​The Case for the Drury 

One amenity makes this hard-to-find chain one of our favorites.





















By Janet Wolfe
Posted October 28, 2025


     In April 2018, I took what my husband and kids called, “Mom’s crazy trip to Cleveland.”  The plan?  Spend a weekend visiting with my childhood penpal, Amanda—someone I hadn’t had contact with in more than 35 years and had never seen face-to-face. 

     Amanda and I had written to one another for years in elementary school.  I think it was a kindergarten program that got us connected.  At first, our moms wrote on our behalf.  We took over when we could actually write sentences, but eventually lost touch.  

     When her name surfaced on Facebook in 2018, I decided to reach out and see if she was interested in meeting.  She was, so we planned a weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, a midway point between our home states of Missouri and Maryland.  At her recommendation, we both reserved rooms at The Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown.

What's a Drury?
     I had never heard of the Drury brand—which includes the perk-heavy Drury Inn & Suites, the upscale Drury Plaza Hotel, and the economical Pear Tree Inn by Drury chains—but it took just one stay to make me a fan.  

     The first thing that impressed me was the building itself.  Cleveland’s Drury resides in a former Board of Education building.  This may not mean much to most people, but my late sister—the very inspiration behind my trip—was a math teacher.  Furthermore, the renovation on this particular Drury was completed in 2014—the year my sister died.  I figured these were signs that Lee Ann approved of my adventure.  

     I clearly had a sentimental attachment to the hotel before I even set foot in it, but it didn’t matter.  The place was impressive both in its physical presence and cleanliness and in its amenities.

     If you’re traveling with family, especially kids, you know that amenities can make or break your stay.

     The Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown—and most Drury Hotels—offers some pretty standard perks, including a pool, a business center, a fitness room, free Wi-Fi, coin-operated laundry machines, and a free, hot breakfast (a huge plus for any of our family trips).  Drury Inn & Suites and Drury Plaza Hotels (sorry, not Pear Tree Inns) also offer what the chain calls “5:30 Kickback.”

     This is where Drury stands out.

Where Drury Hotels Shine​
     Kickback is a free, hot dinner.  You read that right.  Although Drury hotels refer to this wonderful amenity as “dinnertime snacks and drinks,” it’s nothing short of a generous buffet of delicious food and beverages, and it comes complimentary with your room.

     From 5:30 until 7:00, you and your family can help yourselves to a variety of items that almost always includes basics like salad and soup and kid-friendly staples like popcorn, hot dogs, and nachos and cheese.  It also features a rotating menu of some pretty fantastic food: BBQ sliders, baked beans, mac and cheese, and coleslaw; chicken alfredo, baked potatoes, and veggies; and taco salad.  Sodas are unlimited and free, and every adult gets a card at check-in that’s good for two alcoholic beverages a day.   

     If you stay in a Drury more than three nights (we typically limit our road-trip hotel stays to one or two nights per location), you’ll notice the menu start to repeat, but what it lacks in diversity it makes up for in taste.  Drury baked potatoes are my favorite baked potatoes (is it the salt on the skin?), and the BBQ pork sliders and the mac and cheese are worthy of seconds and thirds (go ahead and indulge—you’re on vacation, and it’s a free buffet!).

     Unfortunately, Drury hotels aren’t as commonplace as, say, Marriotts.  Marriott International boasts “more than 30 brands with nearly 8,700 properties across 139 countries and territories.”  Drury Hotels are far more scarce.  The brand’s website lists 135 hotels in 80 cities in 25 states, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast.

     My family has been fortunate to stay in eight different Drury hotels.  We’ve never been disappointed.  In fact, just this past summer (2025) we received an unexpected phone call from a manager of the Drury Inn & Suites Iowa City Coralville location the morning we checked out.  My husband had mentioned to the front desk clerk that our mini frig didn’t work.  It wasn’t a big deal, just a minor inconvenience not being able to have cold drinks in the room.  The manager called to apologize and offered us our choice of compensation: points on our account or a small rebate on our stay.  I was highly impressed.

What About Room Rates?
    To be fair, Drury hotels aren’t always the cheapest option.  When my husband plans our family’s road trips, he spends hours comparing rates with different brands, a vital factor considering how many nights of hotels we rack up on our typically 2-week-plus trips.  However, when you consider another major cost source—food—spending a little more on the hotel makes sense.  We can easily spend upwards of $50 for dinner for all four of us, even at fast-food chains or at one- or two-dollar-sign restaurants.

     If you’re heading to an area where a Drury Hotel resides, price-check it with your standard favorites.  Yes, you might pay a little more, but you’ll also get more back when you factor in food. 


Cities* to “Kickback” in:

  • Alabama: Birmingham (2 locations), Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery
  • Arizona: Flagstaff and Phoenix (4 locations)
  • Colorado: Colorado Springs and Denver (3 locations)
  • Florida: Fort Myers, Gainesville, Orlando (2 locations), Tallahassee, and Tampa
  • Georgia: Atlanta (3 locations), Savannah, and Valdosta
  • Illinois: Champaign, Marion, Mt. Vernon, Springfield, and St. Louis (3 locations)
  • Indiana: Evansville, Indianapolis (2 locations), Lafayette, and Terra Haute
  • Iowa: Iowa City and West Des Moines
  • Kansas: Kansas City and Wichita
  • Kentucky: Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Louisville (2 locations), and Paducah (2 locations)
  • Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Orleans
  • Michigan: Frankenmuth and Grand Rapids
  • Minnesota: St. Paul
  • Mississippi: Memphis and Meridian
  • Missouri: Cape Girardeau (2 locations), Columbia (2 locations), Hayti, Jackson, Joplin, Kansas City (2 locations), Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Springfield, St. Joseph, and St. Louis (11 locations)
  • Nebraska: Lincoln
  • New Mexico: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe
  • North Carolina: Burlington, Charlotte (3 locations), and Greensboro
  • Ohio: Cincinnati (2 locations), Cleveland (2 locations), Columbus (4 locations), Dayton, Findlay, and Middletown
  • Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh (2 locations)
  • South Carolina: Charleston and Greenville
  • Tennessee: Chatanooga, Knoxville, Nashville (3 locations), and Pigeon Forge
  • Texas: Amarillo, Austin, College Station, Dallas (3 locations), Houston, McAllen, and San Antonio (9 locations)
  • Virginia: Richmond
  • Wisconsin: Milwaukee


* Last checked October 2025.