The beginning of October was a week of firsts here at Near the Elevators. It was my first experience with a mass hurricane evacuation as Hurricane Milton gathered strength in the Gulf of Mexico. It was also my first time in a room with a bedbug infestation. I was able to check out of the Holiday Inn Express Dania Beach a day early and without penalty and decided to head for the hills… of Georgia.
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Staying Near Truist Park
Not knowing how far north the storm could track or how long I might be compelled to stay out of South Florida I got an early start and drove all the way to Atlanta before the worst of the evacuation traffic formed up. Coming to the city also has the added benefit of being far enough away from the I-75 roadside that hotels are freely available last minute. A search today on Hilton’s website showed every Hilton location as far north as Macon sold out for the rest of the week.
I was already familiar with the area around Truist Park from going to Braves games and a comfortable suburban location with acres of free parking was just what the doctor ordered for this week. Wanting to dip my toe into the Choice Rewards ecosystem for the first time and maximize their current promotion led me to book two nights at the Comfort Inn Ballpark Area for $95.65 a night including taxes. Well below most hotels in the area.
Choice Promo: Stay Two Nights Get a Free Night
Being my first time in a Comfort Inn, or any Choice Hotel, my frame of reference is somewhat limited. I’m very familiar with Wyndham’s brands and rewards program but I’m very open to moving some stays to choice, particularly because they’ve got competitive properties in South Florida. An easy status match via email let me skip the line to Platinum status, the second highest level in their elite program.
Their current promotion involves receiving 8000 bonus points on up to 3 stays of two nights or more. So the way to optimize that is with three two-night stays. Particularly if the stays are as cheap as possible.
Getting three free nights after staying for only. six nights is a promotion that’s hard to ignore when you’re living in hotels full time, especially if a giant hurricane has ground shipping to a halt and delayed a return to work.
Comfort Inn Ballpark Area ATL
My impression of the hotel was that it was in pretty good condition for being an un-renovated Comfort Inn. Most locations have had a brand refresh by 2024 and are using the two-tone C logo instead of the spherical one. The property was clearly pretty old and the Indian family managing it was doing their best. Unfortunately that may just not be good enough. Aside from the bedbugs in my room I overheard the guest next door to me complaining at the desk that his TV and phone were not working and maintenance was unable to fix them.
Despite all this I would have liked the hotel if not for the bedbugs. It’s built like a large suburban house with a walk-out basement. Rooms on the first floor have exterior doors and it gives the impression of staying over in your Southern uncle’s basement guest room at Thanksgiving.
It was about as comfortable and cosy as a sub- $100 hotel can be. Particularly during the baseball season rates around Truist can spike as rooms are in high demand. So it’s a shame this hotel is crawling with bedbugs.
A Hasty Exit and a Full Refund
I was only in the room for something less than three hours before I was ready for bed. But as soon as I spotted a bedbug crawling on the comforter I knew it was time to pack up and get out as quickly as possible. Didn’t even bother asking for a new room.
I snapped the photo above to show the front desk on my way out. I explained that there were bedbugs in the room and I’d need a full refund. The front desk was amenable and didn’t seem particularly surprised but told me to come back the next day to speak to the manager.
I did return the following day, although an email really should have been enough. After a few minutes I received a folio with a zeroed out balance and a release of my security deposit, but never an apology for the inconvenience.
Bedbugs and Hotels
I knew when I decided to live in hotels that I’d probably encounter bedbugs eventually.
Even though I’ve gone my whole life so far without seeing one they’re quite common. They’re also evenly distributed among 1-5 star property types and vacation rentals according to a recent Orkin survey. You’re not more likely to find them in a cheap hotel, however a cheap hotel is much more likely to cut corners when dealing with the problem.
I was lucky in that I never put my luggage on the bed for this reason, and lucky to have seen the bedbug before laying down. I’m grateful to the hotel for being cool about the refund. And grateful to a nearby Holiday Inn Express for taking my online reservation at midnight for a same day check in.
Going forward I’m going to give Choice Hotels a second chance but I’ll be checking the beds more carefully at the beginning of every stay, regardless of the hotel.
