Random Review Of The Week

Earlier this week we all stayed at the Good Nite Inn in Redlands, CA. Tim had a client meeting near there the following morning. He had stayed at this exact same motel the week before and said he had really liked it. So, when he was sent a letter asking for his comments on his stay, he gave it a very high rating. This in turn had them thanking him with a free nights stay voucher, good for a year. Well, since Timmy had to go back on business the following week, it was great to get the voucher in the mail the night before we left to head up to Redlands. A free nights stay for all 7 of us? Sweet! Can't beat that!
So, we head up to Redlands, which Tim tells us is a nice place. We head straight to the motel so we can unload and then head out for a nice dinner. Tim checks us in, we find parking, and start our stay at the Good Nite Inn.
Well, my first thought was, "We are stuck in a 'Ghetto Sandwich'!" Yeah, we got a room facing the pool, which we had all planned on enjoying, but not after our long walk down the corridor to our room. We passed 2 rooms. Each room had their door wide open, curtains wide open, with a man laying in the bed, for all to see, drinking. The first was guzzling a beer, laying under the covers. The man in the adjoining room to us was downing a bottle of Jack Daniel's. Hmm, I don't think this is exactly the family environment we wanted for our kids on our family road trip. As we are still letting the 2 previous rooms sink in, Tim is unlocking our room. I herd the kids in only to see what we have sandwiching us on the other end. A couple of guys enjoying their '40's' (and I don't mean age...for those of you that don't know, this stands for 40 ounce beers) bare chested and smoking, laughing, talking really loud. Hey, to each his own, but just not what I want to be sandwiched between tonight...or any other night, for that matter. Now, I must say in Good Nite's defense. The grounds are really lovely! Gorgeous trees and flower beds all around. The pool was immaculate. But, its clientele left much to be desired for my taste. I honestly felt like we were on an episode of COPS or Cheaters. Crazy. So, we head into our non-smoking room which smelled like quite an ashtray and decided to ask for another room, hoping to get out of the ghetto sandwich. The front desk obliged and we packed up the kids, and headed upstairs. We were no longer in the sandwich, but still wondering if the free night was worth it. Did I forget to mention the girls drinking in the parking lot of the 2nd side of the sandwich, while sitting on the hood of their car? Yeah, fun times.
We went up to our new room and decided to be content with what we had been dealt. It was a free room! Can't complain when we didn't pay a cent. (And I know you are wondering how Tim, Mr. Stuffy (only sometimes, Baby), could have given this place such an excellent review. Well, the night he stayed the week before, he had stayed in the room directly across from the office. That was the reason it was so nice and quiet and reputable looking then.) We prayed and thanked God for this blessing and went and enjoyed a nice meal and some shopping together as a family. We returned to the non-smoking, that very much smelled like a smoking room, and I ended up having one of the best night's rest in a long time. When you have a content heart, it is easier to enjoy the little things. Their mattress was just right for my pregnant belly and I was wondering how I could strap it to the top of my minivan to take home.
Would I recommend the Redlands Good Nite Inn? Probably not. Unless you ask for a room facing the office. However, I will say this: They are obviously a generous company for offering Tim a voucher for filling out that positive review. They were so helpful when we wanted to change our room. And, all in all, it was a GOOD NITE!
So, I give the Good Nite Inn a 'Hey, it was free, can't complain' rating.