I will preface my review by explaining that I was on a tight budget; and I was in Madison to interview for jobs and visit UW Madison. The reasons I chose the Expo Inn revolved around its close proximity to public transportation, the weekly rate, and the fact that the room would be equipped with a microwave and full fridge.
When I arrived, I was impressed with the size of my room. It was like an efficiency apartment, which is exactly what I wanted. This is where my phase of being impressed ended.
The fridge didn't work. I got a new fridge Thursday morning. I actually brought food with me from Chicago to put in the fridge, and it obviously spoiled. That added money to what I had to spend that week, thusly defeating the purpose of choosing a room with a fridge. I will say that the desk staff did send someone up to my room immediately to examine my fridge to make sure there was nothing fixable. I appreciated this, and in no way blame them for what went wrong.
Then we get to the other guests. I quickly discovered this hotel is in the "bad" part of Madison. In fact, a friend I met up with while in town told me that the area was the hotbed for illicit drugs and prostitution. I was propositioned by a tenant at the Expo Inn during my stay, which was disturbing. She was a rather interesting character with "meth teeth" and a cracked-out countenance. It was fairly frightening. I was also told recently that a man who stood trial for attempted murder (Madison is a city with a fairly low violent crime rate) of his wife/girlfriend was living where? Expo Inn. Of course.
The hotel was close to public transit, so I had no problem getting to my interviews. The staff was courteous when I chose to check out 2 days early. I can't say I recommend the hotel, but it is convenient and the staff was nice. I can't say, however, that I was completely comfortable there.