Howard Johnson Express Inn - Bakersfield

The place was a pit would not stay there again.

They need to shut it down.

Good value for the price I paid.

All the negative reviews that you read about the hotel is 100% true!! They need to clean up the rooms a bit.

Very basic. No amenities.

Very friendly staff. What you would expect for the star level.

I admittedly didn't look at my reservation. It said "smoking" I don't smoke. When I arrived, perhaps 20 cars occupied the entire expanse of hotel parking. I asked if I could change to a non-smoking room. The clerk acted as if he checked and told "no, nothing available" . I checked in anyway. The room was as close to the freeway as one could possibly get. There were at least 10 rooms clearly unoccupied on the same floor which were non-smoking, yet I was told there was "nothing available". Of the entire hotel there were at least 50 or more non-smoking rooms unoccupied. The room reeked of smoke and I went to a store and bought some air freshener. The TV control was not functional. The "Internet" was WIFI (at least in theory). There was little to no signal and in any event, the logon code provided to me, twice, did not work. The chair for the table was stained with what appeared to be various items -coffee, soda, gum. I covered it with a towel. The chair looked like it had been purchased at a Goodwill Store, and then abused. The bed was awful, in the extreme. I slept very little. The "continental breakfast" consisted of perhaps a half dozen undersized pastries in plastic wrappers. The coffee cups were the size of thimbles. I vacated my things and put them in my car. I checked in for two nights, and stayed one. Never again will I use a Howard Johnson's. ...read more