Aside from the front desk experience and problematic billing practices (explained below), we actually had a fantastic stay. The pool was excellent. There were plenty of loungers available, and because the pool gets lots of direct sunlight, it genuinely had a resort-style atmosphere. The on-site restaurant was the biggest surprise of the trip. We expected typical tourist-area pre-frozen hotel food, but it was surprisingly outstanding and reasonably priced. We ordered the Wagyu Steak Sandwich ($24), and the Smash Burger ($20, pictured). The Wagyu had one of the best medium-rare sears I've had in a long time. The Smash Burger was delicious. Both meals came with crispy parmesan fries in big portions. The cocktails (bar, poolside and restaurant) were also excellent. During Happy Hour they were only $12 each. Even the free welcome margaritas great. For parking, I recommend reserving a space through SpotHero at 502 6th Ave. S (Peabody Street Parking Lot). It had unlimited in/out privileges, was less than a block from the hotel (with a distillery along the walk), and was about half the price of hotel parking. The Problems: We booked the trip through AmEx, which included several benefits "where available", including a 12:00 PM early check-in and a one-category room upgrade. Unfortunately, our experience with the front desk management was extremely disappointing. When we arrived around 10:30 AM, we asked about the 12 PM check-in. The person we dealt with at the desk seemed to be upset that we had arrived so early, but that was just the timing of our flight. They took our luggage and phone number, and told us they would call us as soon as a room became available closer to 12. We never received a call. Later, we learned that rooms had become available during that time, but no one contacted us. When we did check in, we asked about the free room upgrade and referred to the Amex benefits sheet the hotel provided us. They upgraded us from a standard King to a king suite. However, after returning home, I noticed that my credit card had been charged $82 per night for the upgrade for the duration of my stay, plus the additional taxes and destination fees on that amount. When I called, the explanation given was that the King Suite was considered a "Deluxe" room and therefore wasn't covered by the Amex benefit, even though it is technically a one-category upgrade and not explained anywhere. That explanation makes little sense, and more importantly, the hotel selected the room they upgraded us to based on my question about the offer in our travel package. If the upgrade they gave us wasn't included in the package, then why would they upgrade us to it? At no point were we told there would be an additional charge or asked if we wished to pay for an upgraded category beyond what Amex provided. When I contacted the hotel afterward, Guest Services Manager Morgan Veres simply responded that they could not help and we could try their head office number. I ultimately
