When looking for somewhere to stay in Eau Claire WI, there weren’t any good options for using our points.
There were a couple of nice-looking properties on Airbnb, but they were pretty far outside the city.
In the end, we found a fairly good rate at the Quality Inn Eau Claire which was only 10 minutes away from downtown. It was also pet-friendly which is what we needed seeing as we’re traveling with our dog.
Here’s a full review of our five night stay at the Quality Inn in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Check-In
We had a friendly person checking us in when we arrived at about 1pm. Check-in time was 3pm, so she was very accommodating and allowed us to check in early which we appreciated.
In fact, housekeeping were finishing off making the bed when we got to the room. That didn’t bother us at all given that we’d arrived a couple of hours early.
The hotel only has two floors and we were assigned room 203. Similar to the Super 8 Wausau we’d just stayed at, this hotel didn’t have an elevator either. That unfortunately meant we had to carry all our stuff up to our room manually rather than being able to use a luggage cart. On the positive side, our room was close to the stairwell, so we didn’t have to carry everything far down the hall.
Bedroom
When entering the room, the closet was on the left, the bathroom on the right and the main bedroom area straight ahead.
We’d booked a room with a king bed; both the bed and pillows were comfortable. The bedside lamps both included a power outlet which we liked as it made it easier to charge our phones at night.
To the left of the bed was an armchair and ottoman.
The Quality Inn Eau Claire is located next to a residential neighborhood, so the view from our window looked out over their garages.
On the opposite side of the room to the armchair was a desk and office chair. The chair was comfortable enough to sit in, but it wasn’t possible to lift the height of the seat. That meant sitting much lower than the desk, making my arms uncomfortable when working.
To the left of the desk was a mini-fridge, microwave, dresser and TV. One of the World Cup games was on when we arrived, so that was another reason I appreciated being able to check in early.
The bedroom also had an open closet area. This had a shelving unit on top for storage, a rail to hang clothes, a luggage rack and an iron and ironing board.
Bathroom
When entering the bathroom, the sink was on the left with the toilet in the center of the room. The sink had a fairly long countertop which I find helpful. That’s because it makes it easier to leave things to dry on a towel when washing up after making dinner. If you’re wondering how we make dinner in a hotel room, check out our hotel room recipes and portable kitchen.
The toiletries included shampoo, conditioner, lotion and soap.
The bathroom also had a bathtub with shower. The shower controls were different to most hotels; you have to turn the handle to adjust the water pressure, while the temperature’s controlled with a small dial on the front of the handle. It was a decent shower as it had good water pressure and there was plenty of hot water.
We were happy with our bedroom and bathroom. The room felt spacious, was clean and was fairly quiet seeing as we were at one end of the hotel.
Breakfast
Breakfast is included in your room rate when staying at the Quality Inn Eau Claire. It’s sadly only served until 9am on weekdays, but is available until 10am at weekends.
The breakfast area is next to the front desk and is a fairly small area with only five tables. All tables were taken a couple of mornings, but returning 15-20 minutes later meant there were seats available.
There’s a coffee station which I think was available 24/7 rather than only at breakfast.
In terms of food, there’s a fridge containing several different yogurt flavors, cream cheese and hard boiled eggs. The consistency of the yogurts was a little weird – like a cross between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt, yet it wasn’t thick. It wasn’t bad – just unusual and was something both Shae and I commented on.
Next to the fridge was a waffle maker.
There were a couple of hot options every morning which usually consisted of some kind of sausage and some kind of egg.
There were a couple of preserve options, a toaster and a bowl of fruit. The fruit bowl was almost empty the morning I took this photo, but was usually better stocked with bananas, oranges and apples.
There was a good selection of breads, bagels, English muffins, pastries and mini muffins. Next to those was a juice machine serving apple and orange juice.
Finally, there were three cereal options and a couple of types of milk.
Overall, this was a decent breakfast spread considering it’s not an expensive hotel. It was also a better selection than we’d had at the Quality Inn Augusta GA.
Amenities
The Quality Inn Eau Claire isn’t exactly brimming with amenities. There’s no guest laundry facilities, no fitness room, no business center, etc.
In fact, pretty much the only amenity was the indoor swimming pool and whirlpool. I didn’t go in either but Shae did. Apparently the swimming pool was an OK temperature – not as warm as the pool at the Super 8 Wausau, but comfortable enough. The whirlpool was a good temperature which she enjoyed relaxing in after doing aerial yoga for the first time.
If you need an ice machine, there’s one on the first floor, along with beverage and snack vending machines.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi’s included with your room rate. We seemed to have a decent connection without any speed issues. The fact that nothing negative sticks in my mind about it is a good sign!
Pet-Friendliness
The Quality Inn Eau Claire is a pet-friendly hotel and charges a somewhat reasonable $15 per night pet fee.
There were a few grassy areas around the hotel where you could take your dog to do its stuff.
If you turn left out of the hotel and walk about a block, there’s a huge soccer field. Dogs aren’t allowed on the field, but there’s a trail around the outside that’s probably a mile long or more, so it was perfect for walking Truffles.
The downside is that the street lighting down that road is virtually non-existent, so you’ll want to go before dark.
Service
We didn’t have too much interaction with staff at the hotel. The service that we did receive though was good – they allowed us to check in a couple of hours early, while the housekeeping staff were all friendly.
Location
The Quality Inn in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is in a fairly good location. It’s on the edge of a safe neighborhood and is close to several fast food restaurants.
It’s about a 10 minute drive to downtown Eau Claire, 20 minutes to Loopy’s Grill & Saloon if you want to go tubing on the Chippewa River and 25 minutes to Leinenkugel’s brewery.
Cost
Our room rate was $66.25 per night before tax, $75.19 per night with tax. As we had Truffles with us, we also had to pay the $15 per night pet fee.
If we’d used points, it would’ve cost an average of 12,333 Choice Privileges points per night. That’s not a bad use of points, but we don’t have many Choice Privileges points and so want to save them for redemptions where we’ll get more value.
As a result of the paid stay, we earned 4,138 points. Seeing as Shae has Platinum status, we also got a $5 Starbucks gift card as that’s what we have selected as her ‘Your Extras’ benefit for having a stay that included a weekday night.
Final Thoughts
We had a decent stay at the Quality Inn Eau Claire. We enjoyed our room seeing as it felt fairly spacious and included a fridge and microwave, both of which we appreciate seeing as we live in hotels and Airbnbs nowadays.
The hotel doesn’t have many amenities, so if you need things like a fitness room then this probably isn’t the hotel for you. That said, the trail around the nearby soccer field would be a great place to go jogging if you wanted some exercise.
If you’re looking for a good value place to stay in Eau Claire, the Quality Inn is definitely worth considering.
Truffles Approval Rating
Truffles gives this hotel four paws out of four – pawfect! The pet fee wasn’t too expensive and there were ample grassy areas. The soccer field around the corner was good for walking her, while there was an off-leash dog park about 10 minutes away.
Our Rating
Room = 4.3 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 3.6 / 5
Food = 4.2 / 5
Location = 4.3 / 5
Service = 4.5 / 5
Overall Value = 4.4 / 5
Total = 4.22 / 5
Address
Quality Inn, 3117 Craig Rd, Eau Claire, WI 54701
Leave a Reply