Whether you’re a road-weary corporate traveler or a vacationing family of five, the abundance of coldly impersonal, cookie-cutter hotels with the predictable sampling of chain restaurants can get mighty tiresome. A surefire cure lies in the centrally-located Clarion Inn & Suites in Austin. A look at the tree-lined hotel exterior gives you a good preview of what to expect: eye-pleasing charm and attention to detail. Moreover, the Clarion Inn & Suites is proof that personality and excellence needn’t be mutually exclusive. Relax in your room, awash with warm lighting and potted trees that offset the eggshell color scheme. Mid-price chain hotels aren’t often lauded for their restaurants, but the Clarion Inn & Suites’ Marco Polo restaurant has a strong following among locals, so you should check it out. Marco Polo is known for its dim sum and Cantonese seafood, and the lunch buffet is quite popular. Enjoy shredded pork with hot garlic sauce, along with a chunky, country-style vegetable soup that earned the raves of the city’s most important newspaper, the Austin-American Statesman.