We were traveling through from Cocoa Beach back to our home in Indiana when we decided to stop in Macclenny to visit an old friend of my husbands and needed a place to sleep while in town and we stopped at the Econolodge. I was somewhat leary at first because it was located right off the highway, and was certain that even though they claimed to be American owned, I highly doubted that they were. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were indeed American owned, the rates were great (under 50 bucks with AAA), and the room was spotless. Nice bed, comfy recliner, a microwave and a mini fridge that actually worked, there was also a coffee maker and hair dryer. Surprisingly they also provided wireless internet that actually worked!!! We were pleasently surprised and would definately stay again.

On January 2nd my car had broken down about 290 miles away from home. Some of the local people had stopped by and gave me a lift to the Econolodge off of I-10 in Macclenney. The owner of the hotel had no clue who I was or where I’d come from, but he had taken time to get up out of bed to help my situation. Not only did he give me advice on how to fix my car he gave me a reduced rate on the room as well. The next morning when I woke up I called around frantically trying to figure out how to fix my car before checkout time. I called up 3 different parts stores/ mechanics trying to figure out what to do but no one had exactly what I needed. I finally called up a Mitsubishi dealership in the process and they gave me a good enough parts breakdown of my car that I was going to attempt to fix it myself. When I got out to my car I realized that I didn’t bring enough tools with me in order to do this kind of job. I had practically no money just coming back from a Christmas vacation and check-out time was getting closer, now I’m starting to get a little nervous. I have my fiancé and the new puppy we had just gotten sitting on the side of the building trying to figure out what our next move would be. So Jessica and I said a quick little prayer and I went inside the lobby and asked if there was anyone who had some socket wrenches I could use in order to get through the wheel well of my car. Not even moments later someone came out with not one, but two tool boxes AND offered to help me fix my car for FREE. His name was Robert and he took apart my car in the middle of the parking lot completely free of charge. I found out later that Rob was just visiting Florida and his mother owned the Econolodge that he was staying at. Even after Rob assessed the problem and willingly took my car apart all the way to the engine block he then took me up to the Advanced Auto Parts across the highway. He helped me buy just the parts I needed literally saving me anywhere from $300- $500 at least in towing and mechanic’s fees. We finally got back and the people were really nice to me and even let me extend my check-out time because we were cutting it so close. I take a look back at that day and on the facts alone…. I saved around half a thousand dollars and the hospitality was great. If I’m ever in Macclenney Florida ever again and I need a place to stay I know that they’ll do their best to make sure I’m taken care of and I would recommend it to anyone driving through. So on behalf of a thankful Enlisted member I appreciate their help allowing me to get back to supporting my mission, serving others.


Yours truly,

SrA Adam Ligon, USAF
Eglin AFB, Florida

We had a great stay at the hotel, the room was clean, (the rug didn't make me want to wear shoes at all times)
The beds were nice and the sheets were really nice and clean.
This hotel is AMerican owned, and the lady up front was very nice. She let my daughter break a rule slightly one night and swim in the pool for 30 minutes after the pool was closed as long as we stayed out there and watched her.
The room has a mini fridge that actually WORKS! and a coffee pot. The tub was clean (a MUST for me personally) and get this people NO MOLD NO MILDEW!!! (Thank you Lord)
The staff was very courteous and always gave us whatever we needed happily.
There was a kitty cat in the parking lot on one of the days we stayed here (we stayed about a week) and it was very sweet. She was solid black with a squeaky little cry. We gave her left over seafood from our dinner :)
My in-laws live in Macclenny and we visit often. Guess where I'm going to stay next time we come down...HERE:)

I live by the Econo Lodge. Unfortunately in Macclenny there are only three motels which I would not recommend to anyone. The other day when I was driving by this Econo Lodge they were throwing away the most awful worn dirty looking mattresses. They must have been throwing all their mattresses away because there were enough to accommodate all of the rooms. I thought I feel sorry for the people who have been sleeping on them. I drive by there several times a day and I never saw anyone delivering any new mattresses so I don’t know what they replaced them with. Don't trust an establishment that lets their mattresses get that bad before throwing them away. I would highly recommend driving a few more miles towards Jacksonville and stay at a nicer establishment instead of the Econo Lodge. The Econo Lodge might be cheaper, but it is not worth it to sleep on disgusting mattresses or whatever else they just let go just to save money.