It has been a week since I checked into the Garner Econo Lodge, Sunday, November 7th, for two nights. It was around 5:00 in the afternoon and the lady at the desk was very nice and accommodating. My room was nice and clean; what I would expect from an Econo Lodge price. However, when I woke up the next morning, I had seven tiny raised, red, itchy bumps in a row on one arm and two bites on the other arm. I got ready for work and packed up my things and put them in my car. When I told the guy at the service desk about the bites and showed them to him, he was taken aback. I asked to speak to the manager but she would not be in until 8:00. After getting to work, I called the manager who at first said the room was cleaned and that no one had reported any bugs. She said that they would get an exterminator to check out the room. I had no time to check into another hotel so she gave me another room-which I had no problems with. I immediately started putting hydrocortisone cream on the bumps and am now taking benedryl. This whole situation was unnerving but because of my job, I had no time to worry about it. Just a few words to travelers who stay in hotels, pull the covers back and check thoroughly for bedbugs! These bites are hard to prove as bedbug bites but I feel strongly that those critters got me!

I had a business meeting in Raleigh and stayed at this venue. I requested a non smoking room for the overnight stay. When I opened the door to my room there was a strong scent of cigarette smoke. It was horrible. I went to the front desk clerk to indicate they made a mistake and had given me a smoking room. They assured me it was a non smoking room. Due to the scent I requested another room but was told there were no other "non smoking" rooms. The desk manager suggested spraying the room and he did. Quite honestly the spray did not help. What irritated me even more is that I laid my clothes out for the morning meeting and apparently my clothes absorbed the scent and wreaked of cigarette smoke. Days later my outer jacket still has the smell in it. It was totally disgusting.

Additionally my bed felt like I was sleeping on a bed of bricks. I was totally exhausted in the meeting because of the lack of sleep. I wish I had chosen a different hotel.

I stayed here with my mom & son 8/9/07-8/12/07 while visiting family. This hotel is now Econo Lodge. I have stayed here a couple of times over the past 10 years when it was Comfort Inn. Now that it is Econo Lodge the exterior looks nice. The rooms are a bit outdated but it did have a microwave & refrig. There is a small swimming pool it looked clean. I didn't get a chance to use it but there was never anyone in it. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros - 1. Great location (alot of restaurants and
shopping centers nearby) Easy access to US 70 &
I40/440.
2. Price
3. The staff were friendly

Cons - 1. Pillows were very flat
2. We had to ask for extra towels everyday that we
were there. It was 3 of us and they only left a 2
sets. They never had a problem giving us extra
towels.
3. The remote control for the TV was missing the
back cover. Tape was holding the batteries which
made it difficult to turn.
4. The first night we were there the bathtub would
not hold water for me to give my son a bath.
They did fix it the next day.
5. Not much of a continetial breakfast. I brought my
own food and used the micro/fridge in the room.

I would not recommend staying here for a vacation. I probably would stay again for a day or two.

We made a reservation to stay at this hotel for one night, but when we got there, we decided not to stay. The neighborhood was a little run down, and the exterior of the hotel looked rather shabby. I looked at the room, and while it seemed clean and tidy, all the furnishings and fixtures were second-rate. But the overriding factor in deciding to leave was the overwhelming smell of--I'm not sure what--deodorizer or cleaning products. I knew that if we stayed in that room, all our belongings would take on that scent. So we moved on.