HotelChatter

First Reaction
I visited the Ivy Hotel for drinks and a bite last night and must say I was blown away by the disorganization of everything.

Here's this amazing hotel that they've spent billions of dollars on and yet the basics of service have been completely overlooked.

For example: there were three bartenders and it wasn't that busy but was impossible to get a drink. (The solution would be to have a service bartender take care of all the drinks for the waiters and for the other two to stay on one side of the bar or the other for organization and efficiency purposes.)

Their chaotic style resulted in my paying the wrong bill and having one of the bartenders run out to catch me only to pay a second bill because the communication between the staff was clearly non-existent.

Clean Bathrooms are Important
The bathroom had empty bottles and glasses all over the counters and nobody was around busing or cleaning. This too of the ashtrays in the smoking areas...piled to the brim with cigarette butts.

These may seem like petty details but in a luxury hotel environment they are the most important things because these are the things the guests notice first. If you are paying upwards of $400 a night, things should look stunning everywhere you walk in the hotel. It seems to me that they have hired an inexperienced staff and lack the organization to run the machine that they've built.

Menu Disappointments
As for the food, it came out in the most elaborate presentation but tasted, at best, mediocre. I had the salmon sashimi topped with caviar and creme fraiche. It was served in three awkwardly shaped shot glasses with a large spoon that didn't fit into the shot glass, making it impossible to eat.

The dessert came out with all this crazy hoop-la on the plate and was basically a rice crispy treat cut into shapes not all that flavorful or innovative. Also had the mini-burgers, which every hotel has already done. The difference was that the Ivy's burgers had nothing on them. At other places the burgers have arugula, manchego cheese, and maybe some kind of interesting aioli but this was a piece of meat on a bun with a smudge of ketchup. Super disappointing.

Anyone Can Get In
The crowd was trashy and there was no scrutiny as to who was let onto the rooftop club. No list. No doorman. No exclusivity whatsoever. Anyone willing to fork over twenty dollars was free to roam and it was not at all a crowd I would ever want to mingle with.

Bottom Line
Sadly, I don't think I'll be back to the Ivy anytime soon. It would have been nice to have a new spot to hit for drinks and a classy crowd but was nothing of the like.

Related Stories:
· Another San Diego Hotel Gets So-So Reviews From the LA Times[HotelChatter]
· The Ivy Hotel in San Diego is Now Open [HotelChatter]

Tags: San Diego Hotel Reviews

by cavazoo