I was in Avalon, NJ to attend a wedding. The Avalon Inn was listed as one of the options for places to stay on our invite. I originally was opting to stay with a friend, but decided last minute (two days prior to the wedding) to reserve a hotel room due to some changing plans. My fiance made reservations and was quoted "a deluxe suite with a private bedroom and king bed" for $214 each night (taxes and fees bring the total to $242). I thought this was a bit high considering the season (the Jersey shore crowds dwindle after Labor Day), but I figured I'd be content with the "luxury" and "service" while spoiling myself a bit. Avalon, for reference purposes, is probably one of the most upscale Jersey Shore resort towns catering mainly to upper class families.

Unfortunately, I did not read Trip Advisor prior to making reservations to stay at the Avalon Inn. Immediately upon arrival I was put off by unfinished exterior renovations. Missing sections of exterior wall were covered by ply-wood. Strangely, no one was actually working on the building. Did the project run out of money?

The front desk was manned by one miserable person (not sure if he was management or not) who seemed like I was asking him to do something extraordinary just by checking in. Perhaps I was a tad early, but the room was ready. Much to my dismay, I was given a key (an actual key vs. a key card). It was a symbol of events to follow.

Upon entering my ground floor open egress "suite", 2 queen beds, with a Kitchenette 1ft. from one of the beds, I was immediately blown away by the mildew scent and apalling odors. It was offensive. I knew at that moment that my fiance had been intentionally fleeced by the person taking the reservation. She was blatantly lied to. The room seriously looked like a roadside $20 per night motel made famous by many horror films. I truly believed this was either a former horror movie set or the scene of an actual crime. The stains on the 70's indoor/outdoor carpeting were even more deplorable than the odors they emitted.

The TV was from the eighties/early 90's which was a big sigh of relief from the 70's motief. It wasn't just the furniture or lighting, it looked like the paint hadn't been updated since the 70's either. Upon my examination of the bathroom, it was decided that I could not let my fiance stay here (GITMO would have been a better option) due to the bar of soap left behind that was decorated by someone else's body hair. I immediately began searching for alternative accomodations and found something much nicer for less money across the street.

Here is where my real complaint begins. I told the miserable man at the front desk that I would not be staying at the Avalon Inn for the reasons above. The room wasn't close to what was described on the phone (suite vs. former storage closet), it was dirty and smelly, and I now knew his intentions were to rip off unsuspecting guests. He explained that there would be $0 refunded (I would have accepted and paid a cancellation fee) and took the key forcefully from my hand. I asked if that's how he does business and his retort was, "there's a 14 day cancellation window and it is our policy". Well guess what buddy? It is my policy to not pay for something I didn't receive and will contest the charges through AMEX. It is also my policy to advise folks to never take a trip here!

It seems like the manager is pretty defensive about his property here on this site. All that does is give people a reason to believe that the accusations presented are on point. I swear 100% by the accurracy of these statements I made here.