OverviewLocated just east of Interstate 65 and about a 13-minute drive from Louisville's city centre, the Fern Valley Hotel and Conference Center is geared towards business and vacation travellers who require a hotel with easy highway access and an indoor pool.
This hotel has 401 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Standard rooms offer two double beds or one king bed, while rooms with a seating area and a sofabed are also available. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request.
Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, a hot tub, fitness facilities, meeting/banquet space, a business centre, guest laundry, a games room, a playroom, a gift shop and free parking. Pets are permitted for an additional $35 per stay.
Atrium Cafe is located on site and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Infield Lounge is also on site and has billiards and a juke box. Room service is available in the morning and evening, but not between 1 pm and 5 pm.
Churchill Downs is roughly a 12-minute drive northwest of the hotel, while Jefferson Mall can be found 9 minutes away by car. The Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center is a 5-minute drive northward, the Kentucky Derby Museum is 11 minutes away by car, and Louisville International Airport (SDF) is a 6-minute drive northwest. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets permitted for $35/stay, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: June 27, 2013)
The GoodGuest reviews sourced for this analysis showed positive responses to the hotel's location, rates and pool.
Numerous guests were pleased with the hotel's location. They found it to be close to the airport, shopping, restaurants, highway access, the Exposition Center and Churchill Downs.
The hotel's rates were praised by several reviews. They were described as reasonable, cheap, unbeatable and affordable.
Several lodgers enjoyed the hotel's indoor pool. They described it as nice, relaxing and well maintained, with a friendly pool attendant.
The Bad
Guest reviews showed negative comments towards the hotel's rooms and staff.
While the majority of guests described their rooms as clean, many lodgers complained about the hotel's accommodations. They reported plumbing issues, worn decor, old furniture, stained carpets, broken phones and TVs, cleaning issues and intermittent Wi-Fi signals.
Although some reviewers were pleased with the level of customer service they received, several guests found the hotel's service disappointing. They described the staff as rude, not very knowledgeable about the area or hotel facilities and disorganized when it came to honouring reservations.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 6 out of 10 from 41 reviews.
Expedia.com guest reviews rated the hotel 2.9 out of 5 with a 62% recommendation rate from 244 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #85 of 96 Louisville hotels with an average of 2.5 out of 5 from 89 reviews.
The author called the hotel on June 27, 2013 to verify some information.
