Americas Best Value Inn, Ruston

... but I won't make the same mistake again. First of all, this is not a Best Western. Don't be fooled by the big signs out front or the state signs on the interstate or the logo that comes up on the TV. I couldn't get my travel points because this location hasn't been a BW since November 2005. Best Western should get their signs down because this place is giving them a bad rep. My first impression of the room was how small it was. It had a single queen bed and I've stayed in prison cells that were bigger. If this were a work place OSHA would fine them because there isn't enough square footage available to provide a healthy environment. The second thing was the road noise, my room faced the interstate. For $10 more you could get a room on the back of the building and the noise may not have been as bad but I figured I could sleep through anything, and besides I expected the noise of the heater to drown out the road noise. As I looked around I noticed how dirty the room was and how poor was the condition of the furnature. Some rocket scientist put the internet plug behind the bed. Note to future hotel managers, if you're going to make the guests pull their bed away from the wall to access the internet, clean behind the bed. The person I was traveling with had had the plug ripped out of the wall in his room, and so had no internet access at all. Did I mention how filthy the heater/ac unit was, not only was it covered with dust but the inside screen was full of leaves or mold or some other unidentifiable organic substance. The wall paper in my room could have been put up by my wife, and I haven't let her wallpaper for 25 years (for good reason). The drop down ceiling tiles were badly in need of replacement. The formica in the bathroom was delaminating in a way I didn't believe possible. The window curtains were just sad, really sad. The TV signal reminded me of when I was a kid and the kind of the reception we got out on the farm in the 1950's with rabit ear antenna's. When this was pointed out to the girl at the desk, who was very nice and pleasant, she said the wild parties that the college kids throw in the rooms on the weekends cause most of the damage. Good thing I wasn't here on the weekend. By the way, they have a lovely lobby. Probalby the nicest part of the hotel. Unfortunately you don't get to sleep in the lobby. Did I mention there is no "Welcome to our hotel" booklet in the room that tells how to use the phone system (How do I dial to get an outside line? How do I dial another room?, Hint, you don't dial the room number!) No information of what television channels might be available. No info on pool hours, check out time, services offered or what to do in case of a fire. No information on what the switch by the side of my door was for, because it sure didn't turn on any lights. In a word, disappointing. Note, the Hampton Inn across the street cost more but may have been worth the extra cost. I paid twice as much as this room was worth and it wasn't worth much.