Check in was fast and easy. I was able to check in early without an extra charge, and given an upgrade as well. Great start! The suite was comfortably sized, with a living room area, entrance alcove, and bedroom that could be shut off from the living room. The carpeting was high quality and in great condition, as were the paint and wallpaper in the room. Everything was clean and tidy. The soft furnishings were comfortable, but lacked a decorating theme and seem like they were thrown together from a closed down Holiday Inn. There were plenty of power plugs in all the rooms, the lighting was comfortable and plentiful, the bed heavenly to sleep in.
The bathroom was marble clad and spacious with plenty of counter space for toiletries.
Rants:
The lobby and bar decoration are fantastic…classic Art Deco charm and elegance … promising a hint of what’s to come. Then you get in the room and it’s all rather drab.
The bathroom shower/tub combination was NOT five-star. The shower was anemic at best with water flow (get rid of the constrictors in the shower head — you’re a five-star hotel); and the shallow tub meant that if you wanted to take a bath the water couldn’t cover your feet sticking up.
There was no turn down service offered in the evening, and only two towels provided in the room. I asked my housekeeper for two more and she was happy to provide them, but that information never carried over to future nights. It should have been recorded as a customer preference and continued through my stay.
They had one of those super annoying refrigerators where if you touch or move anything it gets charged, and no room for your own items. There was a charge of $15/day to get a fridge of your own, which would have had to stick out awkwardly somewhere in your room, making the decor even less appealing. This may help the hotel maximize revenue, but it doesn’t encourage me to return.
There was a $35 resort fee tacked onto my bill, which no one mentioned … neither Amex who I booked the room from, or the hotel upon checkin. It felt like I was being nick and dimed, and it feels like a deceptive way to increase the room rate without any notification until it’s too late.
There is a speakeasy bar hidden in the main lobby. I wish I’d known about it (say at check in?) so I could have made a reservation there. It was so much quieter when I looked in than the main bar area, and I would have enjoyed entertaining my friends there.
Raves:
The George restaurant. Fabulous space with amazing windows and marble floor. And the breakfasts I had were SUPERB! Friendly service, great food, amazing ambience. This place was the star of the stay.
Location is terrific, just four blocks from the waterfront. There are steep hills down to the water front and back up if you’re walking, and an uber is roughly $15 to go those four blocks each way if you’re not walking.
The Art Deco charm of the lobby and restaurant. Wow!
