Econo Lodge Near Motor Speedway

It's been decent overall, and I don't get bothered here. The place is quiet, and the other guests leave me alone. There's free morning coffee with three kinds of sugar and two creamers, including French vanilla. No pool. It's a basic hotel with the usual necessities, and staff are reliable most of the time, but not always. The day before my last day, which I hadn't told them was my last, I left my towels out on time and they took them without leaving replacements. Some staff are kind, some aren't. Some don't speak English fluently or at all, but it doesn't affect much. If they don't understand, they use Google Translate. The washers and dryers occasionally eat your quarters and waste your money. They're old, but get the job done, at $2 per load. My toilet was half broken, and the toilet, washer, and dryer were extremely dirty. Rates are a bit higher than nearby hotels.

The room was three stars for me, but $90 for one person felt pricey in a place that isn't very touristy. I had the exact same room, actually a little better, at a Motel 6 in Gatlinburg for $75. I feel certain they booked the room online for $50, but the man charged me $90. I watched him do it right in front of me. That love of money in our society ruins just about everything.

Check-in went well, but the room door looked as if police had forced their way in. The deadbolt was broken. There were three adults in our party, and the beds weren't sized for two adults. During the night, someone stole things from our friend's truck. The items were replaceable, but in the morning we learned the place was near a homeless encampment. We'd stayed at five other motels on this trip, and he never thought the truck would be messed with.

There was a bad smell outside that followed us in and wouldn't go away. The fridge kept making a popping noise, and there was nobody at the desk or answering the phone when we needed help. The shower curtain was dirty, the shower had hair all over it, and they left dirty towels for us. The manager mumbled under his breath through check-in and was very rude.