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Howard Johnson San Marcos: Traveller Reviews

2.0 of 5
1601 IH 35 N, San Marcos, TX 78666-6711 (Formerly Stratford Inn)
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Howard Johnson San Marcos
Ranked #25 of 25 hotels in San Marcos
2.5 of 5 stars 18 Reviews
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18 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    2
    3
    4
    2
    7
Date Rating
houston texas
1 review
“Total rat hole”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 June 2010

This hotel (Howard Johnson) in San Marcos Texas was the most disgusting rat hole I have seen in a while. We booked online, and when we arrived the room was small, dirty, molded carpet, bugs in the sink, and a bad overall smell. I took one look and said no way.. When I went to the front desk, the manager, presumably the owner was highly rude, and refused to provide a refund, that is until I got down right Texas on them. The owners of Indian decent - dot not feather - were beyond unhelpful......
A hell hole at best !!!!!!

  • Stayed June 2010
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask cjonesHoustonTexas about Howard Johnson San Marcos
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Sean Kane, Guest Relations Manager at Howard Johnson San Marcos, responded to this review
18 January 2011
Thank you for taking the time to review our hotel and we apologize that your stay was unpleasant. The hotel has been recently upgraded and we can assure you that all of the issues mentioned have been resolved. We look forward to your next stay with us when travelling to the San Marcos area.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
dallas tx
1 review
“DO NOT STAY HERE!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 August 2009

We prepaid for two nights. The deadbolt on door was broken. Two lightbulbs were out and when they brought more, we had to install them ourselves because the housekeeper wasn't tall enough. Reservations were for 4 people and we only had linens for 3. When we called for extras, we were told to come get them ourselves. Hotel in general was loud and not very clean. After a day of shopping the next day we returned to find the deadbolt still NOT repaired. We found another place to stay that was more secure, but they would not give us a refund for the 2nd night. You would think that a broken lock on a door would be at the top of the priority list for the day, but I guess safety is not a concern for them.

  • Stayed August 2009, travelled with friends
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask shellytx about Howard Johnson San Marcos
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Sean Kane, Guest Relations Manager at Howard Johnson San Marcos, responded to this review
15 February 2011
Thank you for taking the time to review our hotel and we apologize that your experience did not meet your expectations. The hotel has been continually adding new features and amenities to ensure a pleasant guest experience. The hotel can assure you that the issues mentioned in your review have been resolved and we look forward to your next stay when visiting San Marcos.
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Texas
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“Don't stay!!!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 August 2009
1
person found this review helpful

We had booked this room in advance and were basing our decision off previous stays at different HJ locations. The room was not clean, the microwave, iron, and ironing board were all broken. In the middle of the night we were prank called multiple times, the breakfast was far from fresh, and it is on a one way street! In order to get to it you have 2 options #1 drive 5 miles down the road and get off at the exit or #2 drive across their lawn on a makeshift path. There are no "back roads" to it.....just save your money, I think sleeping in our SUV wouldve been more pleasant.

  • Stayed June 2009, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Bullockk about Howard Johnson San Marcos
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Sean Kane, Guest Relations Manager at Howard Johnson San Marcos, responded to this review
18 January 2011
Thank you for taking the time to review our hotel and we apologize that your stay was unpleasant. The hotel has been recently upgraded and we can assure you that all of the issues mentioned have been resolved. We look forward to your next stay with us when travelling to the San Marcos area.
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Texas
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“Okay Place to Stay”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 August 2009

Big change from the hotel that we stayed at in San Antonio to this, but my husband was fine with it, as were the kids. It is an older hotel. The kids enjoyed the pool. My husband went for breakfast our first morning there around 8:30 a.m. and said they were out of much of it, but the next morning it wasn't a problem. We all went. The Belgian waffles (in the shape of Texas no less) were wonderful. The lobby had a funny smell, that I'd also noticed when my husband got extra towels the first night, but not the second...kind of a moth ball smell. Our room didn't smell that way though. The motel stayed pretty busy the whole time we were there. Parking was a little tight with our pickup truck. Our room did have a jet tub, but there was mold all around the jets, so they do need to address this. Beds were soft, but cozy. Lots of tv channels. Pizza delivery was quick. We had to pay in advance in full and weren't sure if we were going to be able to stay the second night as planned and the girl at the desk wasn't sure if they manager would refund the money if we didn't, but it didn't become an issue because we stayed. We were on the first floor and whoever was above us the first night was running and jumping and I don't know what all above us, but we didn't call the front desk. They did quieten down before we went to bed. I saw kids running around and feel like it was probably them.

  • Stayed July 2009, travelled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask txgirlfriday7678 about Howard Johnson San Marcos
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Dallas
1 review
“Don't judge a book by its cover.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 June 2009

My Mom and I were looking for an inexpensive room close to the outlet shops. HoJo recently took over this property and the interior of our room was newly done. Everything was clean and new. I would recommend for those looking for a clean bed to sleep in, but it does not offer much else.

  • Stayed June 2009, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask gallantennis about Howard Johnson San Marcos
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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Additional Information about Howard Johnson San Marcos

  • San Marcos Howard Johnson
Address: 1601 IH 35 N, San Marcos, TX 78666-6711 (Formerly Stratford Inn)
Price range (per night):* 58 AUD - 120 AUD

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