Howard Johnson Inn & Suites/Kings Dominion

If at all possible, I would avoid this hotel/​motel. Its situated at the end of a cul de sac, next to an abandoned buffet restaurant and two other motels. There was a strange smell once you entered the lobby and the smell in our first floor room was even stronger.
We had a hard time getting into the room, b/​c the room keys were not activating the door. Probably user error, but inconvenient nonetheless. Once in the room, my son noticed several dead bugs stuck in the crevice of the window sill and the couch was stained by who knows what.
Basically, we could not get over the smell so we swallowed the cost of the online reservation and left even though they tried to offer us another room.

I’ve stayed in many hotels. This was not the worst but close. The overall appearance was decent. It looked newer from the outside and the inside was decent. The staff I dealt with were very friendly. The breakfast was average for continental. The room was of average size with two beds that seemed to be small queens if that’s possible. There were 4 of us as per my reservation, however only 3 towels and 3 cups. There was no coffee pot, no iron or ironing board, no alarm clock or any other clock and no blow dryer. The book of information was outdated. The air worked but there was a bed/​bench over it which blocked proper air flow. I slept on the far side of the room from the AC and was hot all night. The room smelled of stagnant, stale air and just over all odd. The tub looked a bit dirty, I found food scraps throughout the room. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized since they allow pets. So for a cheap night it beats certain other chains but I will not stay there again.

Stayed here for the night before taking the kids to Kings Dominion. Hotel was right off the highway. Room was in second floor. Whole floor smelled like weed. Beds where not comfortable. Beyond firm, stiff. Kids liked the waffles. Free wifi. It worked for $ 50

Hard to find hotel. Smelled bad. Front emtrance nice however once inside we had an uneasy feeling. we were supposed to stay thetr two nights but we didn’t feel comfortable so I cancelled our second night. Pillows had to cushion. I will say that they were nice enough to only charge me ½ night for my cancellation as opposed to charge me the full second night. If you are heading to Kings Dominiom i think there are better and closer hotels. Do your homework before you book here.

This place reeks of curry and cigarette smoke! I could not identify what our actual room smelled like– it was something awful. We had issues with our A/​C cutting off at random times and certain outlets were not working. We stayed two nights, just coming in for the weekend at Kings Dominion and to check out some historical sites, so we were not in the room much.
We only wanted something basic, we were not looking for a luxury room, but we will for sure not be back. I had to wash everything when I got home and am still paranoid about smelling curry!

Not bad at all. We stayed one night before going to Kings Dominion. (Really close to the park) We couldn’t find the place for a few minutes because it’s tucked away right by the highway exit, with no huge sign like the surrounding hotels. The exterior of the hotel looked pretty damn nice… and not only because it’s right next to what looks like the Bates motel.
It wasn’t spotless, but for $ 60/​night I think it was pretty damn perfect. I felt comfortable enough to take off my socks and shower naked, so I guess that says something.
Stay here, I would do it again.
**They also had make your own waffles for breakfast, which my partner was pretty stoked on. I had a nice bowl of instant oatmeal (GO VEGAN!)

Aweful! A roach crawled across my husbands chest in the middle of the night!
Need I say more!

We visited Virgina to spend an awesome weekend at Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion. After some map searching, we settled on Ashland, as it would set us up for an easy drive to Kings Dominion. Our last visit at a HoJo’s was a joke… it was horrible, but cheap… but after seeing some pictures online, I rolled the dice and hoped for the best.
First order of business was trying to find the hotel at night. The Garmin said we had arrived, but despite seeing many other hotels, there was no HoJo’s to be found on N. Carter Road. A call to the hotel solved our problem. FYI, it is on N. Carter, but you have to drive out past the truck stop, out to where it looks like it dead ends. Turn right at the T, and hang another quick right. It really is back there, behind the truck stop. According to the front desk clerk, the road was re-​routed and hid the hotel.
For $ 77a night, it was perfectly acceptable. The room was clean, simple, and worth the $ 77. A few gripes included a horribly flat pillow (1.5″ lift, seriousy) and the inside of the air conditioning unit had a pile of either mouse nesting material or pigeon dung. It was pretty gross, and I was kind of repulsed to realize I had been inhaling air that had been conditioned with this substance. Other than that, the room was fine. No smells. No major stains. Clean bathroom. The room was located on the 2^nd floor near the elevator, but there wasn’t much noise, either human or machine. Granted, we did arrive after 11 PM.
Breakfast was also included. Make ‘em yourself waffles, cereal, juice/​coffee, and some light pasteries and mini-​bagels. Was fine, but some fruit would have made the offerings more continental.
The fella at the front desk-​who apparently was stuck with a 12 hour shift, as he was there upon check-​in and check-​out-​was helpful, cheerful, and wished me a happy Father’s Day. Sign at the front desk advertised that dogs can stay for $ 10 extra per day; no cats allowed.
Overall, Hojo’s can run the gamut, from trashy to acceptable. This one restored my faith in the brand… for now. It’s perfect for families headed to King’s Dominion who need a palce to sleep and are looking to save a buck. I’m handing out 4 Stars not because it is a high-​class establishment, but because it does what it claims: cheap sleep in a decent room.