La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown: A Central Hotel for a Bargain

Between its central location and modest price, the La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown is a new Chattanooga hotel that checks the right boxes. 

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About the La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown

The downtown Chattanooga TN La Quinta Inn is a newly built hotel in the heart of the city center.  This hotel has only been open for 2 years so it’s still got that new hotel glow. 

La Quinta Amenities

This hotel offers a few very helpful amenities that will help keep your travel costs down. 

Dining & Drinks at the La Quinta downtown Chattanooga

Breakfast is included in the room price.  This is your average mid-budget hotel buffet breakfast.  There is a small assortment of hot food including some style of eggs, sausages, and potatoes.  And of course you’ll find the cereal tower and bagel bar. 

It’s nothing super exciting, but it is a great way to help keep costs down for your trip. 

There is a hotel bar, but I never noticed that it was open.  Either I wasn’t there any time it was open, or it wasn’t busy enough for me to notice as I walked by.  Their website says it is open daily from 5-11pm. 

While staying here, you have to go to Kenny’s.  Beyond the proximity being directly across the street from the main entrance, they have great food.  I ordered the turkey and brie sandwich and I could eat that again and again. 

You can also walk about 10 minutes south (or catch the free bus to the Chattanooga Choo Choo) to the Southside Historic District which has a large concentration of fantastic bars and restaurants.  

There is also a large grocery store, Food City, about two blocks away if you want cheap snacks or drinks for your room.  

Wellness

Another amenity at the La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown is the fitness center.  This is a pretty standard gym, there are some treadmills, an elliptical, free weights, and kettle balls.  But there is one thing that stands out. 

They have a Peloton!  Not one of those terrible generic Lifecycle bikes.  I don’t have a Peloton at home, but love when I can use one while traveling.  If you didn’t know, you can sign up for a free account and still get video access for pre-recorded classes.  

As a former business traveler, hotel gyms are a great perk when you’re limited on time, but want to try to keep up your workout routine. 

There is also a water bottle filler on the first floor, just on outside the lobby restrooms across from the elevators.

La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown Parking

One other helpful amenity is that the La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown offers free parking for the duration of your stay.  With the amount of parking tickets I saw on the street near the hotel, this is a big amenity.  

All you have to do is register your vehicle at the front desk to get a parking pass. 

Other useful amenities

The rooms include both a mini fridge and a microwave.  This means you can store leftovers and heat them up later.  I like to do this 1) as a way to save money and 2) because portions in this country are way too damn big and I hate having to waste food when I travel.  

Traveling with your dog?  They are also pet friendly to bring the whole family while you travel.  There’s no information on the website if this is an extra charge, so I recommend calling ahead of time to confirm. 

The rooms

At the La Quinta Inn Chattanooga you’ll find only basic rooms here, no suites (despite the name).  They offer the following room types: King Bed, 2 Queen Beds, or an Executive King (slightly larger with a sofa). 

Comfort

I stayed in a double room which was definitely more space than I needed. However, if you have a whole family the storage space might be lacking.  

The bed was perfectly comfortable, but the pillows were not great.  These are the ‘squish flat once you put weight on them’ pillows that large hotel brands continue to purchase.  I don’t understand the logic behind it, and I personally hate these pillows because you basically need to create a pillow fort if you want to sit up and read.  And to sleep I need to have two stacked on top of each other or as a side sleeper I’ll end up with a sore neck. 

Something I did appreciate was the mix of standard outlets with both USB-A and USB-C ports in the wall, and in the alarm clock.  There won’t be any issue with running out of locations to charge devices, even with (4) people to a room. 

Room rates at the La Quinta Inn Chattanooga Tennessee

Prices at this hotel usually start between $140-160, but on weekends or during special events the prices will be $200 and up.  But, other hotels in the city start around $225/night, so again this is a very reasonable price. 

Looking for a cheaper hotel in Chattanooga? Check out my review on the Hotel Bo Chattanooga.

Service at the La Quinta

I didn’t have too many service needs during my stay, but everyone was friendly and accommodating. The only real service issue I had was to hold my bags for a few hours after I checked out, which was incredibly easy on both ends. 

The location

The La Quinta Inn in Chattanooga Tennessee is pretty central in the downtown area.  The hotel  is a 10 minute walk from the Southside Historic District, and a 30 minute walk to the Tennessee Aquarium and Riverfront district. 

There are dozens of bars and restaurants within walking distance.  I was car free during this trip and walked or took the free shuttle everywhere in the downtown area.  Also, the one time I was going to order an Uber/Lyft the wait was as long as walking, so I saved my money and walked. 

Transportation to the La Quinta

Sadly, there isn’t any public transportation readily available between downtown Chattanooga and the airport.  But, once you are in the city, you can take the free Chattanooga shuttle bus that runs between the aquarium and the Chattanooga Choo Choo. 

Luckily, there is a southbound bus stop for the free shuttle bus right outside the La Quinta, and about half a block away for the northbound bus. 

La Quinta Chattanooga Downtown Review

The La Quinta is perfect if you want to stay at a newer hotel, without spending all your money on the accommodations.  While it’s a little farther from the aquarium and riverfront, I think the proximity to the Southside Historic District is the real bonus with this hotel beyond the price.  To me, that area was the best spot in the downtown area for food and drinks. 

Of the hotels in downtown Chattanooga Tennessee, I think this one offers an incredible value.  It is new, clean, and being right on the free shuttle line makes it very accessible to so much of the city.  I would definitely stay here again. 

Where to book the La Quinta Chattanooga TN

You can of course book directly through the La Quinta Chattanooga website, but I almost always find better prices through the sites below.   Or search for La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Chattanooga Downtown/South on your favorite booking site. 

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