I had tickets to see "Wicked" at the State Theatre in downtown Cleveland (20 minutes from my home), but heard a storm was on its way so the night before I decided to book a room at the closest hotel to the theatre. I hadn't read any reviews prior to booking, but found a pretty good deal on Orbitz. It turned out to be a good idea in the end, especially because it took 1 1/2 hours to get down there (mainly because it was nearly impossible to maneuver around the unplowed streets to get up to the place to valet park). What a nightmare! I do remember seeing something about construction on Orbitz, but I had no idea how much worse it would make the situation. We almost got stuck a few times and had to push cars out of the snow to get them out of the way.
However, immediately upon arriving, the valet and front desk staff members were very friendly and apologetic. We were able to check in early, which was a plus. I sarcastically asked if there was a shuttle to the theatre (about 100 yards or so from the hotel) and found out that it had gotten stuck in the snow down the street and the driver dropped the transmission trying to get out. Oops! Would have been nice...
The room was a smoking room with a king bed, but not much else. Didn't reak of smoke when we walked in, but there's no ventilation in there so it was smelled up fast (and lasted a while). I was thrilled/surprised to be able to smoke, so I could have cared less. There was coffee and mugs, but no maker. The ironing board was very old, but the iron worked pretty well. There was a rip in the curtain, the door to the "closet" was broken, and the carpet was stained in some places. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom very clean. Overall, it was OK. Lived up to the three stars I suppose.
We had reservations at the hotel restaurant (Winsor's) because there was no other place to get to by walking (and most other places were probably closed). What a disappointment! They only had a buffet, which was decent. The drinks were not good aand extremely over priced. Our server was very friendly - the best part of the experience. I think they did what they could with the snow, though it would have been nice to see what their regular menu was like.
However, avoid going to the breakfast buffet if there are a lot of people at the hotel. This too was probably a result of the blizzard from the night before, but COME ON! The line at the buffet was horrible... it took 15 minutes to get up to the food. Basic hot breakfast foods, yogurts, fruit and a waffle/omelet bar. We didn't make it up there because it would have taken 15 more minutes. I wish I had piled more on my plate because we didn't make it back up there. Our server was very apologetic (the same friendly one from the night before) and charged us for the "continental" version of the buffet which was still $10.95. I didn't leave starving, but I was furious. The managment of the hotel needs to figure something out because I looked back in there before leaving the hotel and the line was still very long.
I'm not saying that I would never go back, but if the weather is nice I would probably try something else if seeing another show.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
probably not
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Concerts / Music festival, Other