the pool......not the housekeepers call to make! When we were getting ready to leave I realized that I was missing a coin purse with a large sum of cash and two credit cards in it. Searched all through our bags, under the beds, did a drawer check and still couldn't find it. Notified hotel front desk with very little response. When we got home, I did a complete bag check, emptied everything still didn't find it. I called the hotel and was told by the front desk that there was no management on site and would have to leave a message. I was put into the housekeeping managers (Maria) voicemail, so I left her a message asking for a return phone call....that was Sunday the 18th of May....still haven't heard back from her. I called the hotel again after leaving the voicemail because I wanted to leave a message for the hotel manager, and Christina answered the phone...I asked her what her posistion was and she informed me that she was the Manager on Duty......I had been told 10 minutes earlier that there was no one from management on duty because it was Sunday. Christina put me into Ian's voicemail who is supposedly the General Manager, so I left him a voicemail as well......guess what, today is Friday May 23, 2008 and I haven't heard from Ian as well.
The only good thing about our stay was that the room was fairly clean and the swimming pools were open despite the signs all over saying the pools were "closed for the season".

We stayed here because it was pet friendly- apparently the pet friendly rooms are relegated to the back corner motel-style rooms. That said, the room was fine- nothing special. We payed $99 for the room which seemed a little steep, but maybe that's what Yakima costs. The front desk was friendly. Basically what you'd expect from a mid-level chain.

I was in town over the weekend of Oct 5-7th. I wasn't very pleased with the hotel room I was given. As a female travelling alone, I requested from the front desk agent that I'd prefer to stay in the main portion of the hotel instead of one of their outside rooms. I had arrived just after 7pm and evidently it was too late for special requests even when it comes to security and safety of a woman all by herself. I was given the option of two different rooms - both of which were part of the external off-shoots to the main building. I chose room 341 which was closer to the lobby, but still outside, up some sketchy stairs and down an external hallway.

My window view was to some HVAC equipment and the bathroom window was a concern. Check out the picture and see how the small wooden dowell is not long enough to keep the window from being opened. Oh, and if that dowell was laying in the tray, the window would slide right over it and open fully. No lock. And the window was open to the gas station next door. If it wasn't on the second floor I would not have stayed in that room.

Now that my major complaints are out of the way - there was some really good stuff to report about the hotel. All of the staff members were wonderful! I was attending a medical conference at the memorial hospital 3 miles away and each morning someone would shuttle me there in the hotel van and pick me up in the afternoon with a phone call. I never had to use a taxi the entire time but always tipped my drivers for going out of their way. Housekeeping also did a fine job and accomodated my requests for more coffee creamer and sugars and more bathroom supplies. I always left a tip for them and a "thank you" note each day.

All in all it was a 50/50 experience. I would have felt more safe if a different room. But the curteous service was very much a highlight. I would consider staying there in the future because of the convenience.