Drury Inn & Suites Gainesville — Hotel in Gainesville

Booked the Drury Inn in Gainesville to get out of the path of hurricane Idalia.   From the moment I arrived there on Tuesday afternoon, I felt a sense of comfort and relief. I was very happy to have a safe place to stay that had power, running water, air conditioning, food and coffee! Parking is included in the price which is rare now a days. There's a pool, a small workout room and a business center with 2 stations.  They also offer a complimentary wonderful breakfast; fresh waffles, both scrambled and hard boiled eggs, muffins and bagels with cream cheese, fresh fruit: bananas, apples, oranges, yogurt, juices like apple and orange and enough room in the area to have your own table to eat at, there's coffee in the lobby all the time. The 5:30 kickbacks gets you 3 drinks and some nice appetizers which can be your dinner meal. I kept extending my stay day-by-day and on the nights I was there it seems every night they have Nachos with warm melted cheese, baked potatoes, salad + hot dogs. They vary their menu of other foods, so one night was pulled pork sliders, another night Pasta Alfredo with chicken strips, another night Meatballs and gravy with thick mashed potatoes. I had their chicken noodle soup twice, which was real hearty, and I noticed 1 night they had chili instead of soup but I didn't try it & they have free soda too. There's freshly popped popcorn in the afternoons.  If you wanted some more snack food or need anything else they have a tiny little room off to the side of the front desk which is like a Mini market with ice cream and candy and some other essential items.   The staff is so courteous, polite, nice and kind and accommodating for anything you may need. Tina, Kim and Jonathan are some of the team who were awesome. For example they have TVs on where you can sit and watch but you couldn't hear them so I asked one of the Team members if they could put on the closed captions and she went out of her way to find the remote and did the closed captions so we could read what was going on with the Hurricane. The second night when we were sitting on the other side and saw her again and made a motion of like a remote control and she immediately knew that we wanted closed captions to be able to read what the reporters were saying on the TV on the other side of the wall! The  reasons I am not giving 5 stars is because:1)  I found what looked to be either some kind of bug poop (m/b from lizard? ) in my room on the rug next to the dresser  2) when I went down to go in the pool, it appears to be in need of some maintenance - a good cleaning. The bottom of the pool AND hot tub looked dirty. While I was floating around the pool there were a lot of dead bugs on the water and the pool looks like it could have been a little bit cleaner.  But the way they have it set up is really cool like half the pool is under the building so if there is inclement whether you can still be in the pool and not be exposed to the extreme sun or rain. I found the room to be a regular room with a coffee maker, a microwave and small refrigerator. USB charging ports near the bed. The beds + pillows were comfortable, there were enough hangers in the closet. The bathroom was a normal bathroom with clean towels and in the shower they have 3 dispensers for body wash shampoo and conditioner, which is convenient. A hair dryer is under the counter in the cubby. I always wonder why they don't have exhaust fans at hotels, you think that they'd want to get the humidity out of the air, every time you get out of the shower the mirror is fogged up!   Overall I had a wonderful stay and I would definitely recommended this hotel to anybody that needs accommodations near Gainesville. It's only about 15 minutes from Downtown Gainesville and close to the shopping areas + conveniently close to I-75.  I have also stayed many times at the Drury Inn in Orlando and have always found that to be a pleasant stay as well. For those of you who have small pets they are pet friendly as well, which is wonderful, if you need to travel with...

I’m a loyal Drury member and usually stay at locations near home in Texas with no issues. But my experience at the Gainesville, FL Drury was incredibly disappointing.

While visiting family, my sister’s car broke down with her kids and dog on the way to see me. I offered to help and let her drop off her dog and belongings in my room temporarily (the dog was kept in the bathroom comfortably) while I took her to handle the situation. Out of respect, I called the hotel and spoke with Tara, who said she completely understood and to just check in with her or Luis (the manager) when I got back.

Minutes later, I got hit with nearly $400 in charges from the hotel. I called multiple times, left a voicemail, and never got a response. When I returned later that day, neither Tara nor Luis were there. My sister left with the dog in front of the front desk staff, and I was told to come back the next day.

When I finally spoke with Luis and showed him my bank charges, he denied anything beyond a single $73 pet fee. As I questioned it, another staff member (an older blonde woman) jumped in defensively, implying I wasn’t being truthful—even though I was showing proof. Luis then admitted they had mistakenly charged me for 4 nights of pet fees, later reduced to 2, and finally to 1 night… all based on assumptions by staff. It was messy, unprofessional, and poorly handled from start to finish.

Even though they settled on a single pet fee, I still feel it was unfair. The dog wasn’t a guest—just there for a short time while I helped my sister during an emergency.

I also agree with other reviews about lack of front desk availability and poor housekeeping. I stayed five nights, and my room was only cleaned once—and that was the one time I actually had the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. They removed the sign and came in anyway. After that, no one came back to clean for the rest of my stay.

On top of that, I had to extend for one more night due to unforeseen circumstances and requested a two-bed room instead of a single. I packed up all my things and went to the front desk, only to be told (again by the older blonde lady) that she assumed I wanted the same room and just left me in it. She said she had no idea when a two-bed would be available and gave me no other options.

I then asked if I could at least get housekeeping since my trash cans were full and I had no clean towels. She told me yes—but only if I left the room. When I asked how long until housekeeping would come so I knew when to be out, she just said, “I don’t know.”

The only bright spot of my stay was the kindness of Nina and Dwayne during breakfast and dinner—they were welcoming, friendly, and professional. Sadly, they were the only highlight in an otherwise frustrating and disappointing visit.

Drury is usually my go-to because of the consistent service and reliability, but this location completely...

1 Formal Complaint Regarding Discriminatory and Unprofessional Behavior by Employee Luis Pastrone||||Dear Drury Inn Management,||||I am writing to express my deep disappointment with the treatment my family and I received from one of your employees, Luis Pastrone, during our recent stay at your Gainesville location. This experience was, without question, the worst I’ve ever had at any hotel.||||My family was in town for a family reunion, occupying over 20 rooms at your hotel from July 3–6. On the evening of Saturday, July 5, after dinner, we gathered in a common area near the high chairs to socialize, play light music, and enjoy time together. We were respectful and mindful of our surroundings, keeping the volume at a reasonable level.||||At around 7:15PM, Mr. Pastrone approached our group and rudely told us to turn the music down. Though it was not loud to begin with, we complied. Keep in mind this was earlier than 10pm. Moments later, he returned and told us our voices were “too loud,” and that if we didn’t quiet down, he would turn off the lights. Unfortunately, he followed through and turned off the lights on our entire group, while we were simply sharing stories and enjoying a precious family moment. It was deeply disrespectful and humiliating.||||To make matters worse, there was another group nearby celebrating loudly, singing “Happy Birthday,” and clearly making more noise than we were. Mr. Pastrone did not address them at all nor turn off the lights in their area. This blatant difference in treatment has led me and my family to believe we were being discriminated against, particularly as a Black family gathering.||||The behavior displayed by Mr. Pastrone was not only unprofessional and discourteous, but also discriminatory and deeply offensive. We expected a welcoming, inclusive environment—especially from a brand like Drury Inn & Suites—and we were instead treated with contempt and disregard.||||As a result of this experience, my entire family has decided that we will not return to this location—or any Drury property—and we will be sharing our experience publicly to help inform others. While nothing can restore the precious family time that was disrupted, we do hope that appropriate action will be taken against Mr. Pastrone and that your company will address this situation seriously to prevent future occurrences of such biased treatment.||PS I fell to mention we had to eat our ice cream in the dark. Disrespect 101!!!!!!||||We have contacted our attorney regarding this discrimination, and also the Gainesville Board of County Commissioners will receive a copy of...