Red Lion Hotel Boise Downtowner

"First and foremost, we only chose this hotel because it looked nice and amenities showed restaurant and bar. We got there and were told the bar has been closed for years. We decided to stay because we had a long day and other bars and restaurants are close. Check in time is 3 p.m. but our room wasn't ready until almost 3:20. Not the end of the world but added to the frustration. We get our keys and were directed by the front desk person to our now ready room and when we got there the maid was still in there cleaning so we had to wait in the hall for 10 minutes. Besides all that it is a very old hotel and smelled like a house that had multiple cats and there is no air conditioning or control just a weird fan in the wall. It was also extremely noisy, no fault of the staff guessing it is a cheap party motel or just really thin walls as we heard loud people up and down the halls through midnight. Pick another hotel, opt for Holiday Inn or Hilton!"

"Pretty sketchy area didn’t feel comfortable leaving my car unattended over night. Seems to be quite a bit of drug use in the surrounding area. Went up to my room and hallway smelt faintly of urine and overall seemed dirty. My key didn’t work and I couldn’t access the room. But after my experience and reading other reviews I decided to stay elsewhere. Restaurant in the building is closed and the pool and hot tub are seasonal. The place seems super understaffed only one person working the front desk. In fact Sara was the only employee I saw. She was very nice and was understanding of why I wanted to check out early and I was issued a refund for my reservation. I would spend the extra 50$ and stay elsewhere."

"When we first got there and headed up to our room the hallway smelled strongly of urine. The room didn’t. However, when I went to use the bathroom I noticed hair in the toilet and the toilet would not flush. We went back down and they gave us a different room and upgraded us to a room on a higher floor. The hallway on that floor smelled better but still kinda weird. The desk clerk was very friendly. However, the room was not clean. There is obviously some sort of dried fluids that were on every single wall. The hotel toiletries were covered in what I think was coffee so they were not chanced from the last guest in the room. There was some sort of rust colored dried fluids all over the ceiling bathroom fan vent. The fan vent, not to my surprise did not work. And half the light bulbs were burnt out. The bed seamed really clean. The thermostat also was not adjustable. We had to leave the balcony’s door open it was so hot, in February. I will not be staying there again."

"I always thought Red Lion was a decent hotel chain, until I stayed at this location. Booked two nights for a weekend getaway and ended up checking out after the first night and staying someplace else the second night. Their website states that they offer complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. When I landed, I called the hotel to get a shuttle and was put on hold for close to ten minutes for them to tell me they haven't had shuttles since 2020. When I finally checked in and got my room (662), there weren't any cups to drink water or coffee from, there was a bunch of food trash behind the TV stand, and blood spatter on the restroom door. Immediately packed up and asked for a new room. The front desk clerk didn't even question it and gave me a new room and comped breakfast for the next morning. Went to breakfast and the bacon was rock hard and impossible to chew, potatoes were over-seasoned and mush. Was not impressed at all at the selection for breakfast. Had a few bites then went back to my room for a nap when I was awoken by the fire alarm. Didn't see any trucks or smell smoke but decided it was a good idea to get all my things and go downstairs. No one had any answers on what was going on. As soon as the alarm went off, one of the employees told me I had to go back inside and that was the final straw. Talked to the front desk again and ended up checking out a day early. Again, they didn't question it. I suppose this is something they are used to dealing with. The quality of the rooms were not good. Run-down furniture, stains on the ceiling and even a few patch jobs. I did use the shower and the water never got hot and the tub filled with water as u showered, the the faucet continued to drip well after i shut the water off. Everywhere it is posted that it is a non-smoking facility, but the elevator smelled like marijuana and there were cigarette butts and other trash all over the property on the outside. Who ever was mopping the lobby floor in the morning must have been using an old mop cos the halls smelled like a dingy dish rag. Will never return to this hotel. Two stars only because the staff didn't try to argue with me when I said I wanted a new room and the same when I wanted to check out early."

"Look elsewhere! We booked two rooms this weekend here. Both rooms where filthy dirty and smelled nasty. Sheets looked like they had not been washed, the pillows even worst they had a nasty smell. The sofa chair was stained and filthy dirty as well as the curtains. Bathroom looked like it had not been cleaned, the tub had hair everywhere! The water came out super dirty, seems like they need to replace their rusty pipes! Breakfast is not free and definitely not worth paying for, cold and not very many options. In conclusion a total disappointment and definitely would not recommend!"