The host xanthenol compound forms a 1:1 clathrate with dioxane, namely 9-(1-naphthyl)-9H-xanthen-9-ol-1,4-dioxane, C23H16O2.C4H8O2. The structure of this clathrate is reported, along with a study of the kinetics of desolvation and the determination of an activation energy. The guest molecules are stabilized by O(host)-H...O(guest) hydrogen bonds [O-H = 0.968 (2) A, O...O = 2.7532 (13) A and O-H...O = 151.9 (4) degrees].