HotelChatter

Missing the soul

The Crescent is one of those hotels that probably looked great on paper to investors. The essential ingredients are there, but the groove isn't.

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and the valet was no where in sight. Finally, the valet came, after we had unpacked our bags and proceeded to ask us to pay for the valet parking then and there. I told him we were staying at the hotel and asked if we could just put it on the bill. He seemed confused, because we didn't have a room number yet. We were checked in by mostly uncaring front desk folks, and lugged our bags up the stairs to our room.  

To make a long story short: our room was small, very warm, had the worlds smallest shower (worthy of a boat not a hotel). Etc.

Not impressed. Won't go back.

PS- the next night we stayed at the Standard Downtown. Way, way, way better experience. Alas no iPods in the room, but there was a decent stereo that I could plug my own iPod into. And the roof bar blows away the "happening lounge" at the Crescent.

Avoid, avoid, avoid!

Seconding other comments about the noise, I'll give you a little scenario to decide for yourself.

It's Tuesday night. You've checked in to this hotel earlier in the day, and at 9 p.m., after dinner, you're returning to your tiny-but-nice room. Walking towards the hotel, you wonder who's having the huge party. Then you realize--it's at your hotel.

The entire hotel lobby is FILLED with people for a "singles' mixer" that will let out at 1 a.m. (Maybe. The staff isn't sure.) The DJ is at a stand about 15 feet from the first room, spinning hits that can be heard all the way down the hall. (There are no doors between the lobby and the rooms--they feed into one another.)

Drunk, loud singles will wander the hallway looking for something to discover that can only be found right outside your door. When you open it, wondering what the hell is going on out there, they'll ask you if it's hard to sleep with a party going on. Yes, yes it is, thanks for asking.

At 2:30 a.m.--remember, on a Tuesday--the staff will start reassembling the lobby, moving a large dining table from the basement down the hall, bumping it on the stairs. They'll pull chairs out of the room next door, where they stored them, all while chatting as if it is 2 p.m.

Oh, and for all you non-smokers: the smoke from those in the lobby will get sucked into the ventilation system and poured into your room. (Extra ironic for a "non-smoking" hotel.)

Sound like fun? Save your money, buy your own iPod shuffle for $99 rather than go here for theirs, and pick a different, reasonably quiet hotel. This one was hell, and not even their offer of a $5 free breakfast could help. (Gee, thanks.)