The Emerald Coast provides a comfortable, unassuming, budget-friendly place to sleep between beach excursions, sightseeing, and nature walks. The hotel's location next to a conference center makes it a good option for business travelers with limited budgets. However, from the outside the motel looks long past its prime. Landscaping is limited to a few trees and bushes and the building is surrounded by a vast expanse of parking lot, right off a busy main thoroughfare. The outdoor pool is medium-size, framed by a concrete deck and an array of rattan lounge chairs, but there is no shade, and traffic whizzes past mere feet away, just beyond a metal security fence, making total relaxation impossible. Still, the interiors are clean and spacious, and look modern aside from the drop ceilings. There's a large, beautiful aquarium by the breakfast buffet area and colors and decor echo the fish tank; shiny blues and greens predominate, with the occasional pop of orange in an ottoman or throw pillow. 

The Emerald Coast Inn and Suites is located on Florida's Okaloosa Island, between Destin and Fort Walton Beach. It sits directly on Highway 98, the area’s main thoroughfare, which gets heavy traffic during peak season. The surrounding area is filled with other similar hotels along with restaurants and strip clubs. The Emerald Coast Conference Center is next door, while Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park is a five-minute walk away. The beaches, shops, and restaurants of Fort Walton Beach take 10 minutes to reach on foot. The hotel is near a park with a boat ramp and four regional airports are located within an hour’s drive.

Rooms at the Emerald Coast Inn and Suites are clean and fresh-smelling, with comfortable beds and 40-inch flat-screen TVs with HBO. The decor is basic, but colorful, with wall-to-wall carpeting and bright-green accent walls. However, windows are on the small side and there are no balconies. Amenities include mini-fridges, microwaves, and safes, but there are no closets, just exposed clothing racks.Bathrooms are unremarkable but clean, with shower/tub combos; some rooms have double whirlpool tubs. Smoking and non-smoking rooms are available, with smoking rooms on the lower floors. Higher floors are quieter and have better views. Some rooms have the occasional maintenance issue. 

Although the hotel has a small outdoor pool, it sits on a bleak concrete sun deck lined with rattan lounge chairs, right off a busy road. A free breakfast buffet, including machine-made waffles, is offered in the lobby each morning, while hot coffee and tea are available all day long. There's also a small business center, and free Wi-fi throughout the property (wired Internet is available in the rooms). Other features include a coin-operated laundry room and several vending machines; parking is free and plentiful.