On the web, the Best Western Suites on Macon Cove in Memphis looked good--just off I-40 (our route), high speed internet access, the usual things I look for. And it's Best Western, so there's quality control, right?
The directions provided on the hotel web site were confusing at best, but with our Magellan unit we finally found it. The check-in clerk took great pains to explain to us that it was an independent franchise, not affiliated with Best Western, and that they "didn't rent to any of those undesirables," which was why it was almost empty.
He put us in a ground floor room, right off the parking lot and at the end of the row away from the office, "for privacy."
We opened the door and were almost knocked down by the smell of disinfectant. We tried to contact the manager, but his sign said, "Back in a few minutes." Twenty minutes later, we decided to go eat and come back. On the way back, we saw a great-looking Fairfield Suites across the street, and I made an executive decision--I booked us there. The room was clean, the rate reasonable, the hotel was great.
I went back across the street to get our bags and tell the manager about the problem. I opened the door to our room, and saw that the bathroom door was closed--we'd left it open! I tried it and it was locked. I knocked--no sounds. I rattled the knob--no response. That was enough for me. I decided I'd interrupted a thief, so I grabbed the bags and left the room.
I told the manager about the unsatisfactory condition of the room, and that we couldn't contact him to have him change it, so we'd made other arrangements. Before i could say anything about the locked bathroom, he turned away and said, "So you're checking out."
I said, "No we're cancelling our reservation, so don't make any charges," and left. I wasn't going to argue, but if there's a charge on my VISA for the room, I'm certainly going to contest it.
Maybe this was all on the up-and-up, but both my wife and I had a bad feeling from the beginning about this hotel. I suggest you find a more user-friendly, and hopefully safer, one.
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