Me and my girlfriend stayed at the Goodwin Hotel last month for a weekend getaway. We really enjoyed our time in Hartford and got to enjoy all the new restaurants and bars. The hotel staff was very friendly and directed us to the types of food and atmospheres we were looking to enjoy. The hotel is very quaint with rich colors and lots of wood. I travel to "modern" hotels all the time and this was a nice hotel that has much more detail and substance than most. We really enjoyed the buffet breakfast and again the staff was friendly and attentive. I'd definately stay here again to relax with my girlfriend and would highly recommend anyone who wants either a weekday stay or relaxing weekend. Finally next time we return, we are bringing our little puppy as this hotel is pet friendly.

I had the pleasure of staying here on a short trip to Hartford for business. The company I was visiting arranged and paid for the stay.

I arrived late at night (9:00 PM) and check-in was pain free with the key waiting for me. No warm welcome and no indication where to find the elevator, but efficient.

The room was nicely decorated, obviously newly renovated, and very clean. The shoe shine is a nice touch which I always enjoy. The restaurant is only open for breakfast and the small bar was pretty dead, so I ordered room service. I left a voicemail which was returned in short order. The food came within the promised 30 minutes and was very nicely done -- good quality and quantity. The only place to eat is sitting at the desk facing the mirror, but that's fine. I found it a little awkward that the TV is in the corner of the room at the head of the bed -- had to watch TV on one side. But this is likely due to the nature of older hotels, the fact that the closets were built-ins, and the size of the room wouldn't really allow for more furniture.

The room clock radio worked fine and was easy to set. My backup wakeup call was 10 minutes late and came when I was in the shower. Bathroom is large and well stocked with towels and nice toiletries.

In the lobby, I stuck my head in the small office twice in the morning with questions (the front desk was busy, and with the lack of warmth the previous night, I thought I would take my chances here). The lady there was great -- first when I asked if there was a news stand in the hotel to buy the Wall St. Journal, she asked if I had seen the papers in the lobby lounge (which I hadn't). She walked me there and handed me the paper -- great service. I subsequently asked for paperclips as I had forgotten to pack my collar stays. She hopped up from her desk and got them right away. I wish I knew her name, but she is an asset to the hotel.

Breakfast in the restaurant was buffet only. I like that, so I didn't mind -- pickier people might want to be able to order a la carte. The full buffet was very reasonable at $12 and change -- continental only was available for less. The selection and quality of offerings was quite good. I was the only table at 7:30 AM, and only two more tables came in before I left. So there was really no excuse for the long wait for coffee and water refills with two waiters. I almost got up to get it myself, but was buried in the papers and meeting notes, etc.

Checkout was handled on the TV. I wish all hotels had that. Since I wasn't paying, there was no bill for me. You can get a copy of the bill at the front desk if you need one.

All-in-all a very nice stay. I would definitely stay here again when in Hartford on business.

We stayed at the Goodwin Hotel for just one night in February, and were very impressed during our short stay.

The compliment we give to the staff, booking process, check-out, and other technical aspects of the stay is--we barely noticed them. We reserved a room on the hotel web site, checked in in about 30 seconds, checked out just as quickly, and uniformly met pleasant, smiling staff.

The little extras around the hotel are very nice--we grabbed a newspaper Saturday night and Sunday morning from the lounge, had free coffee in the public room, and noticed a free shoeshine service. It's amazing how much small efforts like this go.

We enjoyed our room. We splurged for a two-level suite, and were genuinely surprised at how large it was--it had two full bedoorms with a king bed in each, two full baths, and a living room area. It easily could sleep four; for a couple it's quite an indulgence. The furnishings were very nice--perhaps not Four Seasons quality or elegant antiques, but very nice wooden furniture and comfortable couches and chairs.

We were very impressed by the price--$269 for the night, or a bit over $300 with taxes. I realize this was the dead of winter and Hartford is not Manhattan, but for a two-level suite of over 1,000 square feet, that seemed very reasonable. In Boston where we live you would be lucky to find an average 400 square foot room in a so-so hotel for that price.

The hotel is right in the middle of downtown, an easy walk to the Atheneum art museum, state capital, restaurants, and other attractions.

I spent one night at this hotel and my overall impression was that the place is all about reputation and not about service.

My first hint of trouble was the valet parking. There was a wedding taking place at the Goodwin that night, so you would think they would add more help for valet parking. Instead there was a line of cars waiting for valet parking and blocking the street because there was no place for them to turn in to while the outnumbered valets did their best to sort it out. I went and parked in the garage myself - the front desk validated the ticket so it was free.

The layout on the ground floor is odd and in order to get from parking garage to front desk I had to walk with my luggage across the room where the wedding dinner was being held! (Fortunately it was empty as the dinner had not started yet.) When I arrived at the front desk to check in, the clerk asked me, "Are you alone or by yourself?" Nonplussed, I decided not to take offense at this and cheerfully informed her that those terms essentially mean the same thing. I went up to the room and found I'd been downgraded from a queen bed to a double bed. Apparently you only get a queen bed at the Goodwin if you are a couple, whether you reserve one or not. I did not have the time or energy to change rooms, but I was very surprised that the desk clerk did not bother to warn me that they were out of queen rooms. I mentioned this at checkout and got an insincere apology.

The room itself was tiny, comparable to a London hotel room. The decor was a tasteful yellow theme with mahogany wood furnishings. The bed was comfy enough although the cheap wood headboard creaked if you leaned against it. Unlike previous reviewers, my TV was facing the bed, but this left very little room to access the desk and chairs by the very small window. The room did have free wireless Internet, though I didn't use it.

By contrast, the bathroom was almost larger than the room itself. There was a good sized tub and nice sink area and fixtures, full length mirror behind the door in addition to the one above the sink. The slightly grubby-looking tiled floor and bath seemed out of place with the more elegant decor. Water pressure in the shower was great, but the shower head would have been short for anyone over 5' 8".

When I went down to get a drink at the bar, I had to wait about ten minutes for the bartender to appear because she was helping out with the aforementioned wedding. I ordered a fine tequila and you would have thought it was a controlled subtance based on how little she poured into my glass.

I was on the 3rd floor and did hear some street noise but it wasn't bad except for one siren in the middle of the night. Checkout in the morning was quick, however for $120 plus tax, I have stayed in a lot nicer hotels for less money. I don't know Hartford well, but I have to think that a better value could be had elsewhere for the same money with a little less prestige and a lot better service.