What's the worst hotel you've ever seen? And why is it the worst?

[hunter]

26. Oh goodness. My wife and I experienced third-world Memphis as newlyweds.

We were broke and none of the motels we could afford looked appealing. So we drove around until we were lost in a neighborhood that didn't look any different than poorer places we'd seen in Mexico. The houses were disintegrating, there were random deep holes in the streets and sidewalks, mangy dogs wandering about or chained up, and electricity rigged with extension cords tied to sticks and tree branches.

We stopped at a larger grocery store for something to eat. There wasn't anything in the store that couldn't be bought with food stamps. More than half the shelves were empty. The freezers and refrigerators were mostly turned off, propped open, and empty. Milk, american cheese slices, bacon, and a few eggs were kept in the cooler with the Pepsi. There was no "fresh" produce but apples, some wilted looking carrots, and sweet potatoes.

We asked a friendly looking grandmotherly type woman about places to stay and she looked us over, a white guy and a Mexican-American woman of obviously limited means, and she said, "Honey, you are better off camping."

The place she directed us to was actually pretty nice, and it felt safe. Except for the insects. As Southern California natives we were not used to that quantity or diversity of buzzing things that bite and fly into your mouth, ears, nose and eyes. Fortunately we had a small tent. It was almost too hot to sleep, even with all the tent flaps tied open, but that was better than being eaten alive by insects and spiders.