The devil is in the details, and this hotel does EVERYTHING right.
I will not repeat everything that has been said here, but if I should mention one thing, it would be the excellent SPG recogniton. When we were worried about noise because of the low floor situated suite we were given, they promptly gave us a high floor apartment in the newest tower. We did not expect that, and were blown away by the customer service reagrding the change of room/suite.
Some (very minor) room for improvement: - We found some broken glass on the balcony, which we easily could have stepped in, and one day we did not receive wash clothes. - the was a constant buzz from the aircon also when it was turned off. As a light sleeper, it took some time to get used to it. - the curtains in the bed room were not fully blocking out all sun light. And we had to get assistance to get the outer curtains closed. - We did receive a bottle of white wine (probably because of my partner's birthday), however it was of lower quality and quite frankly not very good (and I am not a picky wine drinker).
Great spg recognition, lovely hotel, fantastic adult-pool, huge breakfast spread & good sea view.
Room for improvement: - butler service slow from time to time., same with bell boy and beach staff. - complimentary coffee from the butler is great, but charging extra for decaff is cheap. - weirdly, the curtains in the suite living room blocked out more sun than the curtain in the bed room. - some wear and tear here and there - cracked tiles in the sink, loose handle in shower, electrical curtain not working in sleeping room. - a bit quantity over quality at breakfast. Missed more healthy options (greek yogurt, whole grain, non-suggary food etc.) - extremely slamming doors. Please install soft lock mechanism.
Great value, modern and updated hotel, nice platinum room upgrade, wonderful breakfast area, free selfparking for platinums, very attentive and responsive front desk manager (Gonçalo Ramos ).
Cons:
Room facing the back was noisy due to traffic, room facing the front had a dog close by who barked all day. Charging platinum guests 10 EUR (each) for using the indoor pool is cheap and annoying. Hotel is a long walk from the main sites.
Second stay at this hotel. All in all, a great experience. We had a nice spg platinum upgrade, and enjoyed both the room and Hoboken itself.
We stayed at the 7th floor, and some (but not too much) street noise could be heard. Would probably ask for a higher floor next time. And due to the construction work going on next door, I would definitely ask for room away from that side.
Room for improvement: The breakfast amenity for spg platinum members was only 15 dollars per person per day, and while that amenity is supposed to cover at a minimum coffee, juice, yogurt, cereals and pastry (as per the rules written on the spg breakfast card we were given), that was not possible with that amount provided. GM has been given feedback about this (there are cards in the room asking for specific comments like this), so let us see what happens. The GM seems to like to be ahead of things.
We will probably be back.
Yes, I recommend this hotel.
Month of Arrival:September 2013
0points
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The Fairfax at Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.
Experience the gracious service, magnificent décor, and spectacular location of this historic Massachusetts Ave. hotel, a legend since 1924.
First and foremost: They need better and more soundproof windows at this hotel. Staying at the backside, away from Mass Ave did not help much: Garbage truck comes 7am, and the biip-biip goes on and on as various delivery cars turn up in the morning. It is just amazing how bad the windows blocked noise out.
Other minuses: The ice machine on our floor was broke, the AC made a buzzing noise even when turned-off, curtains did not block out sunlight properly and doors would not close without slamming loudly. (Stay away from the service room – staff going in and out there all day and night was loud!)
Parking 47 dollar per day in total. Very expensive.
Asked for an extra comforter for the bed. Houskeeping told me (twice) that I could only get a blanket. Had to escalate and go talk to front desk – who of course was embarrassed of the situation and swiftly brought up the comforter.
Positives: Elisabeth at check-in was great, same was staff at breakfast. Fantastic location. Decent rates for a DC hotel.
Great hotel our, second stay here was as good as the first one. You need a car to get a round (to beach etc.), but for people seeking solitude, this is a no-brainer pick. And I love the marsh views.
One let down: Waitress automatically added 20% gratuity at breakfast on second day. Please let me add my own tip!
And please get some ticker curtains. The ones you have now do not block out the morning sun.
Month of Arrival:August 2013
+2points
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The Westin Orlando Universal Boulevard
Bask in the serenity of our landmark Orlando hotel, a rejuvenating and original Art-Deco oasis in the heart of world-class attractions.
Fitness center was closed (did not see any notice of that) and relocated to a strange ballroom on the backside. Equipment was not plugged in, no TVs, no water etc. A big let down.
The bedroom in our suite felt kind of cramped, very small. One thermostat only, I like to have one in each room to adjust the temperature accordingly.
Second stay. The rooms are a bit worn, but clean and tidy. Got a great spg platinum upgrade, but will aim for a balcony room or suite the next time. Plumming noises from above was very notable, so was doors slamming from the hallway.
Pool area was okay, I would have liked an adult pool though. Lots of kids made it kind of noisy. And the music blasting from 11 am was not to my liking.
Location is good for me – I like getting away from the hustle and bustle of savannah downtown. I usually enjoy the ferry ride from the hotel to river street, but this time it was a beer festival in the concention center. Needless to say the lines and the drunk people getting onboard in the evening was less enjoyable. The hotel guests should have priority embarking, in my opinion.
Okay breakfast buffet. Great service from Shamika! Very attentive! She is a keeper!
Pet-friendly hotel. Not my cup of tea. Hated that they let pets stay on all floors. A small dog was barking from 8am and for almost an hour (their folks at breakfast?) on at Sat morning on 13th floor. Please keep those dogs on designated floors!
Too cold in the breakfast restaurant, no newspaper at the door for two days (even though other got it), otherwise a great hotel, in an excellent location. Wonderful spg platinum upgrade, too. We will return.
Stayed here over New Years. This was our forth visit to the hotel. All in all an average experience.
Usually the rooms here are quiet, but this time the family above us was so noisy I almost had to ask for a room change (but we had a nice suite + they seemed fully booked). Most of the noise comes from chairs and other furniture being moved around on the tiled floor in the rooms and/or on the balcony. They should really consider carpets here. After listening to chair scratching for a while, it just gets maddening.
We had the spg platinum breakfast, and like on our last visit, the waiter decided to automatically add a 20% service charge on the bill + plus leave a tip space open. It made us really uncomfortable. Please let your guests decide what amount they want to tip. This policy will not work in your favor in the long run, it will only create irritation. (Besides, this hotel already has enough of those annoying add-ons. You want pancakes for breakfast? Great. You want blueberries in your pancakes? That’s an extra dollar. And don’t get me started on the resort fee.)
The hotel is pet-friendly, and there are a lot of dogs there. I like dogs, but not on holiday. I have learned my lesson, and asked for a room that did not have dogs as neighbors (barking) or had recently been in it (smell). However, if you want to have your breakfast outside in the restaurant, you just have to tolerate the dogs. In my opinion, they should have one of the sides out sides dog-free.
The hotel is still a fine one, with mostly greatly service (love Anna Marie at front desk) and a reasonably good hard product. But the location is isolated, and without a beach nearby, I need it to be perfect to make it worth a visit. This time it was not, and we will probably not be back for a while.
Thank you for taking the time to comment upon my review. It would however be nice if you would comment on the issues raised in the review (noise from furniture above due to no carpet, and the auto-tipping in restaurant) and not on something that I did not bring up at all (the resort fee).