Because I had a meeting in O'Fallon, I had two choices: The Super 8 or the Ramada. I selected the Ramada based on the photos on AMEX's web site. It looked slightly better than the Super 8.

It is located right off the freeway in St. Peter, MO. It is the only hotel at that exit. I arrived pretty late at night and was surprised that even though there are a few fast-food restaurants on that same road (there's a Hardee's directly next door to the hotel), apparently all but the McDonald's close at 10 p.m. If you're driving to that area, stop somewhere along the way or you'll go to bed hungry.

The hotel is a fairly basic, roadside hotel. It looks like it might have been redecorated in the past couple of years, but with a limited budget. The woman who checked me in was nice enough.

There is no elevator in the hotel. I was a bit surprised when she directed me to the stairs around the corner from the front desk. There is a tiny 2-3 table breakfast area and a small sitting area in the lobby.

The room is fairly large, with the bath area right as you open the door, then the bed, and finally a couch and table. I'll be honest, when I first opened the door, my heart sank. I was tired and hungry and the first impression was not good. The carpet has definitely seen better days and it was pretty dark in the room, even after flipping all the switches I could find. There is a small sink area outside the bathroom and the bathroom itself is really small, just a toilet and tub. No counterspace, except in the outside sink area.

However, the bed was comfortable and it seemed like the sheets were clean. After I woke up the next morning, I was less critical. The bathtub has a faux granite surround, the tub seemed clean, there's even a ceiling fan and while the carpet is still dingy, I was not as disappointed as I was the night before. I believe that they provide internet service as well, but I got in too late and left too early to do anything with it.

Check out was provided by a friendly young woman. There was a small continental breakfast in the lobby as well. It is obviously a family-run hotel and it seems as if they at least try to run a clean hotel. While I'm not sure that I would be back in the area any time soon, I might consider this hotel again for one night.