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Nashville’s Drury Inn & Suites: A pleasant surprise

I had never heard of the Drury Hotel chain before this Christmas. I just knew that I had to spend two separate nights near the Nashville airport, and when I looked at the pet-friendly hotels in the area, the Drury Inn & Suites was not only top of the list, but it also ranked #4 of 143 hotels in Nashville.

I have to admit, it doesn’t look like much as you’re arriving. It’s in a row of modest, airport-type hotels (La Quinta, Embassy Suites, Red Roof Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express), all of which look exactly the same. But God’s in the details, as they say, and this particular Drury Inn, at least, pleased at every turn.

First of all, it was no more than 5 minutes away from the airport. The lobby was inviting (and indeed, gathered people in sociable groups), and the property was well-maintained.

Our room was nothing special — if you’ve been in any of the other hotels listed above, you know what to expect — but it was spotlessly clean. The entire staff, from front desk to housekeeping to the maintenance guy, fell to pieces over Chloe. There was no pet fee, no charge for wi-fi, and no charge for breakfast (which was basic, but hey, it was there). There were drinks coupons. There were hot drinks and popcorn at all hours. The free hotel shuttle whisked me to the airport for an early flight.

I’m not saying the place is perfect. The walls are thin, and on our first stay we were kept up until the wee hours by noisy hall-mates. When the front desk couldn’t shut them up, though, she refunded the entire price of our room — we would have preferred the sleep, but a free room (and free without a fight, or a fuss) was an acceptable alternative. On our second stay, our room was located over the lobby — and directly over the popcorn machine, which was disturbing in a different way (I love popcorn, and the smell of fresh popping is torture for a gal on a diet).

Other details you should know: The hotel is on a major thoroughfare, so there isn’t an obvious place to exercise your dog. There is a large lawn in front of the hotel for bathroom breaks (bring your own poop bags out with you), but we ended up driving to a local marina to stretch Chloe’s legs. The dining options in the neighborhood are limited, but we had a pleasant meal at — brace yourself — the Bar-B-Cutie down the road.

Based on this experience, I would seek out Drury hotels in the future. If you look at a map of their locations, you’ll see that there are a boatload of them in Missouri and Texas, and others in nearly all of the southern states, the Midwest and Upper Midwest, and in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Kansas. If you’ve stayed in other Drury hotels with your dog, please let me know what you thought of your experience!

2 comments

  • Amy

    We stay at a Drury Inn whenever we can! Most often we stay in St Joseph, MO as our daughter attends college there, and except for one close call where our reservation was very messed up, it’s always been enjoyable. It’s just off an interstate exit, but sits high on a hill. All the staff is always very sweet to the dogs, and if there does happen to be a problem with the room the staff is quick to help (another rare occurrence). There is a HUGE grassy area behind the hotel near the indoor swimming pool area, so when we get off the elevator it’s just a quick left and then either right or left to reach the grass. The lots are behind restaurants and so there is a ton of space for the dogs (on leas only – no fencing there).

    We’ve also stayed at their sister hotel, the Pear Tree Inn, in Overland Park, KS. It’s very similar but a little more basic, and therefore, a little cheaper. There’s a grassy area behind the hotel adequate for ‘relief’ walks but it is right by busy roads. We haven’t had any noise issues at either hotel even though they were solidly booked, but perhaps we just lucked out with the type of guests there. Because you can accumulate points so much faster than other hotels for a free room, we often look for these first. They’re expanding – slowly, but surely.

    Two of the ones we’ve stayed at were just recently remodeled, even though they weren’t all that old, so it was nice to know they seem to be staying up on the properties. I hope that continues to be the case.

  • Thank you so much, Amy! It’s one thing for me to leave a review, but quite another for someone like you, who’s been to more than one example — so useful for other readers/travelers.

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