Vegas Nightmares: The Downtowner Motel

Update #2 – a follow-up article was posted to our site on Friday January 22nd 2016. You can read it by clicking here.

Update – I wanted to let our readers know that I received a formal response from the Director of Public Relations for Downtown Project, which currently operates Downtowner Motel. I’ll give you some details soon, but she wanted to point out that some of the TripAdvisor photos that I used, specifically the indoor corridor and window-view shot, were taken and posted before Downtown Project assumed operations of the property in 2015. She stated that these pics, as well as an older one from their Facebook page of the exterior signage, do not accurately reflect the current condition of the property. She supplied photos from this week in her email response. We’ll share those pics as well in a follow-up piece, and in the meantime have decided to remove the photos in question.

– Sammasseur 

“I half-expected a sassy housekeeper with a Southern drawl to burst into the lobby, spouting her signature catchphrase…”

I’m a big fan of restored vintage motels. When done well, they can be a glorious thing. Gold Spike‘s rebirth as Oasis At Gold Spike, for instance, was so impressive that I placed it as my favorite new hotel for 2014 at VegasChatter. And the Cabana Suites at El Cortez, once a sad little dump called Ogden House, is now about as hip and swanky as you could hope for. So when I recently learned about the “newly-remodeled” Downtowner Motel via DowntownLiving.Vegas (which lists the Spike as a kindred property) I put it on my “gotta try” list.

I arrived at 3:45 pm this past Friday. Downtowner was easy to find at 129 N. 8th Street, just a stone’s throw from the Fremont East entertainment district and Downtown Container Park. It’s an area that has improved dramatically in recent years. This, too, gave me high hopes that Downtowner would be a gem for the next round of “Best Of'” lists.

Nevertheless, my heart sank as I pulled up to the property and noticed a horde of homeless-looking characters milling outside the lobby entrance…and the full length of the frontage. They shuffled back and forth like extras from The Walking Dead. Under other circumstances, the outward appearance of the structure might have evoked comparisons to an old South Beach Miami art-deco classic, but Downtowner didn’t hold up to close inspection…not by a long shot. 

I was able to avoid the zombie gauntlet by pulling into the parking area that slices through the main building. Unfortunately, the dirty lot was even worse than the undead hoard outside. Walking through it gave me way too many opportunities to hear shouting, profanities and other ugly sounds emanating from behind old, worn-out guest doors.

Having just come off a very posh stay at another Vegas resort (that’s an article for the near future), I had to remind myself to keep things in perspective and not be snobby. Nevertheless, entering the lobby felt like walking onto the set of some cheesy 1970’s sitcom.

All the elements of an Alice-style TV comedy were there. The cheap-looking set and furniture. The strange lone patron who just sat there in a chair, grinning madly at new arrivals. A scratched-up front desk desperately in need of a coat of paint. The gruff, t-shirt-wearing employee, plopped in front of a cheap black curtain that barely concealed a filthy back room.

I half-expected a sassy housekeeper with a Southern drawl to burst into the lobby, spouting her signature catchphrase.

Mr. T-shirt found my reservation quickly and assigned me to a first-floor room in the annex building across the street, which thankfully looked a little better than the one I was standing in. He informed me that a five-dollar resort fee (oh, how I fought back the laughter at that) would be charged in addition to the security deposit. A parking permit was issued for the adjacent city lot at no extra charge (it wasn’t that long ago that all downtown hotels provided free parking, so I didn’t feel obligated to be grateful about that).

I schlepped my luggage through the gauntlet of lost souls outside and crossed the street to my building, passed the under-construction pool, up a few steps and through the secured entrance. The corridor was long, dark and eerie. There was a cluster of housekeepers off to one side, excitedly chattering in something unrecognizable (although it wasn’t a Southern drawl). Room 158 was the very last one all the way down the hallway (of course) and on the right…and around the dark corner (yikes).

Upon opening the door, I noticed that the bed was unmade, a wet towel strewn across it, and the television left on. Assuming somebody was still inside, I quickly closed the door and re-traced my steps to the lobby, still schlepping the luggage. The short glimpse I got was of a room that was minimal and stark…much like the cells at a minimum-security correctional facility.

Photo of a prison-chic guestroom, courtesy of TripAdvisor

Mr. T-shirt was mildly apologetic and, after a few taps of the keyboard, scratched out the room number on my keycard envelope and replaced it with the number 147. Heading back once more, I realized that I couldn’t force myself to enter that dreadful building again. My inner voice was telling me “Don’t go inside. Just head to your car and leave”.

And that’s exactly what I did…went straight to the rental car, tossed the luggage into the trunk, and left early for a dinner appointment with fellow VegasBright-er Greg Bennett. (You can learn about that experience in my upcoming restaurant review on Friday.)

Afterward, I got into my vehicle and realized that I couldn’t, for the life of me, return to the Downtowner. My inner voice was shouting “Book a room someplace else…ANYPLACE else”.  So, I listened to my own sage advice and loaded up the Hotel Tonight app.

After securing a deluxe room at Silver Sevens for $45 plus fees/taxes, I phoned Downtowner for them to release the room and close my account. Mr. T-shirt (or whomever took the next shift) neglected to pick up, even when I tried calling a second time much later. The next morning, I wrote Dowtowner via their official contact page, explaining that the room was unused and that I’d gone elsewhere. They have yet to acknowledge my message or email a receipt.

It remains to be seen whether Downtowner charged the full price of the room and resort fee (hahaha). Sure, it would be easy to examine my online credit card statement to find out if money was really spent on such an awful-looking dive. But much like re-entering Downtowner Motel, I just can’t bring myself to do it.

The upside is that, even this early in the year, I’ve probably locked down my nominee for VegasBright’s “Biggest Disappointments of 2016”.

[Photos: Sammasseur, TripAdvisor, Downtowner Motel]

sammasseur

A fitness buff and Vegas fan. Sam enjoys shows, bargains, and cheap healthy eats.