Super 8 Motel in Portsmouth, Ohio: Besides the Cockroach, It was a Great Stay

The Super 8 Motel Chain is an interesting brand. Though I’ve had the chance to stay at a few of their motels, I never willingly seek out their brand. Rather, I usually end up there as the result of someone else making the reservation, but I’ve never had a bad experience.

Two friends of mine were finishing up some work on their house, and invited me down to Portsmouth, Ohio for the weekend. Unwilling to let anyone see their home until the work was finished, they booked a room at the Super 8 Motel in Portsmouth. They checked in earlier in the day, and I arrived later that night.

We booked a traditional room with two beds, but received a much better deal. There had been some mix up in the hotel records, and they gave away our room and did not have any others available. They had one studio suite available, and were willing to rent the room to my friends, provided that no one use the Jacuzzi tub inside due to some problems with the pipes. We each had to sign a separate agreement, promising that we would not use that tub.

Though we all knew the Jacuzzi tub was not functioning, I don’t think any of us expected to see what we did see. The tub itself was still installed, but directly above it was a large hole in the ceiling, with wires and pipes hanging out at odd angles. Not only could we not use the tub, but it was hazardous to even step foot in the room.

The Portsmouth Super 8 Motel was extremely nice though, much nicer than I expected. As we had a suite, we actually had three separate rooms for our own use. There was a main room, the bathroom, and a bedroom. The bathroom was the same type found in thousands of hotels, but the main room was basically a fully functioning studio apartment. They included a color television, end tables, comfortable armchairs, and a couch that pulled out. The main room also held two sinks, one in the kitchenette and one next to the bathroom. The kitchenette also included a microwave and small refrigerator. The bedroom was equally nice, with a locking door. Off to one side was a small room where you could step up into the Jacuzzi tub, but was kept separate from the rest of the room.

Later in the night, we decided it was time to sleep, and I pulled out the sofa bed. Surprisingly enough, there were no blankets, pillows, or even sheets included. My friend’s husband went to the front desk to ask for extras, and was told that they did not have a key to open the housekeeping closet. Instead she passed along the one plain blanket she could find, and I was forced to sleep on the naked mattress.

The staff was very accommodating the next day when I decided to stay an extra night, and gave me the same discount we received the previous night. I was able to keep the studio suite for the price of a regular room. They were also helpful enough to call up later, and ask if we still needed the extra bed linens and pillows.

The Super 8 Motel in Portsmouth was nice, but I did have a few problems with my stay. One was something the motel had no control over, the amount of high school students staying for the night. It was prom night for area high schools, and a large portion of students were staying in the hotel and throwing small parties. While walking to get something from the car, one drunk high school student even invited me to one of their parties. By noon on Sunday morning though, all the students were gone.

The other problem was something I didn’t discover until late in my stay the second night. While brushing my teeth in the sink next to the bathroom, I watched in horror as a small cockroach scurried across the sink, and down the drain. I once lived in an apartment with cockroaches, and I’ve still never learned how to deal with the little insects. I called the lobby and was told that no one else had complained before, but they would check into it. I know it wasn’t an isolated event because I found a dead one later that night, and saw three more before my trip was over.

Despite that, I would still recommend the Super 8 Motel in Portsmouth. I’ve now stayed in three other hotels in the area, and this is hands down my favorite. The Portsmouth Super 8 Motel has clean rooms, comfortable beds, and is all around relaxing. It is everything a motel, or hotel should be.