I am sure you may have noticed that I tend to be very brand loyal when it comes to hotels and my usual choices are Marriott, Holiday Inn or Omni. However, there are times when one of these hotels isn't available or is so overpriced that I have to try to find an alternative, this was one of those cases. The Comfort Inn in Clarion was well located and well priced and therefore I decided after considerable research on Trip Advisor to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed.
The hotel is two-story and you enter through the lobby, the rooms are not accessible directly from the exterior. The lobby is not exceptional about the lobby but you will immediately see the pool and spa which is directly ahead of you as you enter. Across from the desk, coffee is available and in the hall is an ice machine.
This hotel has smoking rooms and that is one reason I usually am not a big fan of Choice Hotels. If you want to be away from them, be sure to make your preference known. The first room assigned to us would have been too close to the smoking section to be comfortable. It is also important to note that there is no elevator so if your room is on the second floor, you will need to carry your luggage up the stairs. We opted for the first floor and got room 106. It is located right next door to the breakfast room.
Did I mention that breakfast is included? It is and is quite an adequate spread. Scrambled and boiled eggs, sausage, two kinds of bagels, three choices of cold cereal and make your own oatmeal, two kinds of bread to toast, English muffins, Danish and mini muffins, yogurt, fruit cocktail (the canned variety) and make your own waffles which can be had with strawberries and cream or syrup. The one problem is a small breakfast room with only 5 tables and a few bar seats. The room could hold a couple more tables and it would be a good idea to add them. People were walking out in disgust or standing around making those eating feel uncomfortable.
The room
The king room was spacious. The bed had modern bedding with a white duvet and coverlet in a neutral color. It had five pillows which while not feather or down were what most people prefer, however, the mattress was soft. A flat-screen TV sits on the dresser across from the TV. There are 70 channels available including HBO. Soundproofing was good and we were not disturbed by any noise.
The room also has a sofa which converts into a bed. There is a large desk working area. As you enter the room there is a closet with an ironing board and iron and a luggage rack. There is also a bar area with a small sink, microwave, and fridge. The coffeepot is located on the desk which seems a bit odd but at least there was a coffee pot.
Location
One thing that this hotel has going for it is its location. It is less than a mile off of the interstate and adjacent to a small mall. In the mall, there is a K-Mart and several other stores and also a very good steak restaurant. It is nice to be able to walk out to dinner and leave the car parked at the hotel.
Condition
Overall the hotel was in good shape. The room was clean with only a little bit of mold located on the caulking behind the tub in the bathroom. The sink was also cracked as were a few of the floor tiles and there was rust on the frame of the door. The closet door was very difficult to close once it was opened so it only got opened once. The wooden furniture had its share of nicks, scratches and, gouges but the carpet looked in good condition as did the bedding. The air conditioner worked great and kept us very comfortable.
Staff
The woman at the desk was very helpful and gave us a coupon to use at the steakhouse which got us a 10 percent discount. She also made sure we had a room away from the smoking area which I really appreciated.
The all-important question, would I stay at the Comfort Inn again? Yes, I would. The location is convenient and the overall condition and amenities are good. There are a few small details that could be better but we slept well and at the end of the day, that is what is the most important.
No comments:
Post a Comment