If you really need to travel on the cheap, splurge just this once on one of the other hotels nearby.
Tucked away off the highway, there isn't much foot traffic passing by, but if there was they would have no trouble getting in through the side doors that are always open.
The room conditions were poor; TV remote not working, dresser drawer was off track and broken, floors dirty, and A/C non-responsive. But the cherry on top was the dried blood on the sheets and pillow cases.
I don't typically check for bed bugs, however, I felt compelled to at this place. The pillow cases were oversized and tucked in, which I found strange, so I untucked them. That's when I found some reddish-brown spots on one of them. While checking and moving each pillow, I found some more blood on the sheets at the head of the bed, as if someone had a cut on their finger and kept it under the pillow at night.
I told the front desk, and they offered to change the sheets, but at that point I had already repacked my car and booked a place just down the street. The price difference was close to $100 which is why I went the cheaper route initially. Moving forward, I will work extra hours to make up the difference and avoid another motel disaster on the next trip.
