Why? Because they serve free breakfast, afternoon snacks, and dinner up to three free cocktails everyday to all of their guests. That’s undoubtedly the hook. The rest of the hotel must be pretty crumby then, right? 

Nope. Drury Hotels & Suites (as well as their downtown Drury Plaza Hotels) still has it where it really counts. By that I mean they offer abnormally spacious rooms and suites, and those rooms are remarkably clean and well-maintained for a middle-class hotel. On top of that, Drury hotels are renowned for being staffed by some of the nicest workers you’ll find anywhere. Seriously, hotel after hotel of theirs regularly rates 4.7/5 stars or higher on Google. 

But wait, there’s more! Drury nightly rates often sell for noticeably less than you’d pay for a comparable Marriott or Hilton brand. This is especially true when traveling with families and accounting for the fact that many, if not most of the amenities, are included. No resort fees ever. 

On my first time staying with Drury, I was genuinely delighted by all of the included stuff. After checking in on my first afternoon, the front desk suggested I enjoy the free, fresh movie popcorn and unlimited free sodas in the lobby until the free hot dinner started at 5:30 pm. “I can’t imagine it’s that good,” the skeptic in me said. Wrong. The popcorn was fresh, salty, and buttery, and I washed it down with a Mellow Yellow for good measure. 

Then came nightly dinner, which Drury calls a “Kickback.” During the course of my stay, here are some of the things I enjoyed: BBQ pull-pork sliders on steamed buns (great!), chicken fajitas (spicy!), pasta pomodoro with grilled chicken (molto bene!), baked potato bar (yum!) Mexican street corn (fantastic!), and even the nightly hot dogs did their job. The fresh salads and extra condiments, too (see also: druryhotels.com/menu). 

The nachos, chips and salsa, and soups left a lot to be desired, but it’s ridiculous how much food is on top. And I’m not talking about a “continental dinner,” mind you. I’m talking about a full-blown, varied buffet of options for everyone in the family, including a surprising number of fresh produce options. What’s more, adults get three free alcoholic and/or mocktails per night, in addition to unlimited soda, coffee, teas, and hot chocolate all day. 

As for my room, it was huge with two rooms, high ceilings, hyper clean, granite counters, comfy sofas and desk, and a big old king bed with extra soft pillows. I was blown away by the exceptional value. Gym and pool included. 

As for breakfast, that’s not continental either. Like dinner, I found it to be surprisingly good and better than expected. Since I’m not a meat and potatoes kind of guy for breakfast, I enjoyed the healthy oatmeal breakfast with granola and raisin toppings, lots of zero sugar free condiment options, hot coco, and fresh bananas, apples, and oranges with nary a bruise in sight. And there’s fresh waffles and lots of cereal options and bacon for the kids. 

I also enjoyed the yogurt and granola, the cinnamon raisin bread, breakfast tortillas, and biscuits and gravy. I even made a PB&J with sugar free jelly for later snacking. Granted, the powdered eggs and pale sausage left a lot to be desired, but the vast majority of the food being served was much better than you would expect, considering it was “free.”

You’re not going to write home about individual dishes, mind you. But you’re not going to forget them as fast as you would from any other free hotel breakfast. That, in addition to the free afternoon snacks, drinks, and dinner are worth writing home about, though. So is the variety of food options at both breakfast and dinner.  

All told, Drury is an exceptional value with substantial amounts of free food, consistently friendly staff, clean, comfortable, and dependable rooms, and good amenities without charging for every little thing. Since their start in 1973, they’ve delivered on their promise of clean rooms, friendly service, lots of freebies, and a good night’s sleep at a fair price. They truly are the whole package. 

Which is why they’re growing as fast as they are as the top-rated hotel in the country. As a family-owned business, however, they’re not growing as fast as the big hotel chains. And there-in lies the catch, if you can really call it that. Drury’s footprint is much smaller than the giant national chains and mostly concentrated on the East Coast for now. But they’ve started expanding west into Arizona and Colorado, and it’s only a matter of time before they make it to Utah and California.

I for one, cannot wait. In a world where travel value is increasingly shrinking in light of inflation, Drury Hotels is a breath of fresh air. I’m even planning on using them as a veritable “all-inclusive” on my next visit to Florida’s beaches.

Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and seasoned travel journalist to all seven continents. He lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, five children, and one ferocious chihuahua.