Hotel Review: Comfort Suites Airport in Nashville

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Comfort Suites Airport
2521 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville, TN 37214

Lodging date: March 15-21, 2018

Comfort Suites Airport – Nashville Review

Airport hotels are notoriously slummy, but Comfort Suites Airport in Nashville was a pleasant surprise. This 94-room property, built in 1995, is a gem in the Choice Hotels chain, and it’s my new favorite place to stay when visiting Music City. The four-story building is situated high on a hill, with no adjacent businesses, which gives it a quiet, secluded feel, but it is easily accessible to I-40, and Nashville International Airport is only 1.5 miles away.

Arrival

The spacious lobby makes a nice first impression, with modern decor, high ceilings, and chandeliers. And if you’re lucky, as I was, to check in Monday through Thursday, you’re in for another unexpected treat — a complimentary supper served in the breakfast area.

On the two nights I ate, they served barbecue pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw. Sadly, there was no dessert, though other reviewers say they received banana pudding. Some say the suppers include beer on tap, but I didn’t notice. If you want it and don’t see it, there’s no harm in asking.

The desk staff is friendly, particularly the night staff, and they have a small convenience store which sells bottled drinks, TV dinners, candy, and a few things like headache medicine and allergy medicine. The prices are reasonable, but after a week of midnight snack runs, I depleted their supplies, and they were not replenished.

There are no Coke machines or vending machines on the premises so you might prefer to bring your own snacks.

The room

I began my stay in room 306, a standard room with a king size bed. It was spacious and had two dehumidifiers, which concerned me, but I had no problems with dampness while there.

The next night, I wanted to renew my room, but they didn’t have any similar rooms available, so the desk clerk upgraded me to a presidential king suite, room 309, for the same price as a regular king suite, at $150.92 per night.

Suddenly, a nice stay became a luxurious treat.  (The downfall to swanky hotel rooms is that I never want to leave.)

The first thing you’ll notice is the red and black decor and the spacious, 520-square-foot floor plan (compared to a standard, 420-square-foot room). The suite includes a living room, bedroom, and a large bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub and separate shower. (More about that later). There is also a balcony with a sliding glass door and air conditioners and flat-screen televisions in each room.

I had a love/hate relationship with the bed. I am 5 feet and one inch tall, so most pillow top mattresses are a bit high, but this bed exceeded all reason. The only way I could get into it was to take a running jump, which was annoying. Even my considerably taller companion commented on the excessive height. A step stool would have been convenient.

Once I made it into the bed though, I didn’t care about the difficulty of getting in because I didn’t want to get back out. The bed was extremely comfortable, with crisp, white sheets that felt brand new.

The closet, with full-length mirror on the door, was extremely small, so I put most of my stuff on the long countertop in the living room.

The bathroom

The whirlpool tub came with a pet — an earwig — and looked vaguely unhygienic, so I avoided it, but the roomy, glassed-in shower was wonderful, with excellent water pressure. The double sink and granite countertop was a nice touch, as were the fluffy white towels, but it would have been improved by better lighting.

Amenities

This hotel offers basic amenities, including elevators, high-speed wireless internet, a fitness center, a business center, and a laundry area. They also offer a 1,242-square-foot event space, with table, chairs, and an LCD screen.

The indoor pool area is nice, and the skylights give it a bright, airy feel. (I’ve been told that this is being converted into an outdoor pool.) The shuttle was handy, offering transportation to the airport as well as to downtown Nashville. Since it was cold outside and I had my car with me, I didn’t use either of these amenities.

Breakfast was your typical Choice Hotels fare, which is never very remarkable. They offered the usual assortment of pastries, scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, and waffles.

No pets are allowed, which is always a bummer as I frequently travel with my dog and finding dog-friendly hotels is challenging.

Location

If you’re accustomed to stumbling out of your hotel and walking to a nearby restaurant, you’re out of luck. Though the hotel is centrally located, you will have to drive as there are no businesses immediately adjacent to the property.

However, it’s a short trip to wherever you might want to go. Opry Mills mall and the Grand Ole Opry is five miles away, and downtown Nashville (along with your closest Walmart) is eight miles away. Monell’s, an upscale restaurant, is 8.3 miles away and is an excellent supper choice.

Ratings and reviews

I’m giving Comfort Suites Airport in Nashville 4/5, only because I rarely give five-star ratings. I would happily live here.

Other reviews were mixed, with some complaining that the hotel is outdated and noisy and could be cleaner.

Renovations are currently underway and scheduled for completion by June 2018, so perhaps those issues will be resolved.
Pro tip: Ask the front desk for a recently renovated room, and try to score an upgrade.

Trip Advisor reviewers gave Comfort Suites Airport in Nashville 4/5.

The most favorable reviews noted that it “feels like a brand new hotel,” offers “good value for the money spent,” has “the best bed ever,” the room was “gorgeous and spotless,” and the front desk staff was “friendly and helpful.”

The most negative reviewers complained that the hotel “failed to deliver on the most basic of things,” “the bathroom was filthy and had some poor repairs,” “the standard of housekeeping was woeful,” the room had “a thick and heavy musty/mold/mildew aroma,” and the staff has “zero customer service ability.”

Yelp reviewers rated Comfort Suites Airport in Nashville 3/5.

The most favorable reviews noted that it was “extremely clean and comfortable” with a “comfortable bed and nice, spacious room,” “customer service here is outstanding,” it is “great for families and business folks,” and the rooms “have good lighting and plenty of outlets for electronics.”

The most negative reviews said Comfort Suites Airport “lacks fair pricing ethics,” “rooms were filthy,” “smells musty,” “the breakfast is not worth risking your health,” and “the hallways on the first floor sounded like I was staying in a college town.”

Comfort Suites Airport in Nashville Summary

Comfort Suites Airport impressed me. It was a good value compared to similar hotels, and I liked how clean and spacious the rooms were. I would definitely stay here again, but your mileage may vary.

You shouldn’t use your Choice Privileges points here. If you do, your stay will set you back 25,000-30,000 points per night. It’s a nice hotel, but that’s ridiculous. Most Comfort Suites charge 16,000-25,000 Choice Priveleges points per night.

Have you stayed here? What did you think?

Info

Comfort Suites Airport
2521 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville, TN 37214
615-391-3919
800-4-CHOICE

Price range – $98-$200+, depending on date

Choice Privileges Nights
June 1-30, 2018 – 30,000 points per room
July 1-Sept. 15, 2018 Sunday – Thursday – 25,000 points per room
July 1-Sept. 15, 2018 Friday – Saturday – 30,000 points per room

Notes: All reservations made for Friday and Saturday, or during special events, require a credit card guarantee. Check to make sure the shuttle is complimentary as some people report being charged for downtown trips. Some people also report being charged $15 for parking, though I did not experience that.