Albany's BEST Hotel Near SUNY? Days Inn's SHOCKING Secret!
Days Inn Albany: More Than Just a Shocking Secret - It's a Journey (And Maybe a Bad One)
Alright, folks, buckle up. We're diving headfirst into the murky waters of Albany hotel reviews. And specifically, we're talking about the Days Inn near SUNY. The BEST hotel near SUNY, they claim. I… I’m skeptical. Let’s just say my experience was less "sun-drenched oasis" and more "slightly damp cardboard box with questionable air conditioning." But hey, isn't that what makes a good review? The raw, unfiltered truth? Here we go.
Accessibility and Safety: The Bare Minimum (and That's Concerning)
Let's start with the basics. Accessibility. They claim to have facilities for disabled guests. Okay. Did I see them? Not really. Did I test them? Nope. Kinda hard to when the vibe is less "welcoming the differently-abled" and more "hoping nobody notices the crumbling sidewalk outside." They do have an elevator, which is a plus, in theory. In reality, it felt like a relic from the Jurassic period. Slow. Creaky. Gave me anxiety.
Safety & Cleanliness: Pretending Never Hurts (But Actually DOES)
Now, onto the big one: safety. They’re trying. You can tell. There's a 24-hour front desk (thank goodness!), CCTV everywhere (watching me, probably), and fire extinguishers that appear to be functional. "Appear" is the operative word here, folks. I didn’t test them, naturally.
But here's the kicker: Anti-viral cleaning products? Daily disinfection? Sanitized kitchen and tableware items? Yeah, all the right buzzwords are there. But the feeling? Let's just say I brought my own Clorox wipes. Because I'm a germaphobe? Maybe. Because I saw a suspicious stain on the door handle? Possibly.
And this is where the "shocking secret" comes in. The smell. The room, despite all the alleged sanitizing, reeked of… something. Not quite mildew, not quite cleaning product, more a… a blend of yesterday’s disappointment and a faint whiff of despair. I tried to open the window, but it only went up a tiny amount. And then I noticed the… the mosquito net on the window - seriously? Do you really need them at SUNY???
Internet: Wi-Fi? More Like Wi-Fin't.
They brag about free Wi-Fi in all rooms. Lie. I spent a solid hour in my room, wrestling against a signal that was weaker than my will to live. Eventually, I gave up and tethered to my phone, which made me realize I was essentially paying for Wi-Fi that didn’t work. (And yes, I did look for a LAN option… it was as dead as the disco ball I swear was in the corner of my room.)
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking: A Culinary Adventure in Blandness
Okay. Let's talk food. The "Breakfast [buffet]" was… an experience. They offered the usual suspects: stale pastries, lukewarm coffee, rubbery scrambled eggs that looked… suspicious. ("Alternative meal arrangement"? I think about alternatives, all the time.) The "coffee shop"? A sad, lonely Keurig machine in the lobby.
There's a snack bar, but it's basically just vending machines filled with mystery snacks. And the bar? Let's just say I’ve seen livelier atmospheres at a mortician convention. The only "bottle of water" I got was a single, sad plastic bottle, which I guarded jealously.
Okay, you get the idea. I swear, that breakfast buffet, that bland, beige, uninspired spread, that was the absolute peak of the culinary experience.
Services and Conveniences: A Mixed Bag of the Mundane
They claim a lot. "Concierge?" I think I saw someone vaguely resembling a concierge once. But he looked as lost and confused as I felt. "Dry cleaning?" Nope. "Daily housekeeping?" Well, my bed was made, but I think they just smoothed out my previous afternoon's nap.
They do have a car park [free of charge] which is excellent, even if the parking lot itself looks like it hasn't been paved since the Berlin Wall fell. (And the parking lot lights are… questionable. Like, "are these even working?" questionable.)
Things To Do & Ways To Relax: Don't Get Your Hopes Up
Ah, relaxation. This is where things get truly sad. Pool with a view: nope. Spa? Absolutely not. Fitness center? Good try. There is a gym. I peeked. Rusty equipment. Dimly lit. I’m not even sure it was safe. Sauna? Dear god, no.
For the kids: Don't even bother. “Babysitting service?" Maybe for the ghosts that haunt this place. "Kids facilities?" I think there are some cobwebs in the corners.
The Room: The Heart of the Matter (And Mostly Disappointing)
My room was… a room. Air conditioning? Worked, occasionally, in a sporadic, unpredictable fashion, like it was possessed. The bed? Firm. Very firm. Like sleeping on a concrete slab. The "view"? The parking lot. (See above.) The Blackout curtains? They worked. I could not tell during the day. I could not tell at night. All I could tell was that the curtains created a feeling I've previously only experienced in a tomb. The bathroom? Small. Dated. The shower felt… wrong. Like I was showering in a slightly damp cave. (Which, let’s be honest, it kinda was.) Smoke detector? I’m pretty sure. I didn’t light a cigar to find out though.
The Conclusion: Should You Stay Here? Frankly, No.
Look, I’m not saying the Days Inn near SUNY is the worst hotel on Earth. (I’ve been to worse, trust me.) But it's far from the best. It’s a functional, forgettable, slightly depressing place to lay your head. And for the price? Nope. Just nope.
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- Title: Days Inn Albany Review: Not the BEST Near SUNY, Prepare to be Disappointed!
- Keywords: Albany Hotel, SUNY Albany, Days Inn Review, Budget Hotel, Affordable Hotel, Cleanliness, Accessibility, Wi-Fi, Breakfast, Pool, Spa, Review, Travel, Hotel Review
- Meta Description: A brutally honest, messy, and hilarious review of the Days Inn near SUNY Albany. Find out if it's the best hotel, and what the "shocking secret" really is! Don't book until you read this!
- Accessibility: Limited. While they claim facilities, actual experience is lacking.
- Cleanliness: Attempts made, but overall a question mark. Bring your own wipes.
- Wi-Fi: Free… if it actually works.
- Dining: Subpar. Expect stale pastries and sad coffee.
- Amenities: "Fitness center" is terrifying. Pool and spa? LOL.
- Overall: Proceed with extreme caution.
Okay, buckle up, buttercups, because this ain't your grandma's itinerary. We're venturing into the glorious, slightly chaotic, and definitely opinionated world of… the Days Inn Albany SUNY Albany. Yeah, I know, thrilling stuff. But hey, everyone's got to start somewhere, right? This is my attempt.
Day 1: Arrival & the Great Toilet Paper Hunt of '24
1:00 PM: Arrive at Albany Airport (ALB). Landed with the grace of a newborn giraffe, nearly face-planting into the baggage claim carousel. My luggage…arrived. Miraculous.
1:30 PM: Grab a ride-share to the Days Inn. The driver? A fellow with a beard that could house a small family of squirrels. He regaled me with tales of Albany's “glory days.” I mostly nodded, trying to decipher if he was actually driving, or just…existing.
2:00 PM: Check-in. The front desk guy, bless his heart, looked like he'd seen things. Wars? Budget cuts? I couldn’t say. Room key acquired.
2:15 PM : The Room Inspection – or, the Great Toilet Paper Crisis of 2:15 PM. Okay, so the room. It's… functional. The bedspread looks like it's been through a Civil War, and the air conditioning sounds like a dying walrus. But the true drama? There was NO TOILET PAPER. None. Nada. Zero. Utter, unadulterated toilet paper absence. Now, I consider myself a fairly seasoned traveler, but this…this was a new level of anxiety. Where does one even start a search for TP in an unfamiliar land?
(2:20 PM): Descend to the lobby. This is where the real-life drama begins. Encounter some really friendly people here, but I can't recall their specifics.
(2:30 PM): The friendly front desk clerk/possible war veteran is on break. My panic intensifies.
(2:35 PM): Discover a vending machine. It offers…chips, more chips, and maybe a vaguely labeled item that could be anything from a protein bar to a small, rubber ducky. TP? Nope. My stomach rumbles.
(2:40 PM): Finally, the clerk emerges. "Extra toilet paper? Coming right up!" he says, with the weary smile of someone who's seen it all. He hands me the precious roll. I could have kissed him.
3:00 PM: Shower. The water pressure is…optimistic. Let's just say I was barely cleaner when I got out.
4:00 PM: Contemplating my existential existence over the next few days.
7:00 PM: Dinner at a local diner. Found one thanks to Google Maps. Ordered a burger "medium-rare." It arrived…well, let's say I'm pretty sure it was breathing until a few minutes before it ended up on my plate. But hey, at least the fries were good. The fries, people. Never underestimate the value of a good french fry.
8:30 PM: Back at the Days Inn, exhausted AND still recovering from the burger. The air conditioning is still walrusing. Turn on the TV and watch some late-night chat show.
9:30 PM: Attempt sleep. Fail. The bed feels like a concrete slab and the room's noises are a symphony of pipes gurgling. The only thing I have to say about it is what I can say when I'm on the verge of losing it!
Day 2: Conquering SUNY Albany & the Quest for Decent Coffee
7:00 AM: Wake up. The walrus is still alive.
7:30 AM: Attempt to find coffee. The Days Inn's "continental breakfast" is a joke. Stale bagels and… mystery juice. It's a tragedy, I tell you!
8:00 AM: After a fruitless search for coffee in the hotel, venture out. Found my way to a local cafe. The coffee? Life-giving. I drank it like a thirsty desert wanderer. Coffee in that cafe was worth my time!
9:00 AM: Head to SUNY Albany. The campus architecture is… interesting. A Brutalist nightmare in concrete and dreams of the future.
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Wander around the campus. I'm not a student, but I feel like I should be, or at least that I should have known better about the construction.
12:30 PM: Lunch at a campus cafe. The food is predictably cafeteria-esque. I opt for a salad that's 50% lettuce and 50% existential dread.
1:30 PM - 4:00 PM: Spend some time in the library. The silence is a blessed relief from the walrus. I try and get some work done, but mostly I people-watch. And the people…are college students. They have… energy. I envy it. And I'm not entirely sure I understand their fashion choices.
4:30 PM: Back to the Days Inn. The walrus. The bed. The impending doom of another night.
5:00 PM: Nap. Can't fight the feeling of exhaustion.
7:00 PM: Dinner. This time, I'm going for something less…questionable. I find a pizza place. Pizza is a safe bet, right? Mostly, yes.
8:00 PM: Watch another random TV show.
9:00 PM: Attempt sleep. The walrus is now serenading me with a particularly loud rendition of…something. I can't tell anymore what.
Day 3: Departure and the Legacy of the Walrus
7:00 AM: Wake up. Seriously considering checking out early.
7:30 AM: Coffee. Must have coffee.
8:00 AM: Pack. The room looks like a disaster area. Did I even unpack? Possibly not.
8:30 AM: Check out. The front desk guy gives me a weary nod. I think we've bonded over the shared experience of… the Days Inn? Who knows what.
9:00 AM: Head to the airport.
9:30 AM: The airport. The flight goes smoothly.
1:00 PM: Arrive home. I can almost hear the walrus receding into the Albany distance.
Final Thoughts:
The Days Inn Albany SUNY Albany. It wasn't glamorous. It wasn’t perfect. It had its flaws, shall we say. But, it's an experience, and it gave me something to tell, a story.
Escape to Arundel Mills: BWI Airport's Best-Kept Secret Hotel
Okay, So, Is the Days Inn Near SUNY Really the "BEST" Hotel? Seriously? Because "Best" is a HUGE claim...
Alright, alright, let's get real. "Best" is subjective, isn't it? My cousin, Barry, who's a *very* picky dude, swore by it because he needed a cheap and simple crash pad while visiting his kid. Said it was, and I quote, "perfectly adequate." That's maybe not a ringing endorsement, but it's something. I'd say it depends. If "best" means "most luxurious," probably not. If "best" means "closest to SUNY and won't bankrupt you," then... possibly. It REALLY depends on the day, to be honest. Sometimes the coffee machine works (miracle!), sometimes it's like it's powered by a hamster on a tiny wheel.
What's This "Shocking Secret" You Mention? Spill the Tea!
Okay, *deep breath*. The "shocking secret"... is... it's... well, it's a bit underwhelming, actually. But here's the thing: I heard a rumor. I swear! It's like the Bermuda Triangle of hotel secrets, passed down from exhausted parent to exhausted parent. Someone said... (whispers) they have a decent laundry machine. Like, not industrial-strength, but enough to get you through a week of college kid shenanigans. I’m not saying it's life-altering, but hey, clean socks matter, right? (Don't go expecting a spa, though. Trust me.)
Is the Location Really That Convenient for Visiting SUNY? Seriously close?
Oh, absolutely. We're talking practically spitting distance. Okay, maybe don't *actually* try spitting, but it's *very* close. I think I once saw a student stumble out of the bar across the street (which, by the way, is a whole other adventure) and make it to the hotel in record time. It's a win for parents who want to visit without dedicating a whole day to driving. The drive is minimal, the walk is a breeze. The only trouble I can see is that the lights are a little… well… the parking lot at night feels like one of those cheesy horror movie sets. Just sayin’.
Alright, Break It Down: What's Good/Bad? Is it all doom and gloom?
Here's the unvarnished truth: * **The Good:** Location, location, LOCATION. It'll literally save you time and probably your sanity. Price (usually). And hey, sometimes the staff are awesome. They’ve seen it all, even the parents with a panicked look in their eyes. * **The Bad:** The rooms can be… basic. Sometimes, *very* basic. The breakfast buffet is a gamble. The elevators… well, let's just say I’ve taken the stairs more than once. And the general feeling of, like, "This is a hotel." It’s not a fancy spa, it's just a hotel. Accept it, and you’ll be alright.
Is There Anything to Do Around the Hotel Besides Visit SUNY? Like, Can I Actually *Enjoy* Albany?
Okay, here's the deal: you're NOT going to be staying in a hopping, lively area. You ARE close enough to drive to some decent spots. I mean, it's Albany! The state museum is cool if you're into that (I am, sometimes). There's the Egg (the performing arts center). And a bunch of restaurants. It's not a bustling metropolis, but you won't starve. I recommend having a car, and be prepared for a little driving.
Give Me One Crazy Story About Staying There. Something Real.
Ugh, ok. Picture this: It was a parent-teacher conference weekend. The hotel was PACKED. I'm talking, shoulder-to-shoulder in the lobby. I get to my room – finally! – and the key card doesn’t work. Twice. I go back down. Line is insane. I get a new key card. Doesn't work. Back down. This time, the front desk guy – bless his heart – is clearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He finally gives me a key to another room. It smells faintly of… mothballs? And cigarette smoke (even though it's a non-smoking room – go figure). By this point, I’m so exhausted, I collapse on the bed, mothballs and all. I woke up at 3 am to the worst stomach rumbling ever. The vending machine WAS empty. The elevator wasn't working, and I just stared out the window. I needed a chocolate bar. I felt like I was in some kind of weird hotel twilight zone. I needed a vacation from MY vacation. But hey, I survived .
Are There Any Hidden Fees or Gotchas? Gimme the Fine Print!
Standard stuff, really. Parking fees are always a gamble, check! Read the fine print! Check for hidden fees! It's happened to me with hotels, ALWAYS. Internet charges. Sometimes there is a "resort fee" even though it’s NOT a resort. Always, *always* check!
Would You Stay There Again? On A Scale Of 1-10, And Be Honest.
Honestly? Okay, probably a 6. It gets the job done. If I'm visiting my niece at SUNY and I’m on a budget and don’t want to spend an hour driving to the school? Absolutely. If I want a luxurious getaway? Absolutely not. The location is king. The convenience is gold. The mothball smell… eh, it's character, right?
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