Clarion Hotel of Albany

CLARION ALBANY, NY

Under new management..attended banquets and overnight stay. Banquet Staff is excellent. Bar attendant was real rude. Rooms were excellent.

Not bad for the price

This was rated as a 2 1/2 star hotel, and that was pretty much what it was. I read some bad reviews on the site, which lowered our expectations. Which was a good thing, because the hotel then exceeded them. We got a decent price for the room and the hotel wasn’t that bad. We’ve stayed in 1 star to 5 star hotels, and I rate them for the quality per price. If you want a better hotel, then you have to pay more. But if you just need a room to stay at, this is fine for that purpose.

Nothing Fancy.....

I needed a comfortable, clean hotel while overnight in Albany. Clarion’s location is certainly convenient and easy to get to from the Thruway. The hotel is clean and the staff is certainly helpful, pleasant & efficient. I have stayed here before and plan to do so in the future. Although this is not the newest hotel, I find that my needs are certainly met for a fair price.

Hidden Gem in Albany

Our stay at the Clarion, on a busy graduation weekend, was fantastic. Plenty of friendly staff at registration ensured that we didn’t have to wait to check in. The room was large, nicely decorated, with a lovely bathroom with all the amenities. The room also had a 3/4 refrigerator and a microwave for late night snacks. The full complimentary breakfast, was a very nice touch. Definitely a hotel worthy of more visits.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Hotel is conveniently located to downtown Albany’s museums, state capitol and multiple college campuses in the area. It is right off the the highway to major shopping areas 5 minutes away. Great location for whatever you need to do in Albany and the surrounding area.

Filthy Rooms

The first room we had, the door was open, sunflower seeds on the floor between the beds and stickiness on the bedside table. The second room had no working batteries in the remote, a comforter was missing from one of the two beds, and no ice bucket. This was after the front desk clerk had "checked" the new room.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Definitely Jack’s Oyster House on State for fine dinning. Fabulous service and great food.

VERy Noisey

VERY Noisy did not sleep

Fully equipped

Even though i was only there for one night for a test, it was great. It got what some hotels don’t have, microwave, a fridge and alot of tv channels.

This hotel has been used hard

The location is convenient, but we wound up in a room that had been inadequately cleaned. The staff was gracious about moving us, but the next room was even worse. And because it’s so full (apparently all the time, according to the staff), there wasn’t much to be done after that; we were tired, so we took the room, enjoyed it mostly with our eyes closed, and left in the morning sure we would never go back.

Not impressed

Hotel appears outdated. Elevator (I was on the 9th floor) squeaks and grinds all the way. The second elevator is not working. I did have a good nights sleep and the room was clean. Staff were pleasant.

Not impressed!

We ran the gamut from the toilet from hell to a staff that has no clue about the about the surrounding area. We found a laundromat on our own since the staff had no clue where the nearest one was. The machines in the hotel were out of service and there were no dryers. The hotel restaurant was expensive and in need of an update.

Traveler's tip

Commercial area. Unless your there for business don’t go.

Will not be returning

Terrible restaurant service that involved a 20 minute wait for our drinks to arrive, 45 minute wait for food - 1 incorrect order and 1 salad that did not arrive. We found reception and restaurant staff quite abrupt. Generally however we were satisfied with the quality of the room and the recreational areas and business centre. The area the hotel is in was the not the nicest of places but was close enough to large shopping malls.

Not that impressed

The rooms needed more or better pillows (too flat and too small),when we asked for a couple more pillows they stated they were all out and were going to a seond hotel to get some more. We were there 3 nights and never got additional pillows. We had 4 people to a room and only 2 towel, I asked for more towels and was told they did not have any extra. We needed 4 quarters for a dollar and the front desk -again stated sorry we don’t have any change. I don’t think they used a fitted sheet on the bed and the sheets were coming off the bed due to not being either the right size or not made properly. One elevator was down during our visit but there was not a sign on it so long waits for the second elevator. When using the stairs, the stairwell was kind of dark and could use some attention, ex paint splatters on the stairs, you could tell that the stairwell was not kept up in order for clients to use on a regular basis. Channel 13 (I think), the one showing the Olympics was very blurry and did not display properly, I don’t think the cable was connected correctly, the other channels worked fine. The room and hallways were clean, however customer service/satisfaction was not demonstrated during our visit. There was no "WOW" factor that would drive me to pick this hotel during our next visit.

There are not very many local restaurants near the hotel. We found several nice places to shop and eat on Wolf street.

Plumbing Problems on the 4th Floor

We had two rooms and one of them the bathroom had not been properly cleaned and the drain in the tub would not drain. We were given a new room also on the 4th floor and that room was clean and the tub worked fine but the sink would fill up every time you used the shower and would drain very slowly. We have stayed at the hotel on several occasions before with no problems, but we will not be staying there in the future!

Passing through

I was looking for a cheap, basic hotel in Albany, when I was passing through, waiting for rail connections from Montreal to Boston. The Clarion was pretty much that. For choice I would have had it closer to the towm centre, but the staff were excellent at providing good local advice about local, and more removed, watering holes.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

The hotel staff pointed me in the direction of the Albany Museum to kill an hour or so before my train. I ended up spending the morning in this fascinating place - one of the best museums I’ve been in! For a young, vibrant, potentially wild, nightlife and fast food, go to Pearl Street/North Pearl Street. For a more restrained, laid back and mature evening, and good food, do to Lark Street.

I have been here before

I always enjoy my stay here. i have been in this hotel couple of times. and each time it was pleasure. i was in town visiting my sister, and i found my hotel was easy access from the highway to go back and forward aound town.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

very reasonable for a short stay...

Comfortable and accessible

The hotel is easy to reach,and it’s well located relative to restaurants and the city.The rooms are ample in size and very clean.The service is thoughtful and the ambience cozy.All in all, a place I would return to whenever I need to visit Albany.

Hotel was comfortable and Clean

We found this hotel to be comfortable and clean. The business center was very helpful!! Having access to the internet was a plus. We found the front desk service to be lacking. Housekeeping failed to leave clean towels the second day. The bartending service in the bar after 9pm was very slow.

Terrible

This was probably the worst hotel stay i have ever experienced. It was a king bed room but the room was very small. The bed was terribly uncomfortable. The bath room was tiny and not very clean. It was so hot in the room the first night we had to turn on the air. It didn’t kick on until an hour later and it was so loud we couldn’t stand it and had to turn it off. i would never stay at this hotel again.

Decent Hotel

The Hotel is good.

The worst hotel I have ever stayed in.

My reservation that I called and made so that I could get an adjoining room was not honored because someone else at the hotel decided to extend their stay, so that put me and friends out. The hotel gave me the key to someone else’s room and I walked in on them, so I went down to complain and in turn they gave me another room nowhere near the group of 30 people I was staying with. So after dealing with the extremely rude hotel employee I took the new room key and went to my new room, well when I walked in the second room they gave me the bed wasn’t made and there was a female’s purse and a suitcase sitting on the table. Someone was staying in that room as well. I don’t know what kind of hotel they are running but it was rather obvious to me they have no clue. I travel alot where I work and this is by far the worst I have ever been treated and the worst place I have ever stayed at. The pool I think was actually size of the picture shown on the internet.

I should have stayed in my car

Well if it wasnt for the unvaccumed room,the lights in the room with no lightbulbs, the musty smell and the filth in the hall we walked through to get to our room and oh ya the GIANT MOLD areas in the pool area it wouldnt have been too bad. If this is your only option then I suggest staying home or sleeping in your car.

Inexpensive

It’s a shame the renovations never seem complete. If you go there in winter, be prepared for a long wait for the heat to warm the room.

convenient location - nice restaurant

Free hotel shuttle helped to save us at least $100 on extra car rental and cab fees. Easy access to airport and Amtrak station. Heated indoor pool seemed cold, as it was cold outside; but would be great in hot weather. Staff was very accommodating and helpful.

Great Price Great Convenience for the Location

Went to visit my daughter and grandchildren . The hotel was located less than a mile from where she lived and is located right next to Interstate 90, and Hwy 87. Very easy to leave hotel and go anywhere. Staff was professional, maid Betty was more than helpful and friendly to help us.Breafast was very good and plentiful. No eggs or meat but everything else.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Check the brochures in the lobby for suggestions to sightsee. Downtown visitors Bureau very helpful. Used Enterprise and got best rate on Expedia, then went from midsize to premiun upgrade for $5.00 a day more. Wireless coverage for computers excellent and you can use another Hotels wireless if your isnt fast enough.

Not bad for a Clarion

There is a cute little restaurant in the ground floor, and the chowder isn’t bad at all!

Traveler's tip for business travelers

If you need a hospital, St. Peters would be my recommendation (they have Magnet status).