HOWARD JOHNSON EXPRESS INN - REDDING

I needed a place to stay somewhere near Redding, CA, en route to my destination in Washington State. Hotel rooms were scarce, probably because of the Carr Fire. I couldn't find anything online, so I started calling around, and I booked that afternoon over the phone, calling Vagabond's 800 number directly. I got a call center, not sure where it is exactly, but they confirmed there was a room at this location and I booked it. Since it was the same day, they said they would charge my card immediately, which was fine with me. When I got there at around 10pm the guy said they had no rooms, and he had no record of my reservation, and that he had already turned 5 others away, and he was annoyed at the corporate office. I called the 800 number again, and they told me the reservation had not been submitted, which I guess explains why I never got a confirmation email. (Also they spelled my name wrong, even though on my initial call we had gone over each letter twice). As soon as I hung up, the email confirmation showed up on my phone, but it didn't create a new room, so I was still screwed. I went back in to talk to the guy at the desk, and he was apologetic, but he couldn't help me. I got in the car and kept driving north about 30 miles when I saw a vacancy sign at the Lake Shasta Lodge. Fortunately the guy there was still available, and I got a room for the night. That place was quaint... older, but decently maintained, and cheaper than Vagabond Inn. I only needed a place to sleep anyway, and I was happy to find it. I can't actually comment on this property, because I never got a room, but I'll never consider Vagabond Inn as a lodging option again.

I wouldn't recommend this hotel. The hotel was extremely dirty and had really sketchy people hanging around. The only reason I stayed here was because of the Redding fires and all the other hotels were booked. I will not be returning in the future.

Meth heads, visable heroine use. Gangbangers and other various scary and disturbing things. Really dirty place. I would never let a loved one even think about staying here. This location should be shut down.