Econo Lodge Inn & Suites Macon North

We came here after evacuating from the Florida hurricanes. My online reservation had the wrong dates, and the payment was nonrefundable, but this honest business agreed to refund it and followed through. We then booked the right dates without any trouble. The room was clean and roomy enough for us to spread out. The location was excellent, close to lots of restaurants and stores. I’d definitely stay here again.

There were only three small pillows on the king bed in our “suite,” and just two towels and washcloths for the three of us. The bedspread and curtains had cigarette burns, and the room looked like it had been painted in a hurry. The curtains wouldn’t close all the way, and outside lights kept the room bright. It was extremely loud all night, from the interstate and people walking around and yelling. We’re so glad to be home, and this place should take another look at its cleaning staff. We were in town for a wrestling tournament and had run out of points, so with limited rooms and no money for another option, we had to make this work. We usually stay at Choice hotels, but this one didn’t meet Choice Hotel standards, and the online pictures didn’t match the property. The room smelled funny, with a white powdery substance on some surfaces and yellow oily stuff on others. We asked the front desk for cleaning supplies and cleaned it ourselves. Nobody offered to clean it for us. The tub, shower, and toilet were nasty, so we cleaned and sanitized everything. There were cigarette burns in the bed covers, too.

The staff were incredibly nice, and that’s the only reason we didn’t get a refund. The first two rooms hadn’t been fully cleaned, and the second had a dead roach in the bathtub. The third and final room was clean, but its sheet had cigarette burn holes and the shower ceiling looked as if it was caving in. We paid extra, thinking this place would be better than the cheaper ones nearby, but it wasn’t worth it. The only real plus was being close to Starbucks and McDonald's. We won’t stay here again.

We checked in at 4 p.m. for a spur-of-the-moment stay and left by 11 that night. The room was supposed to be nonsmoking, but the sofa had holes and the comforter, if you could call it that, had holes too. The toilet needed at least three flushes to clear toilet paper. People in the next room were smoking weed and cigarettes and being very loud in their nonsmoking room. I told the manager, asked for half my money back, and she quickly said no. She didn’t seem to care that we were leaving.