Overview
Located about a 15-minute drive from downtown Columbia just off Interstate 20, the Knights Inn Northwest Columbia is geared towards road travellers who require an economical hotel with extended kitchen amenities, easy highway access and an outdoor pool.
This hotel has 68 air-conditioned guest rooms, each offering one or two double beds or one king bed, free Wi-Fi, cable TV (with free HBO), a desk and an iron and ironing board. Rooms with a kitchenette are also available, as are rooms with wheelchair accessibility. Both smoking and non-smoking rooms are available.
The hotel also offers a seasonal outdoor pool, a sun terrace, one meeting room, guest laundry, vending machines, a free continental breakfast and free parking. Two pets up to 25 lbs are permitted for $10 per pet, per night.
Columbo's Italian Eatery is a 3-minute walk around the corner, while Riverbanks Zoo and Garden can be found 6 minutes away by car. Bush River Mall Shopping Center is about a 15-minute walk eastward. The University of South Caroline is about 15 minutes away by car, and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) is roughly a 20-minute drive south of the hotel. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, 2 pets/room permitted for $10/pet/night, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: July 22, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with compliments going to the hotel's value, location and rooms.
Numerous guests were satisfied with the hotel's value, and described the rates as cheap, decent, reasonable and low. One reviewer remarked, "would definitely stay again if an economic room is what I was looking for!".
The hotel's location was praised by many lodgers. They found it to be safe, as well as close to restaurants, the highway, shopping, Riverbanks Zoo, the University of South Carolina and downtown.
Several lodgers were pleased with their accommodations at the hotel. They described their rooms as clean, spacious, well equipped and functional, with comfortable beds, good air conditioning and strong Wi-Fi signals. It should be noted, however, that some reviewers had complaints about their rooms (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the rooms and the free breakfast.
Although several guests were pleased with their spacious and well-equipped rooms, some reviewers had complaints about their accommodations. They reported worn and thin towels, cigarette odours in non-smoking rooms, some cleaning issues and some plumbing issues. A few guests also made mention of their rooms being in front of the hotel's trash cans, which caused bad odours.
Some patrons were disappointed with the hotel's free breakfast. They described it as being only powdered doughnuts and coffee, and recommended going elsewhere for breakfast.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 2.9 out of 5 with a 67% recommendation rate from 45 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 7.3 out of 10 from 16 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #62 out of 91 Columbia hotels with an average rating of 3 out of 5 from 16 reviews.
The author called the hotel on July 22, 2013 to verify some information.