Pros
Nice scenic view of the bay, low price

Cons
Garbage and litter on beach is safety hazard, dirty rooms, seedy area, diesel fumes

The Bottom Line
This place is one notch above sleeping on the ground. It's a bed and a shower and not much more.


Full Review
I booked this hotel at the end of March as a place to stay while doing some boating around the Panama City/Panama City Beach area. For those unaware this region is known as the #1 spring break destination for the younger college and high-school crowd and you will also find a small number of older folks that travel there to watch the action too. As an experienced boater I chose this location because it has a bay which offers calmer waters for touring/sightseeing and the price can’t be beat at $54 a night.

Note that there are 3 Howard Johnson’s in the area: the first and most famous is located on 9600 S. Thomas Drive, this Hojo is the best choice for spring breakers as it is close to the nightclubs and souvenir/gift shops – everything you need is within walking distance but with convenience there comes a price – higher nightly rates. The second Howard Johnson is located on West Highway 98 in Panama City and is the one I am reviewing here, and the third is located in Panama City as well but is located very far to the east on West 23rd Street (about 45 minute drive- 1.5 hour drive during Spring Break) from the Ocean and Front Beach Road where all the “action” is.

Following local advice I followed Interstate 10 west and entered Panama City via Highway 231 South. A very friendly sandwich-maker at a Subway off of the Tallahassee exit told me that to take Highway 98 along the coast during spring break would take forever and so I followed her advice. She said that normally highway 98 along the gulf coast is a great scenic drive but at this time of the year with 200,000 spring breakers it means a lot of sitting in idle traffic. Panama City I found to be a typical small town with the usual waffle houses and small restaurants and chain restaurants except the only difference is that there are topless clubs…. And sure enough there was one right across from the Howard Johnson on West 98! The topless bar, called “The Toy Box” has a dismal exterior reminiscent of an old White Castle and there is an ever-present black BMW parked in front for effect. Read my upcoming review of Panama City/Panama City Beach for more on where to eat and what to see.

My room at the Howard Johnson was moderately clean and contained the usual hotel room amenities such as an ironing board, coffee maker, bible and alarm clock. There was a table with two chairs and a sink and 2 mirrors (one full length) outside of the bathroom which allowed a steam-free view after a shower to get dressed.

The bathroom was small and the first thing I noticed was that the exhaust fan, which was non-functional and had a loose bolt which was sticking half-way out and the plastic screen was covered with a layer of thick dust. A glance at the ceiling revealed a heat lamp with 3 bulbs that were partially covered with black mildew. Tiles in the shower and the tub were clean except for a glob of red toenail polish, and there was a lower showerhead which enabled a “bodywash” to rinse off sand and sunscreen.

The sheets and comforter appeared to be clean at first glance but the blankets which were of a beige polyester material had the telltale round burn marks where someone used them as an ashtray to snuff the life out of a few cigarettes.

The view outside of the hotel room was beautiful and faced the bay – I decided to take a step outside which required the lifting of an aluminum security bar on the sliding glass door at the rear of the room. I reached down to figure out how the latch mechanism on the sliding door would work to unlock it and noticed that whether it was locked or unlocked it would still open. The “catch” on the frame of the door was loosely held by two rusty screws and didn’t do its job. To a man that is 6Ç” and 280 pounds, licensed to carry a concealed weapon, and trained in crisis intervention and restraint, a detail such as a non-functional door lock isn’t a big deal…. but to a teenage or college-age female(s) or group of females who may be intoxicated, or who may forget to lower the security bar, it is a security risk when there are a lot of adventurous young drunk males around.

As I walked outside of the patio, which had two plastic patio chairs, I headed towards the beach and noticed that there were beer bottles and other rubbish that were just behind the green-topped gazebo and deck that were nearby the beach. The beach itself was filthy and there were cigarette cartons and a submerged bottle of Jack Daniels could be seen about 4 feet from the waters edge. I took photos of a broken bottle that was held together by a beer label. The water crept up to the beach and flowed into foul-smelling green pools of algae around the sand bars. Wearing a pair of water shoes I didn’t know whether it was better to sink in up to my knees in foul smelling sand or walk in the pools and sink in to my knees in foul-smelling green muck. Surprisingly there were a few people sunbathing on the beach who probably thought that this bay area was the actual gulf.

At the end of my stay there was an influx of high school kids who came to party and there was the sound of loud music, Nextel beep tones, and at night the sound of breaking glass from airborne beer bottles…. as well as the ever-present “WOOOO HOOOOO!!!” and “Owwwwwwwwww ooooooooooooooo!!!!!!” --- all pretty typical of spring break. A cab driver stated that many properties in the area wait until spring break has ended before they begin the cleanup and maintenance but I think they could pay someone at least $8 an hour for a couple hours to pick up trash and rake/screen the beach a couple times a day. I’m not sure if litter on the beach violates any codes there but it is definitely an eyesore and a safety hazard to children and those who don’t wear water shoes.

The room also contained a very flimsily mounted and constructed curtain rod which fell three times during my stay. The first time the curtain rod fell I put it back up myself but the second time I reported it to the front desk and they sent out a maintenance worker who put it back up. What a lousy design! The curtain rod was held in place by two coin-like things on a pivot that catch into a small rail on the curtain rod—the slightest touch and they would fall. The third time the curtain rod fell I was sitting in my room at night and a security guard who was patrolling the grounds at about 10:00 at night tapped on my sliding glass door with a flashlight and said, “You come with me RIGHT NOW!! We are reporting this!! That cost $100 !!!” He thought that I had deliberately knocked the curtain rod down and after I explained that I was over 30 years old and demonstrated that it was flimsy he calmed down and was very respectful and helped me hang the curtain rod again. After the curtain rod fell on him two times he realized that it was garbage. I can understand his attitude at the time because of all the rowdy high school kids but it was upsetting and could have been handled in a more professional manner. The way this guard approached this situation initially could have sparked a violent response from a different hotel guest. Some additional customer service training would be helpful here. I got the impression that this security guard had dealt with problems like this in the past. Just in case of legal reprisal I photographed the entire curtain rod and its mounting system and showed it to the clerk at the front desk.


Recommended
No

Rooms: Poor
Quality of Service: Fair
Location: Fair
Room Rate: US$ 54
Room Type: Double
Recommended For: Budget Travel

Squirrel,

I'm regular reader on here and I've read some of your other posts so no need to make fun. OK?

I see your point but a hotel room doesn't have to be dirty nor have people accusing me of something I didn't do. And you're right it doesn't have to be 5 star and I DIDN'T expect that at all.

Would you have paid $100 for a curtain rod you didn't bust? If you would give someone $100 for nothing then I just don't know about ya--and I'm trying to keep this at a respectable level here. I've been charged before so I know that I have to have proof--its not over the top or "out of control" as you call me at all. I've always done an inventory at hotels as I have been charged for stuff.... towels and that.

I did my research and knew exactly what was going on.

And people who do their partying doesn't bother me at all -- I just think people should pick up their stuff. What if you were out on that beach playing volleyball or something and you fell and needed to get stitches cause you cut your foot or knee from busted glass hidden in the sand? Think about it. I worked an ER for years--people get BAD cuts from glass.

What's so hard about covering a beach area once an hour to pick up garbage. This is the USA not a trash dump!

ya my bad hiker I don't know what I was thinking when I went on a rampage, so i just deleted what I wrote. Ya I would be pissed if I got all cut up while I was playing beach volleyball. Anyways how was the boating there in PCB.