Kinley Chattanooga Southside, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

Being able to walk to restaurants and the places we wanted to explore made the location of the Kinley Chattanooga Southside Hotel perfect for our trip to Chattanooga, TN. My husband and I had a wonderful stay. Our room was spotless, lovely, and comfortable, and the whole hotel felt clean and welcoming. The front desk staff greeted people with warm smiles, and the valet team did a great job. When I needed assistance, someone from the desk came right up to help. The hospitality was outstanding. We’ll definitely come back, and I’d recommend staying here when visiting Chattanooga.

The rooms are a little quaint compared with other downtown hotels, but the staff and everything else more than made up for that. The speakeasy bar had a great atmosphere, and both the food and drinks were great. Valet was on point, the check-in staff were lovely, and everyone else we encountered was attentive and helpful. With the Southside location, you can walk to some of Chattanooga’s finest local spots. I loved my stay at the Kinley and would recommend it to any friend or foe. I’d say it’s among the best hotels in Chattanooga.

The room smelled of cigarette smoke even though the hotel is non-smoking. From inside, my friends could hear a baby crying continuously through the thin walls, and buses outside honked whenever they entered the depot the room overlooked. There was no way to rest. After about two hours they asked to move, but the receptionist said, “I’m a glorified bartender, there is nothing I can do.” They left. The valet asked why they were going so soon, then said, “I knew that would be a bad spot to put you.” Their arrival had already been a mess. Around 7 PM there was no valet attendant, so after a wait the receptionist came out for their keys but gave them no ticket or confirmation. Check-in was difficult too: the receptionist struggled to program the key, and the elevator wouldn’t work. At the desk, they were asked whether they’d scanned the key in the elevator, something nobody had explained and nothing was posted about. The room wasn’t usable, and staff made no effort to fix things. It was especially disappointing for a Marriott-affiliated property. After quite a struggle, I did eventually get a refund, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here. I’d booked the stay for friends as part of a special evening, and the experience was extremely disappointing.

Breakfast was delicious, especially the hash brown bowl, and it’s a beautiful hotel in a fantastic location. We spent two nights at The Kinley over Easter weekend and would stay again. My only gripe was the air conditioning struggling to keep up, even with the pull-down shade covering the window all day. We were on the top floor, so maybe that was part of it.