The crowds are building in Phoenix for Super Bowl 49. Some hotels in the area are actually boosting their rates because football fans will pay just about anything, but as Lisa Guerrero and the I-Squad found, you don't always get what you pay for.
Bugs in the bathroom, rat droppings in the air conditioning unit, holes in the bedspread, hair in the sheets and gum in the lampshade—those are just some of the gross discoveries the INSIDE EDITION I-Squad found when they checked into hotels charging sky-high rates for this year's Super Bowl in Phoenix.
One Knights Inn is charging up to $500 per night on Super Bowl weekend, up from its regular rate of about $50 a night.
With hidden cameras rolling, INSIDE EDITION’s Lisa Guerrero asked a clerk: “Is it worth it? Are these rooms going to be worth $500?”
“Business is business,” responded the clerk.
The I-Squad decided to check in anyway and found what looked to be a blood-stained pillow case and a toilet with a broken handle that wouldn’t flush.
But worst of all was what Guerrero found under the bed.
“This is a mouse trap, ick, ick!” Guerrero said as she reached under the bed. “Some kind of little envelope with a powdered substance in it -- I can only imagine what that might be. A dirty towel, gum and check this out, an inhaler,”
She then called the hotel manager to the room.
“Can you explain why all these dirty items would be under the bed?” Guerrero asked him.
“I don't know exactly,” the manager responded.
Guerrero then pointed to the blood-stained pillow and asked, “Would you want to sleep on this pillow?”
“No, ma’am,” replied the manager.
But that’s nothing compared what the I-Squad found in three rooms rented at a Super 8 motel, which typically charges $70 a night. But if you want to stay there during the Super Bowl, it's going to cost you $350 a night.
Behind door #1, the I-Squad found a creepy bug in the bathroom, another on the wall and a dead moth prominently displayed inside a picture frame. We also found rat droppings inside the air conditioning unit.
In room #2, it looked like the cleaning staff took the day off.
“So there's a dirty towel on the bed and obviously someone stayed here and the maid didn't clean up afterwards,” Guerrero said as she explored the room.
When she entered the third room, Guerrero noticed a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door handle, but the key opened the door. When she went in, it became clear, someone else was still there.
“Hello?” Guerrero called out as she stepped into the room. “Someone’s staying in this room. The TV’s on, someone's clothes are in the closet. Uh, this is supposed to be my room and someone else is here and it smells like weed.”
She showed the manager all the problems we found.
Guerrero asked, “You're charging people hundreds of dollars to stay here for the Super Bowl and you've got rat droppings in your air conditioning unit. Isn’t that a problem?”
“Yes,” agreed the manager. “Of course.”
“Would you sleep here?” she then asked.
The manager conceded, “No, I wouldn't, to be honest with you. I wouldn't.”
A representative from The Wyndham Hotel Group, which franchises the Knights Inn and Super 8 told INSIDE EDITION they are committed to providing a safe and comfortable stay for guests and that they are addressing the issues we found.
