I was forced to stay an extra night in Athens because of the recent snow and ice storm. The staff at the courtyard went above and beyond to make an unpleasant situation positive. They provided a complimentary meal on Monday night for those of us that were stuck inside and even offered to clear the snow and ice from our cars before leaving. Because of the circumstances guests and staff became like family which in my mind is the best compliment I can pay them.

Spent Saturday night 10/23/10 in Athens at this property. This was obviously not built as a Courtyard property as some rooms have outside key card access. Hotel was clean and functional, no big issues. Pretty average for a typical Courtyard. I thought this location was a little closer to Downtown shops/resetaurants but it's about a 10 min walk. Some noise in the hallway from other guests but nothing major. Minor A/C issues but overall we had a comfortable evening.

I have nothing really positive or negative to write about this hotel. The main positive is its location to the university. It is a short four block wall (up a hill) to Broad and College Streets in the heart of the university area. The main negative, like another poster, is the odd layout of the hotel. There was only one elevator toward the side back of the hotel and if your room is toward the front, you either have to walk a weird path through the hotel or take the stairs through the restaurant. The other surprise was that the continental breakfast actually cost money.

This hotel seems more like an apartment complex. It has very nice landscaping and is charming to look at, which is its one saving grace. Once I got through the maze of steps, doors, and keycards to get to my room (which is really inconvenient if you have any heavy luggage!), I reached my room to find a really loud dehumidifier, and a teeny tiny vanity. I would not recommend more than one person in a room with a king sized bed because there was not enough room to share the sink (two ladies traveling together beware!). The downtown location was great, though and we were able to walk to all the downtown festivals with no problem. It seemed like there was more convenient access to the rooms by the parking lot and they looked like suites, which hopefully means they were more spacious than our tiny room.

It wasn't a bad hotel, I just wouldn't recommend if you are:

Traveling Alone (the area is a little sketchy)
Have a lot of luggage you can't carry (there are so many steps it would be impossible to roll it very far without having to pick it up)
Hate Humidity (although you can't hold that against Georgia)

I would recommend if you:
Have children - the pool was outdoors and right by some of the rooms
Need to walk downtown (with a friend)
Travel Light and don't mind using a keycard to get in and out of every single door