Clarion Inn & Suites

“Comfortable Room, Great Customer Service During Masters Week.”

I was part of a security team working at Augusta National GC prior to and during The Masters Golf Tournament. My teammate and I were originally booked into a not even third world quality establishment in Augusta, but fortunately got transferred to this hotel. The PROs are many, the CONs few: PRO:... more

I was part of a security team working at Augusta National GC prior to and during The Masters Golf Tournament. My teammate and I were originally booked into a not even third world quality establishment in Augusta, but fortunately got transferred to this hotel. The PROs are many, the CONs few: PRO: 1. Room was clean and everything was well-maintained. Lights, electrical outlets, A/C, plumbing all worked well. Bed was comfortable. TV had decent channels. 2. As our shift at ANGC started at 3:30 a.m., we were shuttled to the course and departed every morning at 3 a.m. The night manager, Lashawn, realized after the first morning that she needed to have breakfast prepared by 2:30 every morning, and she did so with a super-positive attitude! And the breakfast quality was excellent: Eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, waffles, fresh fruit, cereal, pretty good coffee, and juices were on the menu, and tasted great! 3. This hotel is located within easy walking distance of a supermarket, and two very good non-chain restaurants (Aiken Fish House and The Feed Sack, both reviewed separately), plus some tolerable fast-food joints and a below average-quality Applebees. 4. There was an absence of dodgy characters loitering around the hotel, which was a big positive! CON: 1. Hotel WiFi wasn't compatible with Apple operating systems, which was surprising considering that the majority of smartphones are iPhone models. This made making additional travel arrangements somewhat difficult, as cellular coverage for T-Mobile was not strong. (There wasn't a computer available for guest use, either, but I eventually figured a work-around.) 2. The second night of my stay, a protracted argument between two guys in the room next door turned into a very loud shouting match and then a physical fight. I was just waiting for gunfire to erupt, based on the yelled threats. The walls are so thin, I could hear these dudes heavy breathing in between the commentary. When the fight moved outside to the parking lot, the local police arrived, and arrested the participants. No further dust-ups occurred during the rest of my time there.

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