Howard Johnson Inn - Tucson Downtown

Booked two rooms for my daughter and I to stay in for two nights. The beds are very comfortable. The people at the front desk were professional. The rooms were clean. My bathroom seems older and probably needs updating but we're not talking the Four Seasons here. We got coffee in the lobby in the morning both days. Had no issues with noise from the road or sound from other people. The only sound that my daughter mentioned that woke her up was the birds in the tree outside the window. If you're looking for a two-star with a good price, I would recommend this place. Will stay there again next time I am in the area.

Booked here as a base to Old Tucson Studio for the following morning. $100 deposit required for the room. It was noisy with fellow guests, and the adjacent highway. The floor was filthier than a street pavement and the room stank of canibis. The only saving grace was clean bed linen and towels (however the towels had seen better days). The room was rather spacious.

The manager and staff are THIEVES! They don't provide receipts for any cash deposits for a reason. After booking, I received an email about the required $100.00 deposit due at check-in. Instead of waiting 7-10 days for a refund if a debit card was used I went ahead and did a cash deposit. No receipt was given for the cash, I asked why no receipt was provided, the response was, " we don't give receipts for the deposit" Naturally, I was concerned. The receptionist said I could take a picture of my key with the envelope where she placed my cash and use that as a receipt. She wrote my name on the envelope, I went ahead and added the check- in date, amount of cash deposit and also the name of the person taking my deposit on the front of the envelope which made me feel a little better about the situation. Sure enough, they found a reason/excuse to keep my $100.00. Keep in mind, this hotel is behind a marijuana dispensary, the entire front office smells like marijuana, staff/management said the reason to keep my cash deposit was due to my room smelling like marijuana. I mentioned I'd be more than happy to do a drug test so they see that #1, I don't smoke marijuana, and #2 that would clarify any doubt marijuana was being smoked in my room. Of course, they said that was not necessary and refused to continue speaking with me. They insisted someone was "smoking" in my non-smoking room and my deposit would be kept for that reason and also because I was rude. NONSENSE! The ONLY reason why I stayed in this hole was because my AC went out at home and it was an affordable option. I needed to pay for a new AC unit. The 3 nights, 4 days I was there, ONCE housekeeping attended the room, I saw drug deals, drug exchanges being made in the parking lot, prostitution clearly happening, and a handful of illegal activity going on. Management was rude, unprofessional and shouldn't be working in the position she's in because clearly, she's NOT a manager! I asked for her name and they wouldn't give.