This place is a great hotel for what it is. Here is what it is not:
The Clarion is NOT:
-A luxury hotel
-A hotel right on the strip
-A place with a huge nightlife scene
-A hotel with many amenities
-A large place to gamble
Here is what the Clarion IS:
-A nice, affordable hotel
-A hotel close to the strip (but probably not walking distance)
-A place with decently size rooms
-A great, cheap place to crash on your first night in Vegas after you arrive later than you expected and have no energy to go out
We stayed there on a Friday night because we had the Groupon deal ($40 for a night) and we knew we would be too tired after the drive to want to go out. Therefore, we did not want to drop $200+ on a hotel room on the strip (that would be saved for Saturday night).
We found parking to be very easy and found the receptionist to be nice as well. She directed us to our room and we were pleasantly surprised at the size of it. For the Groupon price, we expected the room to be rather small but it was a nice size. It had two queen beds, a sitting area and a pull-out couch.
Instead of going out, we decided to explore the hotel a bit. There is a pool and jacuzzi outside which is a nice touch as well as a small gambling room. No tables but plenty of slot machines to keep you busy if you can't sleep. We also found a small chapel (made for great picture taking), a cafe that was closed and a stage area where I suppose shows are held. Although none of these things were open during our exploration, we had a lot of fun just checking it out.
The Clarion is not a place to stay if you are looking for luxurious accommodations in Vegas. However, if you're looking for an affordable place to stay, I'd definitely recommend it if you can get a good deal. They're advertised prices are around $130 a night (although Expedia reports a lot cheaper) - I wouldn't spend that (hello Motel 6) but I would spend about $60 to stay here.