Toms River Red Roof, Toms River

This place . . . where do I start? Oh yeah . . . the price! The price I paid to stay one night at this Best Western was RIDICULOUSLY HIGH. I felt like I was being robbed when I checked out. Why did I choose to stay here, you might ask? I assumed, given the price, that I would certainly be in a more luxurious room. Furthermore, Tom�s River is close to the shore, and I did stay during the peak summer season. Nonetheless, I expected a lot better then what I ended up with. I will try to be objective here, and not disparage the place due to one bad experience, because that won�t help anybody reading this review. The bottom-line is I have spent the night at Red Roof Inns that were significantly nicer, and literally a third of the price of this place. It was essentially an economy-class hotel with luxury-class rates. It was NOT the worst room that I have ever stayed in, but I definitely expected a whole lot more. I couldn�t believe how many other people were there paying the same rate. The location isn�t bad, right off the Parkway exit, across from a 7-11. One side of the building does face the river and a bridge. The parking lot was the equivalent of a sardine can. The parking lot lights were lying on the ground [they are meant to be standing up]. The air-conditioner was on, but the dial was broken and missing [I asked for assistance with this, and got none]. The website description stated that the room would have a microwave and a refrigerator, it had neither. The cocktail bar looked nice, but it was never open. The staff was pleasant enough, but didn�t seem involved. The bathroom was horrible. It had obviously been remodeled, but it seemed unfinished. The bathtub didn�t drain fast enough. I hate it when my own bathtub has me standing in water, but in a hotel room I find it particularly gross. I am not a snob when it comes to hotel rooms. I didn�t expect the Ritz Carlton here, but I certainly expected more then a no-frills off-the-highway budget hotel [which I�ve spent plenty of nights in � knowing what I was in for]. For the rates this place charges, any sane person would expect a MUCH nicer room and better amenities. I expected something like a Residence Inn or a Courtyard; I ended up with something more like a mediocre Red Roof Inn. Lastly, the pictures on the website [as of August 2006] are mostly not of this hotel, and there is no pool there.