Red Lion Hotel Boise Downtowner

“Please Read for Cautions: Okay Property with Some Concerns”

The staff at this hotel are really nice! Additionally, the location is decent. If you are a traveler who values walkability, there are better options in the downtown Boise area. For our stay, we found there were not very many restaurant options within easy walking distance. However, the parking i... lisää

The staff at this hotel are really nice! Additionally, the location is decent. If you are a traveler who values walkability, there are better options in the downtown Boise area. For our stay, we found there were not very many restaurant options within easy walking distance. However, the parking is free and abundant - so hopping in your car to go get food is not a bad option. For families in particular, it is of note: there is a shelter next door for those experiencing homelessness. Due to this, and what may be a contract for providing assistance, there are people in difficult life circumstances around the property. No one was rude to us and no one asked us for money, but there were fights outside in the night and some of the people who came in for food made us very uncomfortable. Because of this, we left nothing in our car and felt moderately concerned there may be a break-in (of our car). It is possible based on research I've done that during the week this hotel offers stays or possibly breakfast to low income people or those experiencing homelessness, but I have not verified this with the property. (By Friday when we were leaving, all of these people seem to have left the hotel, which makes me think this contract for assistance is strictly during the week.) Whatever the case, if you do not feel safe in this environment, you will not enjoy your stay here. Also of note: the police station is directly across the street from the hotel, so if you have an issue, they should be available quickly. The cleanliness and maintenance at the hotel is our next big concern. Our linens were clean, the bathtub and the toilet were clean. But, there was a big shoe print on the floor of the bathroom. The only chair in the room had arms encased in dust and the seat cushion was so stained, we did not feel comfortable using it. Throughout the hotel, there are holes in the ceiling, scuffs across the wall, peeling wall paper, and dirty areas that just need a good scrub. When a hotel is in this price range, I do not expect "updated" furnishings and never complain about things needing to be updated. In this case, when I say this needs an update, I'm saying: fix all the dilapidated areas - even with some fresh paint! Scrub the corners of areas. Get a steam cleaner. Do something more! A place does not need to be fancy, but it should be clean. The breakfast was okay. Basically availability: scrambled eggs, bacon one day, sausage the rest of the stay, hash browns, oatmeal, breads, cereals, and yogurt. We were unable to eat the eggs, but we did enjoy the bacon the one day it was available. Otherwise, the remaining food was extremely oily (including the breads). Again, I don't tend to complain about or worry too much about the food. In this case, it was enough of an issue for me to make a comment here. If, like us, you are relying on a decent breakfast since there is no kitchen in your room - this is probably not a good option for you. The bed was slightly below average but not the worst I've ever been on. Be advised: the pictures when you are examining the property online reflect another time. I can see where this is what the hotel looked like years back. This is not how it looks now. In fact, there are parts of the hotel taped off with caution tape at the moment, and you cannot access what seems to have been a restaurant at one time? (I'm not sure what it was.) You may wonder about my star rating after reading all of this, but frankly, as I said- the staff was nice, the location decent, the parking is free, and the price was quite low. We had our bikes with us and we loved how close the hotel was to a really awesome bike path. We live in Seattle, so homeless people do not have a bad effect on our view of an area either. However, it is unlikely we will stay here again.

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