We stayed at The Red Carpet Inn overnight on March 28, 2008. We were skeptical as to what to expect due to the mixed reviews on this site.

We were given a room on the 1st floor which was neat & clean. Clearly there had been recent renovations as all bathroom fixtures were new (Toilet, sink, shower). The bathroom had a new hair dryer, a small bottle of shampoo & lotion as well as 2 bars of soap, a box of tissues & of course towels. The room had a new air conditioning/heating unit which the front desk needs to activate in order for it to function. An ice bucket & plastic glasses were on the desk. The ice & soda machines are located in the lobby. Our room had a double bed (we'd requested queen but due to our late arrival all were gone), 2 end tables, a desk w/chair & a television set. Nothing fancy but definitely adequate for our overnight needs. A free continental breakfast (hot coffee/tea, bagels & doughnuts) is also included each morning.

The subway has a stop (L line) adjacent to the hotel which is a huge bonus. (the train going toward Manhattan has the entrance across (Wycoff Ave.) from the hotel. The entrance right next to the hotel only goes away from Manhattan).

We had no safety concerns w/the hotel or area. (We arrived back at the hotel well after midnight - totally safe.) There's a gas station w/ convenience store directly across the street & a small grocery store (with a comical cat) cattycorner to the hotel.

Our recommendations are to check-in to the hotel as early as possible (check-in begins at 2:00 PM). We got to the hotel well after 5:00 PM & had to stay on the 1st floor. (Lots of foot-traffic noise going to or coming from the front desk/lobby area.) Ask for the highest floor available facing the FREE parking lot. No reason not to return.

This is a great hotel for the budget traveler who just needs a place to sleep while in the city. Seven of us stayed in two rooms - two double beds each. The rooms were clean, there was plenty of hot water when we used the showers, the beds were comfortable, the staff was pleasant and there were great bagels for breakfast. The neighborhood is not that great, but in no way dangerous. We left every morning at 10:00 and returned at 1:30 am and never felt unsafe. The subway is located right in front of the hotel. Yes, it is noisy, but street noise doesn't bother me. You should probably ask for a room on the parking lot side if you are concerned about that. And yes, there is a parking lot and it's free! There is also a great diner across the street with breakfast for only $3.00 and a Latin restaurant that we didn't try.

Rooms very dirty and I was constantly shuffled from room to room everyday so that they could maximize their profit. I was put in smoking rooms that I was told were non-smoking and there were no clocks in any room, lights burned out and extremely dirty. My final room had no smoke detectors, only wires hanging from the ceiling. Stay home!

The picture of the hotel conveniently crops out the liquor store next door, the gang graffitti all over the boarded up buildings, and the obvious location in the ghetto. I was amazed to read this place is only about a year old? I would have thought it was much older, just renovated. There's little security, as you can walk right in off the street and see the doors upstairs, which are flimsy.

I've never stayed in a place so utterly devoid of amenities...no clock, no ice bucket, no phone book, no remote, no toilet paper. Had to go downstairs to fetch a roll, they wouldn't bring one up. Even the Gideons had forsaken this place, and no bible was left for the inhabitants. The room was clean enough, if a bit musty smelling, it was nicely decorated though. Mattress felt old, as if it had been hauled in there second hand. Or perhaps the rent-by-the-hour clientele wears them out. Yes, it does happen there.

Bring your own ethernet cable, and hope it's working that day. The "wi-fi" only works in the lobby by the front desk, and there is no place to sit. Not even a chair, nothing. You stand and hold your laptop or sit on the floor or stairs.

The staff is pleasant enough, although somewhat hard to understand, especially behind the solid wall of bulletproof glass. Don't bother asking them a thing about the area, they don't know. Or perhaps they're too afraid to venture outside, too.

No place will deliver food there, and no taxi will stop. We only saw one cop car there the three nights of our stay. Too dangerous. But the subway is right across the street, which is a good thing.

The thing that amazed us, was the presence of teeth marks on the furniture. Rats had obviously chewed on the nightstand and little desk. I doubt they had been in the room chewing on it, but looked like it had been in storage and it got chewed up by rats. In which case, why put that furniture in the room at all? Or at least take a brown magic marker and try to disguise it!

I uploaded a couple photos, so you can see it for yourself.

Quite a cultural experience. Not again, though.