Howard Johnson Express Inn S. Lake Tahoe

The good: Close to all the action. Room was just OK.
The bad: Curb appeal not good. Stayed on the first floor and could hear every person passing by our room. Could also hear footsteps of upper floor at 6:00am
The ugly: the included breakfast was a joke. Bread and some spreads, cereal coffee and muffins that were pre cut into four pieces with two small tables. That’s it!
For the price we paid I’m sure I could get something better!

We booked this hotel at 50 dollars plus three thousands points. Pretty cheap in this location.
So everything is normal the furniture is pretty old and the bath room is very small.
But in the end they charge us extra for safety box in the room which we never used which is a unexpected unpleasant surprise.

Dunno if I just got lucky with the room, but during dead weeknights on Tahoe they do $ 40 a night and for that price it was good. Seemed a little more solidly built than the usual budget motel up here (most of which are from the Sinatra era and are super rickety and terrible for sound privacy). Comfy bed, Charter Business TV, very decent continental breakfast, no cleanliness issues whatsoever. Great WiFi too. Got a fridge in the room, no microwave though, so those aren’t universal.

Summary: I wouldn’t stay here again.
It wasn’t the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in, but I’ve stayed in nicer for less. Granted, it was South Lake on a Saturday night, but it was too expensive for what it was. Bed was comfortable, probably the best part of our stay. But the doors weren’t insulated and you could see light coming through the cracks, as well as any and every noise possible. We returned from dinner and it smelled like diesel from the parking lot bc the doors were so poorly insulated. The tv reception was shoddy, some channels came in, some were staticky. The showerhead was pretty low and the whole bathroom was outdated. The water pressure was awful. Appreciated the check in/​out times though and the service was nice.

Stayed here for a last minute trip. Decent rates, room was clean, continental breakfast is simple, pool and spa. 5 minutes walking distance from beach. After reading reviews, I expected alot less but was pleasantly surprised and pleased with what we got. I’d stay here again.

Not bad, spent 2 nights here. Bed was comfortable, room was clean. We spent very little time in the room and we were out exploring, hiking, swimming, SUPing etc. I got a great deal on the room rate. Pool area could use some upgrades. Friendly, attentive staff. This place is close to EVERYTHING!!! Would stay here gain, for sure

I don’t know why this place gets such low ratings. We loved it! It was a great value for the cheap price, especially given the central location in South Lake Tahoe. We were able to walk to breakfast, the beach, and even to the Heavenly Village shopping plaza for dinner/​drinks in the evening. The room itself was minimal, but it had a comfortable bed, chairs, a small table, a refrigerator, a tv, and a bathroom/​shower with a hair dryer. This is all we needed because we spent at least 75% of our time outside… isn’t that why people visit Tahoe?
We will stay here again if we choose to do the cheap hotel route, rather than a cabin or campground. The hosts were very friendly and helpful at check-​in and check-​out. Thanks HJ!

Looked old but our room was updated and clean. Only issue was water was coming out of the ceiling in the bathroom from shower of room upstairs but it wasn’t a huge issue.

Old school hotel with lots of deferred maintenance. Stained upholstery and algae growth inside the shower nozzles. Rear parking lot is seedy with trash and broken glass. Front lot has weeds and a bad view and odor of the trash dumpsters and old furniture and other crap the owner needs to clear out of there. Cheap price, dog friendly, nice staff. Owner needs to clean parking lots and invest in some trash and weed clearing.

I have nothing to complain for the quality to pricing of this place. I paid about $ 90 per night (including tax and other charges) for a double queen room. Initially I was worried about how clean the accommodation would be, but it ended up being wonderful. We had no problem with the cleanliness and the staff were incredibly friendly.
In addition to this, the place also has heated jacuzzi and sell discounted ski lift tickets.

This is by far, the worst hotel we have ever been. The only positive thing I can think about this place is that it’s on a good location. Here are the things we don’t like about it. 1) bathroom is dirty. when we got there, there are some brown smudge on the side wall… yuck! 2) if you look carefully, the lamps are from the Wyndham hotel which they probably bought from them. nothing wrong about that but at least clean it a little bit. 3) TV is like the oldest TV I have ever seen. big tube TV. 4) breakfast is ok but everything is straight from a pack or bag. The place looks outdated. Not recommended!

Ho Jo is a No No! First and last time staying at any Howard Johnson’s. The jacuzzi was out of order. The heat in our room didn’t work. The water pressure in the bathroom is a joke. They really need to upgrade to down comforters with duvet covers. Those nasty old bedspreads are just too scary. I think the local Motel 6 probably would have been better and cheaper. I do have to say that the location is good (close to the casinos and Heavenly) and the continental breakfast, while very basic, was appreciated.

Hotel is located right on the strip in Tahoe and is only blocks away from the Nevada state line. The rooms are good and the only problem we had was the key didn’t work multiple times because the front desk associate said the lock mechanism gets wet and gets damaged and then the lock doesn’t work all the time. It seems like they should get these changed out and figure out why there are so many problems with their keys.
Otherwise everything else was fine. I would stay here again if I had to but there are plenty of options on the strip.

Terrible… just absolutely terrible. I would highly discourage anyone from staying here. Bed has stains, bathtub leaks, beds are hard, ceilings have signs of water damage, and their maintenance guy is a tweaker that exchanges his work for a place to stay. Only nice person was the general managers son who seemed to work ²⁴⁄₇.

Very mediocre. Looks like there is ALOT of water in the ceilings, paint chipping on all the furniture, chairs are totally gross with stains, window coverings are ripped, bathroom needs a lot of work, and to top it all off… before we got into bed tonight, there was a large YELLOW STAIN on the sheets. The front desk brought sheets and offered to put them on– which was great!
Stay away at all costs. You get what you pay for, that’s for sure!

Returned after four years for another weeklong Spanish Language Institute at the college nearby and had this place as my «dorm» for the week. Once again, I found it clean and serviceable, with a good bed. No more Gold Bond itch powder! Some nice shampoo and conditioner have replaced it. The family who run the motel will really try to make your stay comfortable. They provide a continental breakfast now. And, I am happy to report that they have new lighting in the rooms that provides not only good light, but also three extra electrical outlets – so you no longer need to bring your own extension cord.
There are some pretty harsh reviews here on this place. But you can’t compare it to a fine resort, for Pete’s sake. It’s a budget motel, with rock bottom prices and not many frills. Worked for me.

We called here last minute after calling 2 other hotels. These guys answered and reserved us a room and waited an hour for us to show up at midnight. We got there and the man in front was absolutely a delight and very kind. He got us a room with 2 queen beds. Once I had been assigned a room I asked where the nearest handicap parking was to the room and he upgraded us to a bigger room, on the ground floor, right outside a handicap parking for the price of a basic room. Needless to say we were taken care of last minute and they treated us like royalty. Very pleased with the clean room, big shower, clean sheets and pillows. I would absolutely stay here again and would recommend everyone to do the same.

DON’T DO IT!
No seriously, don’t even bother reading my review. Just don’t consider coming here and move on.
I was in the room with 3 queen sized beds and it was disgusting. There was a ridiculous amount of water damage on the ceiling, where I was even concerned if I should be breathing it in or not. The room I was in is suppose to be «good for small family» (quoted from their website) and it definitely is not, especially when it comes to getting ready. In the bathroom there is no fan and they lock the window so you can barely open it, which made it difficult to keep the room un-​stuffy post 5 showers. Also, people were constantly outside the window talking or smoking, which made it even more difficult. Hopefully you don’t care about privacy! The shower was scarily slippery. I’m surprised and very lucky that I didn’t fall. The heater/​AC in the room didn’t have a setting besides cold (which was suppose to be hot) or even colder, so you’re either chilly or super humid from all the shower steam. The «breakfast’ they provide was a joke. It was a bunch of wonderbread next to a toaster, unripe bananas, and muffins from Costco.
Never again. ⁰⁄₁₀ would not recommend.

horrible experience!
my wife and i booked this thru expedia, seemed like a good easy spot for $ 70/​night.
greeted by the owner was nice, once we got to the room we were appalled.
we found the door to the room held open by the lock, and the maid was coming out with her pizza hut box that she just heated up in the microwave! now that we have a pizza hut smell to the room i examined it more. found long black hair on the shower walls, disgusting.
overall, the room is very cheap. never been updated. we called expedia and cancelled, eating a $ 68 charge for canceling.

Drove to Tahoe for a quick early season snowboard trip, and was looking for a budget friendly room. (I usually stay in a cabin).
The highlight of this place is the friendly owners that greet you.
Everything else about this place is terrible. Everything is very very basic. The room was not what I would consider clean… Dusty lights, bathroom fan, etc. The wall in the bathroom near the shower was literally falling apart. The hallway door didn’t close automatically which is a fire hazard and allowed cold air right outside your door and made the temperature drop drastically inside the room at night. I woke up the two nights I was there freezing despite having the heater on.
On a positive note, the room did have four walls, a television and a bed with sheets and pillows as promised!
Needless to say, I won’t be back. Even at $ 50-​$ 70/​night it’s overpriced. I’d pay happily pay twice that for the reasonable accommodations promised online.