My family and I were driving from Washington DC area to Nova Scotia, Canada on a family vacation. Hartford, CT was our first stop and we looked for the best deal we could find along the interstate. We reserved in advance. If we had just dropped in along the way, I would have gotten back in the car and kept driving.
I grew nervous when I walked into the reception area and saw the manager behind thick, bulletproof plexiglass. This obviously makes one wonder what transpired here previously that would prompt the owner to install such a thing. There were security cameras at all entrances/exits, displayed on a large screen behind the manager. There was a microphone for the manager to use, but it either didn't work or he didn't want to use it, so instead had to shout at the customers. Not rudely, but the drive-through at my bank is less unpleasant.
The room itself was not visibly dirty, but there were a lot of small cockroaches all over the place. Oh, and I should mention that the hallways smelled powerfully of marijuana.
The breakfast down in the lobby is very simple, but fine. There's toast, cereal, the usual. A truck driver and I chatted a bit about the place. His assessment was the same as mine: this was not a place for families.