OverviewLocated about a 3-minute drive from the nearest Interstate 75 on-ramp and a 10-minute drive from the Knoxville's city centre, the Clarion Inn Knoxville is geared towards road travellers who require a hotel with a free breakfast, an outdoor pool and easy highway access.
Each of this hotel's air-conditioned guest rooms comes equipped with free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Rooms with a microwave, a mini-fridge and a balcony are also available, as are smoking, non-smoking and wheelchair-accessible rooms.
The hotel also offers a seasonal outdoor pool, a fitness room, meeting/banquet space, a business centre, laundry services, a free breakfast and free parking. Pets under 20 lbs are permitted for an additional $20 per pet, per night.
Knoxville Convention Center can be found about 7 minutes away by car, while Merchant Village Shopping Center is 5 minutes away on foot. The University of Tennessee is roughly an 11-minute drive from the hotel and McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is a 20-minute drive away. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets under 20 lbs are $20/pet/night, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: November 16, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's location, rates and staff.
Many guests praised the hotel's location. They found it easily accessible, as well as close to restaurants, downtown Knoxville, highway access, shopping, the University of Tennessee and World Fair Park.
Numerous reviewers were pleased with the hotel's rates, describing them as affordable, excellent and reasonable. One guest noted, "It was a great hotel for the price. I have stayed at more costly Hotels that were not as nice".
The hotel's staff were the source of several compliments by travellers. They were characterized as friendly, accommodating and helpful with sightseeing suggestions.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the rooms and noise transfer.
Although the majority of reviewers reported clean and comfortable rooms, some guests were disappointed with their lodgings. They reported small-sized rooms, dated decor, worn furniture and poor Wi-Fi signals.
Noise transfer was mentioned by a few travellers. They reported traffic noise in rooms facing the highway, as well as noise from other guests in the hallways and adjacent rooms.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.9 out of 5 with an 86% recommendation rate from 96 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #47 of 92 Knoxville hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 51 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.1 out of 10 from 13 reviews.
The author called the hotel on November 16, 2013 to verify some information.