The Best Western Riverside in Macon, GA was a perfect place to rest our heads as we drove from Tampa, FL to Knoxville, TN. It was $60 for one night and it suited our needs just fine.

There was a bar attached to the lobby, and the smell of smoke was plainly evident while I was checking in. I was worried this smell was going to be in the room, but it turned out not to be the case.

This is an older hotel, but it's clean and well-maintained. My biggest complaint is that the walls are fairly thin and conversations in the hallway are clearly audible. Fortunately we always travel with a small fan for background noise while we sleep, and the thin walls weren't really an issue for us.

The breakfast was fairly generous. There were eggs, gravy, biscuits, a waffle maker, muffins, as well as several cereals. The coffee was hot and fresh and there was plenty of it, as well as apple juice and orange juice. It wasn't a 5-star brunch buffet by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a good way to fill up your belly before you jump back on Interstate 75 and head on to your destination.

For 60 bucks, you get what you pay for (and maybe even a little more). We make the trip from Tampa to Tennessee fairly often and we'll be staying here again.

We only stayed 1 night, but our room was very clean and everything went well. It was easy to find. The breakfast was good and service was great. The only thing I didn't like was they had 4 pillows on each bed and they were either very hard or very soft. Didn't get the sleep I was hoping for, but I managed. I still would recommend this to everyone.

Upon check in I notice there was only one clerk working the front desk. The lobby was over crowded with guest and lots of young teens. Both lobby computers were being used and the clerk was being asked questions over and over by the lady at one of the computers. The front desk clerk told the lady at the computer that she'd be with her in a moment after checking this rude woman in front of me in...that woman stomped her feet and walked over leaving the clerk in the middle of checking her in to assist a lady at a computer. I thought maybe they were kin or something, but it turns out this lady just had a bad day.

This hotel needs two people working at the same time when there is a group reservation showing up. I wanted to just get to my room, but I waited not only for the lady that decided she'd show out and help someone at the computer, but there were people lined up at the long desk asking other questions that could have waited I'm sure.

The front desk clerk quickly with a smile checked me in after the rude guest was gone and the person at the computer seemed happy and waved at the front desk clerk on the way back to wherever she came from. That front desk clerk has a lot of character to put up with what that guest was dishing out unexpectedly. The owners need to consider giving a helping hand when in a tight bind like this so everybody can be accommodated quickly or quicker.

The hotel lobby stunk and smelled of cigarettes. The floors were dingy looking and the room that I stayed inside of was old and out of date. Oh, and the hotel lobby restroom was a joke! I would not recommend this hotel to anybody except low life drunks that enjoy smoking and having a good time. This is not a suitable place for families with children. And the clerk looked like she was over worked and hurt by the way that rude guest acted when she told the lady on the computer that she'd be with her in a moment.

After being told that check out was at 11am and a free breakfast was served, I put all the issues behind me. That breakfast room was a joke, I left after walking around early the next morning observing just to get a cup of coffee. The food was not fit for an animal to eat. Terrible service for free food and the breakfast attendant was sitting leaning against a table in another room connected to the breakfast room.

I could not wait to get out of Macon, Georgia, so I just checked out only to find the same clerk working that morning with a smile on her face, God bless her for being kind. The world could use more people like her that are obviously underpaid and overworked in customer service. The owners should value an employee like her.