After our original hotel choice was fully booked, we searched through the recommended hotels for the wedding we were flying from Australia to attend, and chose this one, worried that it was a significant distance from the wedding venue.
We need not have worried at all. The Drury is so central to downtown and almost everywhere we wanted to see, including both baseball and football arenas and the inclines, and a short shuttle or Lyft ride from everywhere else. We walked pretty much everywhere from here with ease.
From the warm welcome we received when our friends dropped us off to the helpful staff throughout our stay to the streamlined and easy checkout, it was an absolute pleasure to be in this hotel. The breakfast - while extremely limited for me with gluten and dairy allergies and hubby with a dairy allergy - was enough. The coffee was nice enough and the availability of decaffeinated was a blessing not seen in most places (even if the pots regularly ran out). The Kick Back rarely offered anything either of us could eat, but the popcorn was a nice touch and surprisingly allergy-safe. Together with the Pantry (which I found by accident on our second-to-last day) the thoughtfulness of the Drury was a blessing.
Our stay was not without issues, however - housekeeping failed to fill towels on three of our seven days and failed to attend at all on two days, the beds were unbelievably soggy and lopsided, the pillows were either feather (which I had requested to be removed) or soggy foam (thank goodness for memory foam travel pillows), and the lack of block-out curtains in the bedroom (and no window in the living area at all) was an issue with very early wake-ups at dawn. But they were such minor issues compared to the positives of the room - a great shower with plenty of hot water (but the shower curtain always leaked onto the floor and the refillable amenities are poorly positioned - I belted my elbow on it every day for 7 days - and there is limited in-shower shelving for personal amenities), room on the vanity to leave toiletries out for the stay (but the hair dryer was near-useless and there was no universal plug for shavers, nor was there a make-up mirror), plenty of closet space and plenty of hangers (but no in-room safe for passports) and a security lock on the door. The couch was comfortable enough and the empty bar fridge (without those silly sensors in most other places that charge you for even moving their overpriced rubbish) was absolutely wonderful. Bins in every room meant I did not have to keep moving the bathroom bin to the bedroom like I have in other places. And the air conditioning was amazing - staying happily at the low temperatures we set, though the bedroom one turned itself off during the night a few times.
The third floor - at least, our end of it - was so quiet. We were near the rear elevators (off the Bistro) but we didn't hear anything, and if there was anyone in the rooms nearby, they were either exceptionally quiet or the walls are nice and soundproofed. The peace and quiet made for a very relaxing stay. The room also had easy access to the stairs, which we used more than the elevators for a bit of exercise.
The Lobby area with its amazing array of seating was wonderful - right down to the private Business carrels in the corner affording a modicum of privacy for diners such as myself when breakfasting alone. We did not have an opportunity to view or use the pool. Wi-Fi was better than most places we've stayed and more than did the job for our needs.
I was disappointed that I could not get anything from the Bistro, as there was nothing available that was both gluten-free and dairy free. Staff advised they did not have anything to suit me at all - however, the plethora of restaurants within an easy stroll was astounding, and we never wanted for good and allergy-safe food for our entire stay.
All in all, it was a wonderful stay, and this serendipitous decision was in fact the best decision, as the Drury chain has now become one of our top two go-to hotels when we are looking to return to the US (which we definitely will do!). Thank you for a lovely, peaceful stay :)
